Rudy Martinez Talks NBC’s Heartbeat [Exclusive Interview]

NBC’s Heartbeat may be coming to an end after just one season, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t given us plenty to talk about.

The series, which is based on the memoir Heart Matters by Kathy Magliato, follows the professional and personal life of heart transplant surgeon, Dr. Alex Panttiere, played by Melissa George. Dr. Panttiere personally takes one new intern under wing, Marty, played by Rudy Martinez.

I recently spoke with Martinez about his role on the show, which he said he was drawn to because he was able to identify with the character.

“They had sent out a casting notice that my friend and manager thought I was really right for. It said that he was the official sidekick, and he’s kind of the runt of the litter in the pack of interns,” Martinez said.

“There’s an earnest quality about Marty that Alex notices, and so she pulls him aside and takes him under her wing. I think it’s that earnest quality that I thought, hey, I’m kind of an underdog myself. And I feel like I identify with that quality in Marty.”

Something else that made Martinez excited to be a part of the project was the fact that Heartbeat sets itself apart from other medical shows, in large part because it is based on Magliato’s memoir. “I think that’s what separates it from other medical shows on TV, is that everything that you see is at least mostly based on something that actually happened,” Martinez said.

Heartbeat also uses more comedy than what we might typically expect in a medical procedural. “I think that’s something that surprised me. I didn’t realize how funny the script would be when I first went it for it.”

Martinez also spoke to the challenges involved when it comes to playing a doctor on TV. “There is somewhat of a learning curve in terms of the medical terminology that is used in the show, and you also have to do things with a great deal of authenticity in terms of holding medical tools, and making sure that you’re using them in the correct way,” he explained.

The good news is that medical consultants were available to help, including Dr. Kathy Magliato herself. “She is there often to check in on us and check our pronunciation, if we’re saying certain words right, and just give us advice. She’s really great about that.”

One of Martinez’s favorite moments on the show comes from Season 1 Episode 7, “Permanent Glitter,” where he got to try out his dancing skills. “Permanent Glitter” focuses on a transgender woman (guest star Candis Cayne) who is facing breast cancer. “That episode is all about staying true to who you are, and you know, staying in the fight and fighting for your life,” Martinez said.

“It’s the episode when Marty and the interns do a flash mob dance, and the whole hospital gets involved in the dance. It’s a really emotional moment toward the end of the episode.”

“I’m not a dancer myself, so it took me a while to learn the dance,” he continued. “It was actually pretty tricky. But when I got to set the next day, the director, Allison [Liddi-Brown], she told us, ‘Hey you’re interns. You don’t have to do it perfectly.’ So I was like, great, I just learned the entire dance, and I could be bad at it,” Martinez laughed.

In addition to acting, Martinez plays the ukulele and spends some time writing songs. He and his husband have also set up a scholarship at UCLA to benefit LGBT writers in the school of Theatre & Film.

“It’s for students at UCLA who are creating work in theater, film, or TV. And the scholarship every year goes to someone who uses either a script, or a play, or a screenplay to portray positive representations of LGBT people and LGBT issues,” Martinez explained.

He also said that he and his husband spend time going through several submissions looking for someone with a different perspective.

“Every year we get many different submissions, and it’s just interesting to try and find out who has a unique perspective out there with an LGBT angle,” he said. “Last year we got to meet the recipient of the award, and it’s just so interesting to find out their story — to find out what inspired their screenplay or their script. So it is really rewarding for us.”

You can catch Rudy Martinez on the series finale of Heartbeat, airing tonight at 8/7c on NBC.

Featured image by Ryan West.