Martinez muses on the future of Cruz
By Gabrielle Winckel, Soap Opera Weekly, 1991	Home   Cette page en Français

The departure of leading lady Marcy Walker (Eden) leaves A Martinez (Cruz) in both a professional and personal void. The two were close on screen and off and make no bones about the fact that they will miss each other terribly. (At a pre-Daytime Emmy Party, Walker got teary whenever the subject came up.)

Martinez admits the recent scenes of Cruz mourning Eden were not difficult. "The problem was keeping it under control. In earlier times it would have been, "How can I find (a motivational memory) that would make the people think I'm feeling some kind of pain ?" This time, it's, "How can I express in a way that isn't (too overwhelming ?)""

Martinez has been adamantly opposed to the once-rumored re-casting Eden. "It would simply be disrespectful to the relationship. I realize there's a certain arrogance in taking that stance. You know, the play is one thing and the actor's the other. On the other hand, I look back on the things Marcy and I did together, and I think that needs to be honored on some level. You have the character who is central to the core family off the show. How are you supposed to tell the story without this character ? If her show doesn't go, at least she has the opportunity to come back, that is, if she wants to."

Martinez is also pretty clear that he doesn't want Cruz thrown into another woman's arms quite yet. He'd like Cruz to "legitimately explore what it is like to put your life back together when the center of it has been torn out. What happens to your capacity to love ? To be a partner ? How do you do it when (the relationship) is second best, or when it's replacing the perfect ?"

Martinez is optimistic about the future of Santa Barbara and about some of the new addition to the cast, particularly Jack Wagner's Warren. "He kicked (butt) from the top. Once you've been in this game long enough you start having a sense of what your strengths and weakness are, and what you need to do is make the stuff work for you. He's already begun to establish a more clear-cut version of the relationship between Cruz and Warren. He's a pro." Guess it takes one to know one.