Marc Anthony finds joy in the sadness of a Salsa legend

Katherine Monk
CanWest News Service

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Marc Anthony's El Cantante comes on on DVD Oct. 30. (Getty Images)
CREDIT:
Marc Anthony's El Cantante comes on on DVD Oct. 30. (Getty Images)

It should come as no surprise that Marc Anthony considers himself a true romantic. The Latin heartthrob sings songs of "amore" with a quivering vocal touch, and when he speaks to you, his big brown puppy dog eyes don't drift for a second - making you think for a split second, at any rate, you may be the only woman on earth.

It could be part of a well-honed shtick that's taken Anthony from the streets of New York to international success as a song-styling Romeo, but it feels undeniably sincere as he sits down for a one-on-one to talk about El Cantante - his latest film which hits DVD Oct. 30.

The story of Salsa legend - and creator - Hector Lavoe, El Cantante features Anthony in the title role of singer Lavoe and his superstar bride Jennifer Lopez as Lavoe's wife, Puchi. Structured as a biopic and directed by Leon Ichaso (Pinero), El Cantante takes the viewer from the start of Lavoe's career to its tragic, premature end facilitated by substance abuse and depression.

"It's a pretty sad story, but the one thing we all wanted to communicate about Hector was his love of music, and how it filled his life with so much good - as well as so much bad," says Anthony.

"Hector had the kind of life that every person in the music business could have had - and many did have - back in the '70s: Drugs were easily accessible, if not ubiquitous, and once you get really famous the pressures can become enormous," he says.

"You feel people expect so much from you, and eventually, you find yourself living for other people and not yourself. That's when it's very easy to lose yourself along the way."

Anthony is only all too familiar with the rigours of fame, and as we speak, a bodyguard hovers at the door looking as intimidating as his profession demands.

"You want to give the audience everything you have when you're on stage singing," says Anthony, who sells out stadium after stadium across South America.

"But when I get home, I live for myself and my family. I'm a pretty laidback guy and I have no trouble with down time - it's my wife that can't stop," he says smiling, looking over at Lopez just a couch away.

"I've never met such a focused and driven person in my life. If she says she's going to write a book in one week - she's going to write a book in one week. She's incredible. She inspires me," he says.

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Ask Anthony if the difference in work habits causes friction and he nods, quite matter-of-factly. "Sometimes, but only because it makes me feel like I'm not doing enough. And that's just me. There's no guilt at all. I just like to relax - and I'm pretty good at it. But sometimes I feel I should be doing more because some days, I don't accomplish much at all. Meanwhile, she's recorded an album, produced a movie and written a book - not really, but you know what I mean: She's highly productive."

Anthony says in the big picture, the difference has been a boon for both of them because a little bit of the other wears off with each new hurdle, and over the course of making El Cantante and retracing the steps of a failed celebrity marriage, Anthony and Lopez lived through a cautionary tale about the cost of drug addiction coupled with big money and fame.

"The biggest difference (between) then and now is the social attitude surrounding drugs. It used to be that drugs were OK, but these days, in the entertainment industry and the music industry, they aren't as socially acceptable as they once were. People don't openly snort cocaine like they used to," he says.

"It's not that they aren't around... they just aren't cool."

Anthony says all you have to do is look at what happened to Lavoe in order to see the end result of a life of addiction. Born in the humble streets of Puerto Rico, Lavoe moved to New York as a teenager and became the lead singer in a popular band led by Willie Colon. Yearning to mingle more musical styles and infuse Latin beats with disco, Lavoe went solo and essentially created what is now called "Salsa."

For a brief moment, Lavoe was one of the biggest Latino acts in the world, but drug addiction combined with depression and a positive diagnosis for HIV proved too much for Lavoe and he attempted to take his own life in 1988 by jumping off a building. He survived the fall, only to die penniless of AIDS-related causes in 1993.

"I found myself wanting to change Hector's life along the way," says Anthony. "He made so many wrong decisions and it's hard to move with your character when they do things you don't want them to do. There are a lot more opportunities for singers these days. It's not just record deals anymore, but clothing deals and sponsorships - there's more than one way to make money," he says.

"Hector didn't have those options. He was trapped and you can't help but feel for him. I am a romantic, and though I found part of his struggle to be quite beautiful and moving, it's just tragic because you keep thinking there must have been some other way," he says.

"At least we still have the music," Anthony says. "For all the sadness in Hector's life, the music was his joy... Hector may have been suicidal... but that energy, the beats, the whole Salsa rhythm - it's about embracing life."

El Cantante hits DVD Oct. 30.

Just a couple days till the DVD comes out!