When you hear the name Ricky Martin, it’s possible that the first thing you think of is his music, such as the hit song “Livin’ La Vida Loca.” While it’s true that Martin is a great singer, it’s also true that he was first an actor.

Martin started acting in his native Puerto Rico at the age of 6. His first acting jobs were in commercials, and by the ’90s, he was a cast member on the soap opera “General Hospital.” He played bartender Miguel Morez.

Since the “General Hospital” days, Martin has taken acting roles on “Glee,” and he performed on Broadway in “Les Miserables” and “Evita.”

Martin’s most recent acting role was in 2018 in “The Assassination of Gianni Versace.” He earned an Emmy nomination for his role, and he hoped that would mean that he would be given more opportunities to act.

Three years later, Martin is still waiting for new acting opportunities. He really, really wants to act. He told PEOPLE, “I love acting. I’m waiting for those scripts, for those great scripts. I can play gay, I can play straight, I can play a serial killer. I can play Latin, but I can also play European. I am ready. Just give it to me, man. Give it to me. I just want to tap into anything that has to do with acting. I love theater, too. I want to tell a story. That’s what I want. I want to tell important story, and I want to change the way people see life in general towards some more optimistic way.”

Why hasn’t Martin been given more opportunities to act? He doesn’t know for sure, but he can’t help but wonder if it’s because he’s gay. Once upon a time, a music producer told him that his music would be more successful if he had never come out. Martin explained, “That was something that really affected me. And I was like, ‘Am I really dealing with this? They’re not playing my music in this country because I’m gay? Is this really happening?’ We’re talking about four years ago.”

Martin can’t help but wonder if being gay is hurting his acting career as well. He said, “I don’t know if I’m not getting parts because I’m gay, but if that’s the case, it’s really sad. I’m going to keep working until life is different.”

Do you think Ricky Martin isn’t getting acting roles because he’s gay? Did you know that he was an actor before he was a singer?