By Brittney Le
AsAmNews Staff Writer
Photos by Noah Asanias
Being a Pacific Islander in the world of acting doesn’t come without obstacles. “Especially considering there are different looks in the Filipino community as well, with my look, I found myself to be under the category of ethnically ambiguous,” explained Filipino Canadian actor Xavier de Guzman.
He was allowed to audition for a lot of Hispanic roles. However, de Guzman would be turned down by those who wanted actual Hispanic actors. On the other hand, he finds it difficult going for roles seeking Asians, with very limited roles for Pacific Islanders. “In the past, especially, I didn’t quite fit the look of the Asian that they’d want in the films,” he told AsAmNews. “I found myself being cup-holded […] I wasn’t quite Asian enough but I wasn’t quite Spanish enough.”
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Despite the limitations in finding roles, he tried to grow from his experiences, saying, “I also changed my mindset of not trying to be specifically an Asian actor,” but rather he aims to “be the best actor I possibly could be.”
His commitment and skills as an actor led to him becoming part of the cast of ABC’s Take Two. De Guzman plays Roberto ‘Berto’ Vasquez, a tech expert and Eddie Valetik’s (Eddie Cibrian) investigative assistant.
He really enjoys getting to play Berto on TV, describing how he used to be very into computers himself. “I used to be Berto […] I was so into it. I was into the whole coding aspect.
“The most fun part about my character is all the technical jargon that he has to say,” said de Guzman. “That’s the furthest from me now, is being able to sound computer literate. I still forget my passwords when logging into Facebook.”
Viewers also get a taste of onscreen chemistry between Berto and Monica (Alice Lee). “I think it’s beautifully done,” he said of the relationship between the two characters. ”It gives people something to cheer for.”
On set, de Guzman enjoyed getting to see Eddie Cibrian and Rachel Bilson (who plays Sam Swift) work. As a fellow actor, he learned from them as he got to “see them break down scenes and analyze scenes and ask questions about the script.”
And now the first season of Take Two is coming to an end, with the season finale tonight. “It’s flying by,” de Guzman said. “But at the same time as much as it’s flown by, I’m trying to just enjoy every last moment of it.”
De Guzman didn’t even plan on becoming an actor from the start; he was a Muay Thai boxer, securing lightweight titles in Canada. Little did he know that his boxing career would open the path to his future in acting.
As an acclaimed fighter, he got the role of a boxer on an episode of Rookie Blue. With that first taste, he was drawn into the glamor of the industry. De Guzman got to experience being waited on hand-and-foot and received his first paycheck as an actor.
He was taken in by the appeal of changing career paths, but his transition from fighter to actor wasn’t rash either. He approached his future plans realistically, thinking about his limitations as a boxer. “I’ve invested so much time into developing my craft as a fighter, that was pretty much it,” de Guzman said. “After fighting, it was either open a gym or coach at a gym. Otherwise it’s back to school all over again to figure out what I wanted to do.
“So it was amazing to see another career path in the stunt world that I could pursue after fighting. And the transition couldn’t have been easier. But now the transition from stunt actor to actor, that’s where the real challenge lay. It took time, but here I am now.”
And leaving behind the competitive side of Muay Thai also meant less stress on his body. “One big aspect of competing is trying to make weight. And I love food too much,” he laughed. He hasn’t left boxing completely, as he says he still gets to “work the bags.”
If a second season of Take Two is greenlit, de Guzman hopes to see Berto in a fight scene, putting his Muay Thai skills to use. He’s also hopeful that, as a detective’s assistant, Berto will get to hold a gun in a future episode.
De Guzman is also looking forward to other potential projects in the future. “I want to do as many things as I possibly can. Every possible genre,” he said. “Out of all the genres out there the most challenging I feel is horror, considering horror movies terrify me. I hope I checked that genre off my list though with my role in Our House.
“I hope to be able to be onscreen during like, those romantic, kissing-your-loved-one-in-the-rain scenes,” he added. “It’s those epic moments in classic cinema that hook you into falling in love.”
As a Muay Thai fighter, he’s no stranger to stunts either. “I want to be able to do my stunts one day and make them as extravagant as Tom Cruise.”
De Guzman says the culmination of his acting career would be a two-man show on Broadway. When asked who that other person would be, he named fellow Canadian actor Jordan Johnson-Hinds, the friend that he says he’s started this journey with and the “person I can connect with the most onscreen and offscreen.”
Catch the season finale of Take Two TONIGHT at 10 pm ET on ABC.
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