Bad Monkey: Official trailer
Bad Monkey star Natalie Martinez was rather surprised when she discovered who was portraying her on-screen father in the new Apple TV+ series.
The crime drama follows former detective Andrew Yancy (played by Vince Vaughn) who investigates corruption and foul play in Florida when a severed arm is reeled in by tourists.
To unravel the mystery, he teams up with Miami medical examiner Rosa Campesino (Natalie), though Yancy clearly hopes their partnership won’t stay platonic for long.
“I’m from Miami and Cuban-American and being able to bring that culture to the role and that accent that we have in Miami, we have a very particular accent and the way we talk, the things that we say, so it was a lot of fun being able to bring all of me to her,” Natalie said of her dynamic new role.
“And also it was a lot of fun just figuring out who she was and what she wanted.”
Later in the series, viewers will meet Rosa’s family, including her mother Ines (Madelin Marchant) and father Mateo (Roberto Escobar).
Their appearances were some of the most fun Natalie had on set, especially as the actress already had a strong connection with Roberto.
“One of the funnest things on set was the fact that when we did our family scenes everyone was Cuban and Cuban-American,” she recalled in an exclusive chat with Express.co.uk.
“It was actually funny, the actor who played my father is the father-in-law of someone I went to school with since, like, fifth or fourth grade. Or sixth grade. So I’ve known him and his family for a very long time.”
Bad Monkey explores the vibrant and diverse population of the Florida Keys like no major series has before, so Natalie was thrilled to spend time getting to know more Cuban actors during these breaks from the show’s main conspiracy.
“It was always a lot louder on those days!” Natalie remembers. “It was a lot louder. When we had our family scenes and eating scenes it really felt at home. With Miamians and Cubans, we have this vibe to us of just laughter and family and fun and dance and music.
“So it was lovely to bring that. And the way we speak to each other and the cadence that we do, I think it’s very particular to us, Miami-Cubans. I think that’s one of the greatest things about this show. There’s a lot of authenticity to things and to characters.
“Everyone really brings it and makes their character and their surroundings very authentic.
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“And then being in Florida allows that too. Florida being a character on this show as well.”
Natalie also didn’t flinch at the prospect of working in a morgue during many of her scenes, as she revealed she was ready to “jump head-first” into her first major comedy series.
“Once I got into the morgue, my character was already comfortable so it allowed me to just be comfortable,” she explained.
“We also had a coroner on set who was able to take me through the procedure of how things are done, what’s done. Just talking to her a little bit about how cases come in and you just have to deal with it; it is what it is.
“At the end of the day there are families out there who need answers to what happened and to solve cases.
"They’re such an important role in that sense, so it was really lovely being able to talk to somebody who actually does that to guide me.”
Bad Monkey’s two-episode premiere is out now on Apple TV+ with new episodes releasing weekly on Wednesdays.
