Acts of Violet(40)

CAMERON FRANK: Hang on, are you saying it was your fault Riley Price was set on fire? Violet took the blame for that. There were rumors that she and Riley were romantically involved and that incident broke them up.

BENJAMIN MARTINEZ: There were rumors Violet was romantically involved with any person she came within two feet of. It’s not my place to comment on that any further.

CAMERON FRANK: Why do you think Violet took the blame for something you did?

BENJAMIN MARTINEZ: I guess she liked me. She did also promise to plot sweet revenge, though she said it wouldn’t be as bad if I showed her around LA—she was new to the city. So I played tour guide for her the next day, and over dinner, she asked me to join a new show she was putting together, her biggest yet. I was mostly doing choreography at that point, but she wanted me to perform, too, because of my background in gymnastics and breaking. Suddenly, I wasn’t sure if this was a date or a business meeting. I tried to keep those two worlds separate, so I agreed to join her show on the condition that things stay platonic between us.

But Violet is one of those people who draws you into her orbit, no matter how much you try to fight it. Who would’ve thought a month later I’d end up as her date to the Grammys, with people laughing at the white handprints all over the back of my tux? That’s how she got back at me for the Riley Price fire. She had a dress specially designed with hidden pockets, which she filled with baby powder, just to mess with me on the red carpet. [chuckles]

CAMERON FRANK: It sounds like there was an instant connection between the two of you.

BENJAMIN MARTINEZ: And instant red flags.

CAMERON FRANK: Such as?

BENJAMIN MARTINEZ: Working with and dating someone so volatile. It would be a lot to handle one of those situations, and I was doubling down on trouble. Then there was her insistence on having an open relationship. Her bisexuality wasn’t an issue for me, but I’m more the monogamous type. The thought of her being with someone else while we were involved, regardless of gender … I wasn’t sure I could handle it. But I said I’d try.

CAMERON FRANK: Why not cut your losses at that point and focus on the business relationship?

BENJAMIN MARTINEZ: I was already too into her. That’s always been a problem for me, falling in love too quickly. I guess I thought, eventually, the feeling would be mutual, and she wouldn’t want to see anyone else.

We had a lot of good times those first few months in LA. Some of our dates were more low-key—we did a lot of hiking—but I got the sense that she wanted to be where she would be seen. Like, at first, she loved the trails in Topanga, which were more remote, but soon she was all about Runyon Canyon, where people go to spot celebrities. She started getting recognized more and more when we went out. Then the Kintana deal happened, and things got hectic fast. There was the move to Vegas, two months of rehearsals, previews, and—BAM!— Ultra-Violet is the hottest show on the Strip. Around that time, her next TV special aired, and it was huge—it seemed like overnight everybody knew who she was.

CAMERON FRANK: Was that new for you, dating someone in the public eye?

BENJAMIN MARTINEZ: I’d worked with celebrities, and even partied with them once in a while, but yeah, I’d never dated someone famous before. I was used to my private life being private. Now, all of a sudden, something that should’ve been simple, like going out to dinner, became a big production. There was all this coordination with bodyguards, drivers, restaurant staff. But there were times she’d put on a ball cap and sunglasses, ditch her security detail, and walk around the mall without being recognized. I wondered why she couldn’t do that with me, why every date had to turn into a photo op. I thought things might get better when we moved to Vegas, which isn’t a big paparazzi town like LA. But Violet and I still got swarmed with photographers all the time.

CAMERON FRANK: Did it feel like you were in two relationships, the public one and the private one?

BENJAMIN MARTINEZ: Kind of, yeah. When we were alone, she was sweet, goofy. On hikes, she’d be like a little kid at Disneyland, pointing out animals and pretty scenic spots. Or at home, she’d put on a Run-DMC album, crank it, and start dancing and jumping on the bed until I joined her. And she could surprise you in the nicest ways. Our first Christmas together, she got me a signed Caballero skateboard deck—I never even told her Steve Caballero was one of my personal heroes. She had an open offer for anyone working on the show who was willing to adopt a pet from an animal shelter, promising to cover food and vet expenses for a year. That’s something I really appreciated about Violet: when she was being generous, she was real thoughtful about it.

But Violet in public was different. It’s like she couldn’t make it through a night out without creating drama. If it wasn’t showing off a crazy outfit, it was demonstrating a new trick in public, or picking a fight with me to cause a scene. God forbid twenty-four hours went by without people talking about her. I was happier staying in, ordering food, and watching a movie. I think she was happier doing that, too, but she kept pushing herself to go out all the time.

CAMERON FRANK: It’s odd that she’d crave so much additional attention when she was already receiving plenty of it through her TV appearances and stage show. She was performing for thousands, night after night.

BENJAMIN MARTINEZ: It wasn’t enough. What’s really odd is, she hated big crowds, she just had a need to be seen. Violet jokingly referred to herself as a shy attention whore. Her plan was to get as big as possible, put away millions, and then get some farmland in California, retire early, and live what she called our “real life” in luxury. It sounded like a good plan, so I went along with it. And I went along with other things … some of which I don’t feel so good about looking back.