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Ricardo Montalbán said that he was ''rescued'' by television
"I had a taste of fame."
Though a talented performer, Ricardo Montalbán had endured his fair share of hardships during the early days of his career. Already a star in Mexico, the actor appeared in several MGM films, including On an Island with You (1948) and Border Incident (1949).
“I was a star,” the actor said during an interview with the San Antonio Light. “I had a taste of fame.”
But in the 1950s, Montalbán was among the actors released by MGM. “Oh, I had my dreams,” said the actor. “But then, MGM dropped me. They dropped everyone."
It was a shift that hurt his feelings as well as his career. “I could no longer dare to dream,” said the actor. “I no longer look inward for fantasies because I don’t want to be hurt once more.”
However, there was light at the end of the tunnel. “Television rescued me,” said Montalbán, who joined the cast of Fantasy Island and quickly became one of television’s most popular performers.
Though Montalbán felt abandoned by the film industry, the actor used the adversity to strengthen his resolve. “It could have made me bitter, perhaps,” said the actor. “I could have found refuge in alcohol.”
Instead, Montalbán said that the experience “made me accept the reality of what this profession is all about.”
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