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For Marc Anthony, portraying Héctor Lavoe in El Cantante, which opens today, wasn't just doing another role in a movie, it was paying tribute to an important part of his existence.

"He was ever-present," said Anthony of the salsa superstar from the '70s and '80s. "He was a common denominator in our culture. He was the soundtrack of our lives."

During an interview he gave at last year's Toronto International Film Festival, the lean, intense Anthony practically vibrated with emotion as he discussed the significance of Lavoe to his formative years.

"You have to understand," he explained, "that back in New York in the 1970s, Hispanic men never talked about their feelings. All that the other salsa singers did was say `Dance, dance, dance!' But Héctor, he was singing about life, about philosophy."

But that openness came at a cost and Lavoe wound up becoming addicted to a variety of drugs, ultimately trashing his career, attempting suicide by leaping from a hotel window and dying of complications from AIDS in 1993.

"You know what bothers me, man?" asks Anthony. "That he became famous for the drugs and the jumping off the building. Why do we have to dwell on the bullshit? Why can't we talk about his music, man? His music is timeless."

But Anthony knows such a separation is impossible and so, even though El Cantante deals heavily with the dark side of Lavoe's life, the actor insists that "I want to let the people see that there was a human being behind this superstar."

What could have complicated matters was the fact that his superstar wife, Jennifer Lopez, was the driving force behind the project, not only producing it, but co-starring as his devoted wife, Puchi.

Anthony, however, claims it wasn't a problem but a source of support. "Jennifer's taste and talent and energy are what made this movie possible. I'd watch her putting so much into every moment and it gave me courage.

"She even made sure I was allowed to use my own process in working through the role. I like to keep it as loose as possible, so it can go any way at any moment. I know where a scene should start and where it should end, so if you just stick with me, I'll get there."

Part of the way he worked was to try and come to an understanding of Lavoe, whom he believes suffered from "a huge sense of inadequacy because of his father's contempt for him and what he did.

"He couldn't handle his demons and so he'd medicate himself. He never understood why people kept offering him so much love and so he'd test them. He became destructive. He'd show up two and three hours late for a concert, thinking, `Maybe now they'll realize how little I really am.' "

Lavoe's widow Puchi brought the project to Lopez and shared many of her memories of the past. One of those memories stuck with Anthony so strongly that he claims he built his whole performance on it.

"Puchi said that she would have to hold Héctor in her arms after a performance and he would cry like a baby because he hated his voice so much. He'd say, `When are they going to find out that I'm a fraud?'"

Anthony asserts that "I tapped into my biggest nightmares to try and get to the bottom of Héctor."

When asked to pinpoint one of them, he has to collect himself before answering.

"The hardest moment for me was the burial of his son, who was accidentally shot to death at 17," Anthony says.

"I thought about how I lost my own sister when she was only 9 years old. You look down at that casket and you think, `There's a child in there who's part of my life and I will never see them again.'"