Here are some new photos of Ricky Martin rocking some new facial hair at a Mac Viva Glam event in NYC last night. Nicki Minaj was there too, but I prefer to cover Ricky’s appearance. At first, I thought Ricky’s facial hair was kind of gross (especially that soul patch under his bottom lip), but as I was looking through the photos… he’s giving me an old-school Rudolph Valentino vibe. Or maybe Errol Flynn? He just needs to lose the soul patch. I suspect Ricky’s facial hair is for work, though – previews begin next month on the Broadway revival of Evita. Ricky has been cast as Che Guevara, a role originally played (on Broadway) by Mandy Patinkin. Have you ever heard the original Broadway recording with Mandy and Patti LaPone? It’s a revelation – and it makes you realize what a joke Madonna was in that role. She simply didn’t have the voice for it. Anyway, I like the idea of Ricky as Che. You can read more about the revival here.

In additional Ricky news, he has a new interview in Details Mag – you can read the full thing here. Here are some highlights:

What Ricky would do for love: “I canceled a show once to be with someone that I loved. I had one day. I thought, “You live in another country. I live in another country. This is incredible and I feel amazing.” My manager came up with some excuse. It was the most expensive date I’ve ever been on. But hey, that was a very beautiful day.”

Coming out later in life: “You know, when I hear about a boy or girl that comes out when they’re 15, I’m like, “You’re so lucky! Kudos.” I will give you a standing ovation. But there’s nothing you can do about it. You have to go through yesterday to be who you are today.”

Feeling “blessed to be who I am.”: “Well, I don’t know who your God is, but my God doesn’t make mistakes.”

Ricky sang at George W. Bush’s inauguration in 2001, but later at a concert flipped the bird while singing about him: “They gave me the opportunity to represent the Latin community in the inauguration. It was beyond politics. The next day I was in 85 newspapers around the world—front page. A lot of people said, “Would you take a picture with him again?” I said, “Well, he has to do a lot about human trafficking in order for that to happen.” Now I’d say he has to do a lot about human trafficking and the LGBT community.”

Ricky on marriage equality: “I don’t want to blame the government. I think there’s a stolen faith—an interpretation of what God “says.” That’s your God—I have my God. It’s about civil rights. I’m not telling you what to believe. I wish people understood that love manifests in different ways. Allow me to have my life and I won’t mess with yours. That’s when I struggle and get angry and punch the table. And then I talk. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.””

The rumor that he’s renting a $32,000-a-month apartment: “Well, I don’t need anything to live, to be honest. Give me a mattress or a futon on the floor and I’ll be the happiest camper. But then all of a sudden, from one futon I need five bedrooms. There’s me. My kids have a room. The nanny has a room. I’m very lucky to say that my mom, she’s traveling with me and she’s helping me to raise my kids. And then the kids start going to school next week.”

Getting his kids into pre-K in Manhattan: “You have no idea. A lot of people told me about this, and I didn’t know until I actually embarked on the mission. There are documentaries on this. I had to write an essay about my kids. This is pre-K. This is not college. But I understand that’s how it goes. I sat in front of my computer and I opened my heart. Apparently we’re in.”

[From Details]

There’s a lot more in that interview, Ricky talks about his partner of four years and his workouts and stuff. He even talks about Menudo! Oh, well. I wish I could see him play Che! I bet he’ll be really great in that role.

Photos courtesy of WENN.