|
Troy Kurtis is no stranger to the entertainment world. Before taking on the role of Nico Castano, Troy was a member of the international pop group Menudo (whose alumni includes a certain soap star turned pop sensation, known for his "vida loca"). Now Troy is singing a different tune, as a street tough who’s going to rock Springfield in his own way. Meet GL’s newest cast member (just don’t call him the "new kid on the block").
So, tell us about life before joining the cast of Guiding Light.
Troy Kurtis: I was in the group Menudo for the year 2000 to 2001 and it was an amazing experience. I had the opportunity to do shows in front of over 30,000 people, be on the cover of magazines worldwide, I traveled everywhere from Puerto Rico to Costa Rica to Hong Kong, to the Philippines. It was just a blessing from God. It was an amazing experience, working with top producers such as Desmond Child, who did Ricky Martin’s whole career, Rudy Perez, who did Christina Aguilera’s entire Spanish album, so I was really thrown into the business!
You mentioned Ricky Martin. Just wondering… his career has gone from Menudo to soap operas to pop star. Do you have a similar career path in mind?
Troy Kurtis: It’s kind of interesting, because I sit back, and one of my first opportunities in the studio was recording background for Ricky Martin on his Christmas single called, "Ay, Ay, Ay It’s Christmas," and you know by that being one of my first jobs, my first paying jobs in the industry, and all of the sudden I fell into Menudo and had a soap opera gig… I look back at it and I’m like, "This is kind of interesting. This is real interesting." You know, I’m definitely pursuing a solo career both in the Latin market and in the English market. So I really respect Ricky as an artist, but I definitely feel he has his path and I have my path and the similarities are interesting.
So how did the Guiding Light role come about?
Troy Kurtis: Actually, my ex-girlfriend was like, "Troy, you need to take acting classes because I think you have a talent here." And we would practice lines, do cold readings and stuff. So about four months ago, I started focusing on acting classes, taking a technique class on Mondays, and an on-camera class on Tuesdays, with a gentleman by the name of Bob McAndrew, and he just totally broke barriers for me. I was able to cry, able to get angry, able to be happy… and that whole process of four months led up to my first audition, which was GL, and God totally blessed me, and I landed it. So it was just amazing how God tells me, "Okay, Troy, you’re supposed to do this in life right now. You’re supposed to do that in life.
So tell us a little bit about your character.
Troy Kurtis: I play a character by the name of Nico Castano, and Nico is the dark side of Troy Kurtis! [Laughs] I think a lot of people are going to be able to relate to Nico, because a lot of the times, we go through these emotions, that we really want to express, about being angry or about being sad about something. And a lot of the time… our mind doesn’t allow us to express those feelings, so we kind of shut down and put a smile on and go throughout the day, because we don’t want to be sad. But Nico’s just very real, very to the point, just no B.S. Nico is an aspiring recording artist, Nico plays the guitar, and sings on the show, writes his own music and it’s just like my other half within myself.
Which characters have Nico interacted with so far?
Troy Kurtis: So far, the entire Santos family, Tony [Jordi Vilasuso], Danny [Paul Anthony Stewart] and Michelle [Nancy St. Alban].
And what’s it like working with the actors?
Troy Kurtis: They’re great. It’s totally been a blessing. They’ve given me a lot of things to work from, coming from an actor’s point of view, with the passion and the emotion, so they’ve made it very easy. It’s great. I’m just learning so much.
Nico writes his own music and plays guitar. Do you do that as well off screen?
Troy Kurtis: Absolutely. I write my own music, I play the guitar. I’m actually working on some recordings right now to start shopping to the major record companies. I do R&B, a lot of ballads. I have a lot of influences: Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Brian McKnight… a lot of those soul artists… Elvis, a lot of the classics.
Can you drop any hints as to what’s to come for the character of Nico?
Troy Kurtis: The only thing I can say right now is there’s going to be a lot of suspenseful, dramatic scenes, a lot of action. It’s going to be what the fans want to see.
Back to the Top
|
