Ricky Martin Says Palm Royale Feels Like His Soap Days - In the Best Way
If you've ever loved the wild ride of a daytime soap, you'll get why Ricky Martin (movies and tv series) is grinning his way through Season 2 of Palm Royale. The pace is relentless. The twists come fast. And honestly, that's the point.
Martin, who once played Miguel Morez on General Hospital, says the Apple TV series keeps taking him back to that energy. "Something happens and Maxine [Kristen Wiig (movies and tv series)] is running," he joked. "And she leaves the room, and I'm like, 'Can we have a day, a normal day in this city?'" He admits it can be "overwhelming and exhausting," even just reading the scripts. But he's clearly having a blast.
Playing Robert Diaz - and telling a story that matters
Martin plays Robert Diaz (movies and tv series), and he's proud of what the show lets him do. He's singing. He's pushing into messy, human stakes. And he's getting to tell the story of a gay man in the 1960s with care and intention. "I'm very honored," he said. For a show that's big and glitzy on the surface, that kind of grounding matters.
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Big, bonkers - but still rooted
That balance is by design. Co-star Leslie Bibb (movies and tv series) points to series creator and showrunner Abe Sylvia as the one (movies and tv series) who keeps these characters believable. "We're doing these extraordinary things, these outlandish things, and at the base of them, all the characters are somehow rooted," she said. "There's a basement for every character."
Bibb didn't just talk about it - she lived it. In Episode 2, her character, Dinah Donahue, makes a decision that sounds absurd on paper. "You're like, 'No, I would probably do that. Yeah. I would steal a dead body,'" she said, cracking up. "'Nope, I would do that to get Laura Dern (movies and tv series) out of jail.'" And you buy it, because the show keeps one foot on the ground even when it's sprinting.
From The White Lotus to Huntington Gardens - and a dead body
Bibb went straight from filming The White Lotus in Thailand to Season 2 of Palm Royale. Her first day back? "I'm dressed in black with these big glasses with this massive hat on, and I'm stealing a dead body, running down Huntington Gardens with a gurney," she said. "And I was like, 'Oh yeah, I'm not in Thailand anymore.'" Different shows, same fun.
Would the Palm Royale women survive a White Lotus resort? Bibb thinks they'd thrive. "They're all cut from the same cloth," she said, pointing to that Season 1 breakfast scene where Maxine meets Evelyn, Dinah, Mary and Raquel at the club. It's pure White Lotus energy - just with more pastels and pearls.
What this means for Season 2
Here's what to expect: more chaos, more heart, and characters who surprise you without losing themselves. Martin summed it up simply: "It's funny, but I think we're all little kids in this show." That tracks. The series lets its ensemble play - then finds the honesty underneath.
Season 2 of Palm Royale premiered Nov. 12 on Apple TV, with new episodes rolling out weekly through Jan. 14, 2026. If you're covering TV or just keeping tabs on buzzy ensemble comedies, this is one to keep on your board: splashy on the surface, cleverly human underneath.
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