Martin
Marquez
Gino Primirola
Head Barman
Having
owned his own fish and chip shop, worked as a fitness instructor and
then a barman in a top London hotel before becoming a professional actor,
one would be forgiven for thinking that all the bases were covered for
Martin Marquez – and that he would require little or no research
to play Gino.
But Martin
still spent considerable time learning the art of "flaring"
from a professional cocktail barman, and practiced for two weeks in
order to be able to throw the cocktail shaker around the Hotel Babylon
bar.
"When
we were prepping for the first series three years ago, the production
team arranged for one of London's top cocktail barmen to come round
and teach me flaring and other aspects of the showmanship of cocktail-making.
We set up a table in my back garden and just got on with it," he
laughs. "There was a considerable amount of spillage but it was
great fun."
In reality,
though, Martin was advised that it was enough to simply look as though
he could toss the bottle in the air by handling them and pouring confidently,
as flaring costs a lot of money due to the spillage from the pourers.
Martin
also sought inspiration from various real-life bar tenders at some of
London's top establishments.
"In
the Eighties, if you flew into London and wanted a Martini you would
go to Salvatore's – since he was known as the King of Martinis."
As well
as learning from the professionals, Martin also spent time at the Landmark
and Soho Hotels talking to the barmen, and managed to squeeze in a cocktail
course in East London, which he thoroughly enjoyed.
"This
year, I do get to use my cocktail-making skills more, because when my
brother, Ginelli (played by Martin's real-life brother, John), turns
up we have an unofficial competition to make the best cocktail.
"Initially,
Gino was meant to be Italian, but I do a comedy show with John and,
in that, I play a few different Spanish characters. I have been told
that I can make a character like that funny. Gino is very straight and
has an aversion to gay men which, without being too general, in my experience
is more akin to Spanish culture than Italian.
"Gino
is very much a stereotype who thinks he is sexy," says Martin.
"But I wanted to make him a layered character – primarily
a comic character. But, as with anyone, there are always other sides
and it is that history that informs how I play him."
Martin
and his brother, John, are known as The Brothers Marquez and have performed
their much acclaimed comedy theatre show at Edinburgh, and regularly
at the Soho Theatre in London.
"We
have co-written about four shows together now and are hoping to bring
one of them to the West End next spring. It's called I Caught My
Death In Venice."
Martin
was raised in Coventry. His mum is from Birmingham and she met Martin's
dad while on holiday in Spain.
"My
dad was a waiter in the Ritz Hotel on the Costa Brava, which was a five-star
hotel in the Fifties. He was good friends with the chef, and they put
together a staff football team. In those days during the Fifties, English
guests would turn up in a Rolls Royce and tip him really well –
which I remember him talking about, and how polite the English were."
This was an experience that was, sadly, not the case when Martin's father
ran his own business.
"Dad
used to always talk about how nice and polite the English are,"
says Martin. "But when he owned a fish and chip shop he gradually
saw a very different side to English culture. During his last years
of owning the shop, he was seeing the worst side of English society
– the late-night drunks being rude and aggressive.
"His shop was smashed up a few times and he has
seen a lot of violence – he even had someone die in his arms who
was stabbed in his shop which, sadly, is a far cry from his days in
a Spanish luxury hotel. Now, he and my mum have retired to Spain, but
he does ask me all about my cocktail-making skills and how we shoot
certain scenes. He is very interested in how we make Babylon, which
is lovely."
Hotel
Babylon
Series three
Staff profiles
Guest star profiles
Max Beesley
- Charlie Edwards
Dexter
Fletcher - Tony Casemore
Emma
Pierson - Anna Thornton-Wilton
Michael Obiora
- Ben Trueman
Ray Coulthard
- James Schofield
Natalie
Mendoza - Jackie Clunes
Alexandra
Moen - Emily James
Lee Williams
- Jack Harrison
