Steve Martin names his favorite character from his entire, decades-long career. Martin began acting back in the late 1960s, getting his start on a couple of one-off episodes of television. From there, he went on to be one of the most sought-after talents of the 1980s, acting in films such as Three Amigos!, Little Shop of Horrors, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Parenthood. Martin boasts multiple Emmy wins and nominations, including in 1969 for Best Writing Achievement in Comedy for his behind-the-scenes work on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.
Speaking in an interview with Vogue with his Only Murders in the Building co-stars, Martin reveals what his favorite character that he’s ever played is.
While co-star Martin Short struggled more to answer questions, Steve Martin’s answer came fairly immediately: Roxanne. Martin says that playing C.D. Bales in Roxanne was a “fun character to play” and “had a lot of energy.” Only Murders in the Building actor Selena Gomez thought Martin’s answer might have been Cheaper by the Dozen, but Martin stood by his Roxanne response. Check out the full quote from Martin below:
“I’ll raise my hand while you’re thinking. Roxanne! C.D. Bales. It was like a fun character to play, and alive and kicking, had a lot of energy.”
Roxanne Is A Somewhat Surprising Choice
The Film Did Get Good Reviews
Roxanne is a 1984 romantic comedy about a large-nosed man named C.D. Bales who falls in love with a conventionally beautiful woman named Roxanne, who finds herself falling for Bales’ personality while enamored with another man’s looks. In addition to Martin’s lead role, Roxanne featured a leading cast including Daryl Hannah, Rick Rossovich, Shelley Duvall, Fred Willard, and Max Alexander. Roxanne received decent reviews, getting an 88% Tomatometer among 43 reviews and a 63% Popcornmeter among audiences.
It is interesting to hear Martin choose Roxanne as his favorite role, as it is likely not the role for which most people remember him. Roxanne did receive good reviews, and even scored Martin a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, but it does not have nearly the same kind of instant recognition as something like Parenthood or Gomez’s guess of Cheaper by the Dozen. Still, Martin’s goofy Roxanne role sees him act in his quintessential comedy form, making the role stand up well within his oeuvre.
Steve Martin lost out on the Golden Globe to Robin Williams in Good Morning, Vietnam.
Martin was in his early 40s when he was in Roxanne. Now almost 80, the actor is still actively working in comedy today. The quantity of Martin’s roles has slowed down a bit, but he has still gotten acclaim for his role as Charles-Haden Savage in the Hulu show Only Murders in the Building. Only Murders in the Building season 4 is currently on air, giving audiences a chance to see Martin in his essential comedy role.
Source: Vogue / YouTube
