The hottest show this past month has been Apple TV’s primetime satire soap, Palm Royale, starringRicky Martin, Kristen Wiig, Carol Burnett, Laura Dern, and Allison Janney. The comedy mini-series set in 1969, follows an ambitious woman who aspires to cross the line between the haves and have-nots to secure her seat at America’s most exclusive, fashionable, and treacherous table: Palm Beach high society. Rising actor, Ben Palacios played the Prince of Luxembourg, Ricky Martin’s love interest in Episodes 6 and 7. You may have seen Palacios is several gay Rom-Coms, but still hasn’t been cast as a leading man. I am sure with him starring opposite, Ricky Martin, his career will sky rocket.
One interesting revelation was that it was Ben playing Lyle, the motion capture version of Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile. Truly a unique experience for Ben, he portrayed Lyle through all the physical and emotional acting with the voices of Javier Bardem and the singing voice of Shawn Mendez. Working alongside Javier on the scenes together to make Lyle come to life for the big screen was one of the most pivotal moments in Ben’s career. Ben and I chatted via Zoom.
On Role:
How did I get the role of the Prince of Luxembourg in Palme Royale? And it’s funny because I’ve spoken to a couple of friends when I told them that I booked it and they were like, I auditioned for that, too. I made an audition tape and I had no idea what a Luxembourg accent was supposed to sound like. So I worked with an accent coach who was lovely. And I just did it like any other audition and I guess they liked it.
Star Studded:
I’ve got a bunch of scenes with Ricky (Martin), a bunch with Kristen (Wiig), and then a couple with Carol (Burnett), and like one moment with Allison Janney. I wish I got more with Allison.
On Kissing Ricky Martin:
Working with Ricky was awesome. He was so lovely on set. He… he was very like focused and almost like quiet and earnest, which is really, really nice, just calming energy. I’d never met him, so I didn’t know what to expect. All I knew is that he’s been like an international rock star for like three decades. And so I was like, okay, like, I’m about to meet this like force. And he was just so personable and like in it and lovely.
Hit Show:
Yeah, I think we were we were what we were number one on Apple TV. I think we might be number number two now because another show just came out, but it’s exciting. I’ve never been part of something like this with so much buzz and my you know, people in my life are going to see this and they’re going to actually like see me in it. And I’m excited to I’m just, I’m excited for that as a surprise, you know, for people that don’t know that I’m doing this.
On Playing Lyle the Crocodile:
When I did Lyle the Crocodile, it was motion capture. So like, you know, unless you happen to watch the credits, you wouldn’t have known it was me doing all the acting. So this is like one of my first big visual things.
Other Roles:
I met JC Calciano, who he makes Steam Room Stories. And he also directed The Ten Year Plan. Ten Year Plan was the first. I think that was the first film festival I ever went to because that that that went to Outfest in L.A.
Euro Educated:
I went to high school at the International School of Geneva in Switzerland, just across the border in France. Yeah, it was wild. At the time, I guess I knew I was very lucky, but in retrospect, I think I’m still realizing how lucky I was to get to have an experience like that, living abroad as an American and going to an international school. I would bike to school some days across the French Swiss border through these like cornfields. And I would like just like roll up to high school with my bike and do my classes and my theater rehearsals and all that stuff. And then I’d like bike home through the cornfields across the border.
Body of Work:
Oh, thank you. That’s very kind. What is my workout regimen like? I’m not the most regimented person, but I am regimented. By I’m not that regimented, I guess I mean I’m not like counting macros and, you know, like recording every set I do at the gym or like, I’m not like getting data out of it. I just try to like, move every day and listen to my body. about what it wants to do, and sometimes my body wants to run, sometimes it wants to bike or hike with the dogs, sometimes it wants to do squats, and I just try to listen to it and stay physical. I guess I’m lucky in that I’m one of those people that if I’m not constantly moving, I like go a little crazy. So it like keeps me like if I don’t work out for two days in a row, I can’t sleep because my legs are like twitching because I have all this like latent energy that isn’t being used. So yeah, so I guess I’m lucky in that sense that it’s not it’s not like a battle for me. I just like my body wants it. So I just do what my body wants.
Future Plans:
Well, hopefully season two of Palm Royale. I’d love to get back into some theater, theater I haven’t done in. Gosh, four years at this point because of COVID. So I’m open to that. We’ll see. (Also) I want to do a rom-com and I’m going to we’ll be in a film festival in Seattle and I’ll have a crush on my co-star. Bring It, JC!
Palm Royale is streaming on Apple TV.
