Employee of the Month

ADRIAN MARTINEZ talks about being Ben Stiller and Will Smith's sidekick (and secret weapon).

05.12.2015 - By Slate PodcastsPlay

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Having worked in showbiz for over 20 years and in over 100 films, Adrian Martinez has carved out a niche as a character actor. Hollywood loves to pigeonhole actors, be it as a "nosy neighbor," "leading man" or "villain." For anyone with a modicum of dynamism, it can be stifling, if not suffocating. But being dubbed a "character actor" can offer longevity career wise and some wiggle room to show some personality. The job requires you to make the most of your screen time, despite never knowing what may end up on the cutting room floor, and you must play well with others. Enter Martinez. Naturally a ham, the New York born and raised Martinez developed legitimate acting chops as an actor and member of LAByrinth theater. In our interview, we spoke about the late Philip Seymour Hoffman's influence and the perks of playing a sidekick to box office stars, like Will Smith (Focus), Ben Stiller (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty), Will Ferrell (Casa de Mi Padre), and Zach Galifianakis (It’s Kind of a Funny Story)....

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