Homecoming KING

To say a lot has happened to Marc Anthony in the eight years since he last stepped onto the stage at Madison Square Garden would be an understatement. When the tropical music icon returns on Feb. 6 to the venue where he helped forged his long and successful career, he’ll be coming back as more than just one of the biggest stars in the Latin music galaxy — not to mention the father of eight-year-old twins with ex-wife Jennifer Lopez.

In just the past few years, the Bronx native, 47, has become a fashion mogul (a clothing line with Kohl’s), a philanthropist (his foundation helps feed and house Latin American orphans), and, most recently, a co-founder of Magnus Media, a Miami-based entertainment and sports production and management company.

It’s a far cry from when Anthony says he would hang around outside the Garden and dream about the day he’d perform inside.

Considering all the success you’ve had there, how special is your Garden homecoming?

The Garden is the crown jewel. I’ve been all over the world and played amazing houses, but the Garden holds a special place in my heart. That’s where the dream actually started.

That whole area was my stomping grounds in the ’80s when I did hundreds of freestyle records and house recordings. I was down in that area and I would always stop and sit in front of it and dream. It really fed my imagination and my dreams. And then I played there for the first time with Tito Puente — he invited me as a guest vocalist — and the rest is history.

Was it always your goal to parlay your success as a singer into founding a company like Magnus?

I’m an eternal dreamer. I’ve been extremely fortunate that my music has spoken for me for so many years and I’ve had that vehicle. I’ve taken on challenges with my music as my chariot, and I’m fortunate to have been given so any opportunities.

I have so many friends in the industry, and I’ve advised them over the years, and I’ve been a mentor. And so when I realized I had a network of good business relationships I wasn’t using for myself, I could offer them to friends of mine. That’s where Magnus was born.

The first athlete signed to the Magnus Sports division was Aroldis Chapman, who’s now a Yankee. How did you feel when his trade to New York helped put Magnus on the map?

I had been with Aroldis a couple of days before the trade and I told him to close his eyes and see where he saw himself three years from now. He said his dream was to be a Yankee.

When I was the one to call and tell him it was going to be announced, it was a really proud moment for Magnus Sports. It’s really gratifying to have anything to do with another dreamer’s dreams, and when a dreamer puts their dreams in your hands and you can execute and make a difference.

You’ve also seen your Maestro Cares foundation grow over the past few years. What was the impetus to start it?

The impetus for it was quite personal. Henry Cardenas and I put up the majority of the money for our first orphanage because I had met these beautiful children who had every curve thrown at them from the day they were born, and I just didn’t want them to be sleeping on the floor or under a bed. That just pissed me off.

I knew that I could do something about it, and I did. Less than a year later we were up and running and building our first 5-acre campus in the Dominican Republic. Now we’re up to seven orphanages, with nine proposed in the next two years.

You’ve had a lot of movie roles, plus your time on Broadway in “Capeman.” Why’d you put acting on the backburner? Is it a time commitment?

That’s exactly what it comes down to — time. I don’t think I enjoyed anything more than being on the set and the challenge of being someone else and trying to convince people you’re that character. But I tour year-round, and it’s always a big commitment.

With so much going on now, how do you deal with finding enough time to spend with your twins?

It’s the big regret, I would say, and any parent who chooses this as a vocation knows this. Yes, I have a responsibility to my vocation and to my fans, but I also have one as a father, and it’s very serious. For any parent that sacrifices the better part of their life to reach certain goals and represent a community, it’s that one thing that’s the most uncomfortable to wrestle with.

Would you encourage them to get into the entertainment business?

Oh, absolutely! I couldn’t stand my mom telling me music was never going to pan out. She’d say, “You need to get out and be a man and join the military like your brothers because music is not paying the bills!”

I cannot imagine myself saying that to my children. As long as they’re passionate about it, and if they don’t do it for the wrong reasons, I wouldn’t dare step in their way.