Bad Monkey is a joyful series for fans of a bygone era of comedy. Starring Vince Vaughn, the series follows Andrew Yancy, a talkative police detective who gets involved in a case with a lot of moving parts, including corrupt and mysterious people, a severed arm retrieved from the ocean, and much more. What makes it all work is a stunning cast led by Vaughn, an actor known for his hilarious and deadpan comedy style, demonstrated in beloved films like “Wedding Crashers,”“Dodgeball,” and “Swingers.”
Written by Bill Lawrence, whose previous credits include “Scrubs” and “Ted Lasso,” “Bad Monkey” stars actors and comedians like Rob Delaney, Meredith Harper, Jodie Turner-Smith, Michelle Monaghan, and more. Among them is Natalie Martinez, a seasoned TV actress who plays the role of Rosa Campesino, a coroner for the Miami-Dade Police who develops a bond with Yancy out of necessity.
It's a big opportunity for Martinez, one where she gets to show off a side of herself that she hasn't relied on in her previous work, which includes films like "The End of Watch," alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena, and TV shows like "The Stand" and "The Twilight Zone". Born in Miami to Cuban parents, Martinez shares some similarities to her character Rosa, who's also Cuban and raised in Miami. The opportunity to work on "Bad Monkey" allowed her to work and shoot in Florida, providing her with the chance to visit her family and feel at home.
Martinez has been involved in the entertainment industry for years, starting as a model at the age of 17 for one of Jennifer Lopez's clothing brands. "And that began my career," said Martinez in Spanish on an appearance on Despierta America. "I was going to go to California for four days and it's been 22 years and I haven't left."
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"This has been such a special project for me in so many ways. I hope you enjoy Rosa and this crazy amazing cast of characters as much as I did. Truly an honor to be in a project with such a great group of people!"
In an interview with HOLA! USA, Martinez opened up about keeping up with Vaughn as he flexes his prodigious improv skills, being a part of an electric cast, and diving into comedy for the first time.
Can you give us a brief introduction to your character and the show?
I play Dr. Rosa Campesino and she is a coroner for the Miami-Dade Police. And when you find her in this show, she loves her job. There's great importance in what she does, but it's starting to weigh on her, all of the things that she's seen coming in through those doors. It's heavy on the heart and then Yancy (Vaughn) comes in with this arm that was fished out of the ocean and this case that's very intriguing and I think she finds him intriguing as well. So it gives her this fresh perspective and motivation to figure new things out and step outside her comfort zone.
And within that, they both go on this journey to figure out what happened with this case. It leads them to learning a little something about each other.
You have a great roster of TV shows under your belt. What are you excited for viewers to see, especially fans that have followed your career?
One of the things I'm really excited for people to see, especially in my career, is that this is a comedy. And I haven't really done that. I’m very fortunate that my first comedy is a Bill Lawrence dramedy with Vince Vaughn and that he’s my scene partner in this.
I hope people are proud and think that I can keep up with one of the greats. I'm really excited for my fans to see this and I'm just excited for this show to come out 'cause I think it's such a great fun script.
Natalie Martinez and Gizel Jimenez in "Bad Monkey"
‘Bad Monkey’ has an incredible cast. There’s Vaughn, there’s Michelle Monaghan, Jodie Turner-Smith, etc. Can you tell me a little bit about the experience of working with all these people?
One of the things that drew me to this role was the cast. I mean, the lineup is just incredible. Everyone's so talented and they all bring something so different and I knew it was gonna be a fun project. And when you're on set, everyone's so lovely.
I also loved that this project had such strong female characters. We’re kind of running it a little bit (laughs). Every girl is very dominant. We definitely have a huge part in the series and offset, the women are so lovely. We kind of made a little family while shooting and I was very honored to share the screen and this role with everybody.
"What a ride it’s been so far on this press tour. I’m so excited for you all to watch Bad Monkey. Such a special job for me for so many reasons! 🐒"
Charlotte Lawrence, Natalie Martinez, Vince Vaughn, Meredith Hagner and Michelle Monaghan at the premiere of "Bad Monkey" in Los Angeles.
Do you have a favorite memory from set?
Yeah, one of my favorite scenes to do was between Yancy, Claspers (Bob Clendenin), and Rosa, where they’re at a restaurant and are kind of figuring things out. And improv is encouraged on set. So in the scene, Yancy and Claspers are kind of going back and forth. They went on for like 10 minutes. Obviously, it was edited, but they just kept ping-ponging back and forth to each other. And then it was my turn to say my line and I just like was not there 'cause I was so captivated by what was happening. I felt like I was a part of the audience watching, you know? I completely forgot that I was at work. It was one of my favorite moments because it’s a testament to how amazing these people are and how brilliant they are to work with. And it was just so fun to watch.
"Bad Monkey" is based on the novel of the same name by Carl Hiaasen, a writer known for his meaty Florida thrillers. The first two episodes are available now on Apple TV+. New episodes are released every week, available on the streaming app on Wednesdays.
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© Apple TV+.
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© Apple TV+.
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