Santa Barbara Vet A Martinez Reveals the Cruz/Eden Plot He ‘Hated,’ Was ‘Ashamed’ of: ‘I’ll Never Get Over It’
Santa Barbara is widely considered to be one of — if not the — best soap opera that ever graced the daytime landscape. But as one of the series’ stars recently pointed out, the late, beloved NBC sudser was not immune to the occasional narrative misstep.
In a refreshingly candid Facebook Q&A, A Martinez — who won an Emmy for his portrayal of Cruz Castillo, soul mate to Marcy Walker’s Eden — revealed that there is one Santa Barbara plot he was embarrassed to take part in.
“Pretty much the only thing I hated about [SB] — in fact I was ashamed that I did it — is when Eden came back [from the “dead”] disguised as another person to try to lead Cruz into the next stage of his life,” the actor shared of the 1991 arc that found the mentally ill Eden taking on the personality of a painter named Suzanne Collier. “She wore glasses and a [red] wig and we were supposed to pretend that Cruz would not know she she is when he danced with her. I was ashamed that I played that. I’ll never get over it. That was one of the weakest things I ever did as an actor.”
That one creative slip-up notwithstanding, Martinez stressed that he “loved” his time on the soap, which ran from 1984-1993. “You can be picky about it and look a gift horse in the mouth and all of that, but the truth is so much of the reason the [Cruz/Eden] relationship worked as well as it did was that the writers wrote us gloriously rich, sensitive [material],” he enthused. “We were so lucky. I want to be very careful not to fall prey to thinking ‘woulda-shoulda-coulda.’ We had a full meal for years. We were lucky.”
Martinez also divulged during the Q&A — which served to promote the forthcoming Santa Barbara-themed cruise — that the storyline he remains most proud of was the one that dealt with the aftermath of Eden’s rape. The landmark 1989 plot earned Santa Barbara eight Daytime Emmys, including Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Lead Actress for Walker. “It was a hideous thing that happened to that character,” Martinez admits, “but the way [Marcy] played it was off the charts great .”
You can watch Martinez’s full Facebook Q&A below.
I’m still surprised that NO streaming outlet anywhere streams Santa Barbara. It’s a classic that does not deserve to be lost to time. It deserves for new eyes to find and enjoy it as must as us old farts who saw it live back in the day…
I’ve heard it’s music rights issues behind this.
Music rights are the reason a lot of shows have not been streaming. Cold Case is another show that will likely not be seen on streaming anytime soon, if ever.
This is an easy fix – replace the music. It happens all the time – movies that only get theatrical rights to their music have to change it out when it airs on TV. They just need to find someone to invest a bit into it.
Cold Case is on Start TV.
Channel 2.2 in LA on over-the-air broadcast. Check their website.
Love Santa Barbara!
Marcy and A were the top couple but for many years the MPV was Robyn Mattson. Sinister but still had a good heart when it came to her son.
I watched SB after school when I was about 9 0r 10.Cruz and Eden were my favorite couple,and I remember they had a lot of sex on his houseboat.I also enjoyed Mason and Julia,especially when Lane Davies played Mason.
Totally agree, Gina was my favorite!
Can’t disagree with the guy, it made his character look pretty stupid.
That was a horrible storyline . Another was Mason Capwell had a dual personality as Sonny Sprocket. Lane Davies, Marcy Walker, the Late Jed Allan, A Martinez, Justin Deas and Robyn Mattson were stand outs on the show. The show also had a young Eva Larue(CSI: Miami) , Robin Wright (the Princess Bride) and Melissa Reeves (Jennifer on Days).
I remember Robin Wright mostly because of her hair.It was so long and looked so heavy.
Loved Santa Barbara! Cruz and Eden were the best, and loved Lane Davies as Mason. And as Sonny Sprockett, ha ha! And Keith and Gina. And of course Robin Wright as Kelly. The actresses who followed her in the role were awful
Is that it?!? Whew!!! Consider yourself lucky. I loved that soap when it was on. It wasn’t as crazy as Passions, but it was fun and funny at times. And boy, did they have some great actors on that show!
I had successfully erased this awful story line from my brain…and now it’s back! Ugh. Great show though and what a fantastic cast! They didn’t make many mistakes, it’s true.
Cruz and Eden are still the greatest super couple in soap history.
Wasn’t Passions a Santa Barbara spin-off?
No
I don’t think anyone liked that storyline, but I remember thinking it was the price we had to pay to have Marcy Walker back.
I remember the rape storyline very well, especially the special half-hour episode that dealt with the immediate aftermath. I remember it aired during the Olympics, and NBC was almost wall-to-wall coverage of the games. They did open up 30 minutes that one day, though, as a gift to SB fans who were missing their show during the Olympic break.
Santa Barbara was my absolute favorite soap when I was watching them. I remember thinking Robin Wright was such a great actress. She stood out to me then. I loved Cruz and Eden.
I never liked them together. I like Robert.
My all time favorite soap and supercouple, Eden and Cruz. I also loved Mason and Julia, Gina and Keith!! Great show!!