Albert Martinez on why he binge ate for ‘Lavender Fields’ role

Albert Martinez —ALBERT MARTINEZ/ FACEBOOK

In spite of the fact that he continues to be in demand on TV and the big screen, actor Albert Martinez, at 63, admitted he is already considering retiring from show business.

This is why, of late, he only agrees to doing projects he thinks could be part of his legacy. “Basically, I have done every role I can imagine. That’s why I told my manager (Shirley Kuan) that I can already retire. She just said, ‘Don’t retire and just pick a semiretired arrangement. Just choose projects that you want to do, those that you think will be part of your legacy.’ This particular project falls under that legacy part,” Albert told reporters in a recent interview. He was referring to his being a cast member of the ABS-CBN produced action-drama series “Lavender Fields.”

Fulfilling obligations

Albert’s decision to lay low is partly because he “kept working and working” when he was younger, in order to fulfill his obligations as a husband (to late actress Liezl Martinez) and father to their three children. “I was determined to put a roof over their heads, provide the kids with good education, and give them a good life, so I kept working and working. (As a result), I missed so many memorable events with my family. I missed their graduation, some of their birthday celebrations. I was either abroad or up in the mountains, shooting. There were also times when I celebrated my birthday on the set, because our tapings couldn’t just be packed up. Today, my kids are grown-ups and I have (seven) grandkids. I want to spend my time with them,” he pointed out.

Albert claimed he had no regrets devoting so much time to working during his younger years. “Through acting, I was able to feed my family and send the children to school. I’m aware of the moments I was away, so I want to make up for that. I’m now a mega-lolo,” he declared.

Albert’s grandchildren—four boys and three girls—call him “Yoyo.” “I won’t survive without them. The two boys are with me—my grandkids from my eldest child, Alfonso. They knock on my door as early as 7 a.m. I’d stand up and say, ‘Good morning!’ and have breakfast with them, even though I slept at 5 a.m. I now have more reason to enjoy life, even though I’m single. It’s funny because they would ask me, ‘Lolo, why are you on TV?’”

When asked about his readiness in finding new love, Albert said it isn’t a priority. Liezl died of breast cancer in 2015. “If it happens, it happens. You’ll never know. I’ve been single for almost 10 years now, and I’ve gotten so used to it. I’m preoccupied with work, my grandkids, and catching up with my children,” he pointed out.

Besides, Albert is still grieving over the loss of his father, Alberto, who passed away in May. “It’s really hard, especially now that I’m officially an orphan. I lost my mom in 2010, and then my dad this year. I am now the head of managing my siblings. It’s hard to cope with the loss—from one loss to another—but then, life must go on,” he said.

Giving 100 percent

This is also another reason Albert is focused on the work he does on “Lavender Fields,” where he plays police investigator Zandro Fernandez. “If I get into something I want, I make sure to give it my 100 percent. I really prepared for this character. I made it my commitment to make him look like he’s a loser. I intentionally cut my diet and started binge eating so I could gain weight in the stomach,” he began.

Albert used to eat only one meal a day, which consisted mostly of sweet potato, hard-boiled eggs, black rice and pineapple. “When I took over this character, it was like free-for-all. I had to get used to eating more than I should. I also had to drink three bottles of beer a day for a quicker result. Don’t copy this. I just did it for the character,” he stressed. “Another way to do it is to feast on cakes, but since this is made of sugar, I also had to consider the long-term side effects.”

On the set, Albert went around with “almost no make-up.” He added: “I didn’t shave, either. My hair was all white and messy. It’s like I slept, woke up and went out without fixing myself,” he said.

Asked if he has found anything that he could relate to in Zandro’s personality, Albert said: “We’re both very focused. He is a complicated character, he attacks everything very lightly. He’s not your typical loser who is often angry. When he is with people, he is very pleasant. Since he is already so intense, he wants people to feel comfortable around him. When he is alone, he is a serious and ruthless person but in a lawful way. To know whether or not he is a bad character, you have to watch from beginning to end.”

“Lavender Fields,” which also features Jodi Sta. Maria, Janine Gutierrez and Jericho Rosales, premiered on Netflix on Aug. 30 and on iWantTFC on Aug. 31. The series also started airing on free TV, cable TV and online on Sept. 2, weeknights at 9:30 p.m. INQ