In this image released by ABC, war veteran and actor J.R. Martinez performs on the celebrity dance competition series, “Dancing with the Stars, ” Monday, Sept. 26, 2011 in Los Angeles.
J.R. MartinezChattanooga Times Free Press entertainment reporter Casey Phillips spoke with “Dancing With the Stars” front-runner J.R. Martinez about his recent 29-point evaluation on the show, how he deals with the pressure and the ways learning to dance is like boot camp.
CP: Last week, you got your first perfect 10 score. What kind of pressure did that put on you to prove that wasn’t a fluke?
JM: You know, it wasn’t more pressure to prove that it wasn’t a fluke. It was more the pressure to go out there and get two 10s instead of one. Everyone who has seen me in this competition so far has seen that, “Wow, he has some natural ability to dance, and he’s a great dancer.” I’ve heard all season that people have felt that I should have received a 10 this week or that week, so I didn’t necessarily felt like I had to prove it. It was more coming out and not going down from that point but go even higher, which I was able to do last night [Monday] by getting two 10s.
CP: Karina described the quickstep routine you performed last night as the most demanding she’s done on “Dancing With the Stars.” How intimidating was that to hear?
JM: It was, it was. She’s a talented dancer. She’s had a few good runs on the show. To hear that it was probably the most ambitious routine she’s put together for this show was like, “Wow, OK.” It was tough. It was not an easy dance. It took a lot of work for me to get it down. Normally, by Saturday, we’re already touching up our routine and getting ready, but in this case, by Saturday night, literally at 7 o’clock, I knew the steps, but there was a small detail I wasn’t able to touch up. It came together Sunday when we prepared for Monday. It definitely was a lot of pressure. One thing people who know me or who have come to know me know, though, is that when it comes to pressure, I’m all about stepping up to the plate and saying, “Let’s deliver.”