Posted in: Exclusive, Interview, Movies, Netflix | Tagged: Adrian Martinez, exclusive, interview, jerry seinfeld, netflix, Unfrosted

Unfrosted: Adrian Martinez on Jerry Seinfeld Ensemble Pop-Tarts Film

Adrian Martinez (Stumptown) spoke to Bleeding Cool on working with Jerry Seinfeld on his Pop-Tarts history revisionist Netflix film Unfrosted.

Adrian Martinez counts his blessings each day with each role he's taken, amassing quite an impressive filmography over his 30+year career, which includes a variety of genres from comedies, dramas, action, comic books, sci-fi across film and TV. His latest is the Netflix historical revisionist comedy Unfrosted, the story of the war between Post and Kelloggs over the breakfast pastry sensation Pop-Tarts from actor and comedian Jerry Seinfeld (who also stars), who enlisted an impressive ensemble cast including Melissa McCarthy, Amy Schumer, Rachael Harris, Christian Slater, Jim Gaffigan, Hugh Grant, Nelson Franklin, Sarah Cooper, Kyle Mooney, Mikey Day, Drew Tarver, Patrick Warburton, Cedric the Entertainer, Sebastian Maniscalco, Jack McBrayer, Beck Bennett, Thomas Lennon, Fred Armisen, John Slattery, Jon Hamm, Bill Burr, Peter Dinklage, Ronny Chieng, Tony Hale, Maria Bakalova, among others. Martinez spoke to Bleeding Cool about his role as mogul Tom Carvel of Carvel Ice Cream, his love for Charlie Chaplin, immersing himself in the NBC sitcom Seinfeld, and working with Sydney Pollack and another comedian-turned-director Ben Stiller.

Adrian Martinez Embracing Jerry Seinfeld's Vision for Unfrosted

Bleeding Cool: What went through your mind when you heard about the opportunity for 'Unfrosted'?
Employment [laughs]. I love to work, and when I saw that Jerry Seinfeld was directing this, I was like, "I didn't know he was a director," it turns out he's wonderful at it. I saw the buzz about the cast, and Jerry explained to me that this was going to be like a madcap movie, like in the tradition of the six-piece film, 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World' (1963) but all these star cameos and I thought to myself, "Wow! Today's a good day."

What was it like on set? I imagine there were probably some in this ensemble cast you wanted to meet and those you want to catch up on.
I have worked with Amy Schumer a few times. It's always a pleasure to see her and work with her. I get to work with people that I have long admired. I worked with Jim Gaffigan on his TV show once and on a movie called 'It's Kind of a Funny Story' (2010), and it was good seeing him again. Interestingly, I had never seen an episode of 'Seinfeld' before this movie. When I was cast, I said, "Well, I better catch up on 'Seinfeld.' As a devout Mets fan, I went straight to the Keith Hernandez episode and saw how funny and bizarre it was. Then I started watching the bunch, and I enjoyed the show. I get it now. I had no idea about his show, and then I saw him perform his stand-up and do a bit about the Pop Tarts, and I couldn't help but recall the Pop Tarts I devoured in my life. I said to myself, "This is good," and then that's it. I was in Hollywood. Fun fact: the studio where we filmed was where Chaplin did 'City Lights' (1931), and I'm a big Chaplin guy. My movie 'iGilbert' (2021) features a Chaplinesque character. I thought, "Wow! If I keep grinding it out enough times after years and years, I get to sip champagne like this again." I'm very grateful.

Was there anything about Jerry that surprised you upon meeting him? Did everything turn out from what you heard about him?
Just how precise he was about his approach to comedy. It's borderline scientific. He has clear ideas of what makes something funny versus unfunny. His approach concerning the timing of scenes, the tone, and the blocking was very certain. That's not to say that it was a stiff set, and everyone was uptight; it was the opposite. It was a very safe set and fun to work in. He kept the atmosphere loosie-goosy. At the same time, he knew exactly what he wanted and how he wanted to do it, and he did all the homework. This was his baby. His approach to the scene work and the film was surgeon-like.

In your role as Tom Carvel, did you study the person or the company going in, or did you play to what was written in the script?
The script doesn't go into who Tom Carvel is, but growing up in New York, Tom Carvel was the guy. I remember everyone eating Carvel ice cream. My self-tape audition was based on the limited material I saw on YouTube where David Letterman interviewed Tom Carvel, and I noticed that Mr. Carvel was a nice and friendly guy. He also had an edge, so I tried to fill in the blanks as much as possible. Honestly, it's not a biopic. It's, so the purists who say, "That's not Carvel, that's not this movie." There's nothing true to it except that Post and Kellogg's, at one point, had a battle over Pop-Tarts and the best, wild reimagining of those events. It's not supposed to be a biopic about Tom Carvel, Tony the Tiger, or Chef Boyardee. It's a loud, funny, loving, madcap look at it from a very imaginative source. Jerry Seinfeld.

Circling back to Jerry, how did you feel he did as a first-time director compared to the more experienced veterans you worked with in the past?
As an actor, you must remain open and receptive to what you will get on the day. Each director brings their approach and has their spin on it. I remember [director] Sydney Pollack in 'The Interpreter' (2005) being kind, loving and supportive. I was nervous on set, so he pulled me over and gave me a pep talk. I was about to work with Nicole Kidman, and I was nervous. It was my first big movie. It was the first time shooting at the United Nations. We had a thousand extras, and this was before CGI in the General Assembly. He pulled me over and said, "You got this!" It was very comforting.

Other directors like Ben Stiller in 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' (2013), I learned about his work ethic and how he got there before everyone else. He was also the last one to leave, and he was very methodic and intense with a fierce work ethic, and I was impressed by that. Jerry, as I said, is surgeon-like, open, and pliable, which you must as an actor. You don't know what's going to happen so much. Some directors are hands-on, and some don't say a peep. I'm fine either way. His reputation speaks for itself, and he's one of the great comic minds of the last 30 years. I knew I was in good hands.

Unfrosted is available on Netflix.

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