If you haven’t yet, make sure you check out XanSpencer.com, probably the finest actor website since Bruce Greenwood (see also: Corbin Bernsen’s IMDB bio). Besides his acting reel, which is hilarious (as amateur acting reels almost always are), probably the most notable thing about Spencer’s website is the way a miniature version of Spencer guides you around it himself, like a vaguely-effeminate version of the Microsoft Paperclip (“It looks like you’re casting an actor!”). But hey, it’s creative, the guy’s looking for a job, and he’s likable enough. Give him a break, lots of people have douchier “testimonial quotes” on their sites. Jeff Wells, for instance, and he’s not even looking for a job, just trying to sound important.
Xan (pronounced “Zan”, apparently) writes that the site took 2 years and 1,847 hours to create, and I believe him. But what really puts it over the top for me isn’t the awesome cat shooting skills in his reel or the mini Xan guiding me around the site. It’s how much the dude LOVES WILL SMITH. I mean, he reeeally loves Will Smith. If loving Will Smith was dead hookers, Xan Spencer would be my crawl space. Get jiggy with this excerpt from his “Why I’m an actor” section:
There are other roles that I really aspire to be; doctor, honest lawyer, cop, FBI, military, super hero, real life hero, business man, overcoming adversity, sports player, entrepreneur etc. etc. There are literally 1000s of roles each year that would fit the description of these type characters, and help me fulfill my life goal.
Some may think that’s limiting myself as an actor, but I see it as the complete opposite. I see it as specializing and/or niching myself as an actor. People will come to love and appreciate what I bring on and off the screen, a special “unexplainable” element/quality that they may not be able to specifically point out, but something that my characters and myself offer that really grabs and sucks them in… I call it the Will Smith, Channing Tatum, Vin Diesel, Justin Bieber quality.
You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen all those names in the same sentence before. Now that I have, it makes complete sense. (The emphasis there was his, by the way). Which brings us to his “favorite quotes” section.
This is what I believe and I’m willing to die for it, period. It’s that simple.
– Will SmithI’ve never really viewed myself as particularly really talented. Where I excel is ridiculous, sickening, work ethic. While the other guys sleeping, I’m working. When the other guys eating, I’m working.
– Will SmithThere’s no easy way around it. No matter how talented you are, your talent is going to fail you if you are not skilled. If you don’t study, and work really hard, and dedicate yourself to being better every single day. You’ll never be able to communicate yourself your artistry to people the way you want.
– Will SmithToday I will take immediate action for everything, because it’s action that separates the successful from the unsuccessful.
– Xan
That’s right, out of the first four quotes, three are Will Smith and one is Xan himself. Must be an anomaly, right? Here’s the next five:
If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.
– Thomas EdisonIf you’re going to be here anyway, then there’s a necessity to make a difference. Have the Spiritual responsibility to make EVERY group you come in contact with better.
– Will SmithIf you’re not making other lives better, then you’re wasting your time. You life will become better by making other lives better.
– Will Smith
The first step before anybody else in the world believes it, is you have to believe it. There is no reason to have a plan B, because it subtracts from plan A.
– Will Smith
Criticize me if you must, but it’s better to have a path full of mistakes that you can correct and learn from, therefore bettering yourself and your surroundings, then to have no path at all.
– Xan
All told, Will Smith quotes make up 11 of Xan’s 18 favorite quotes. This is at least as convincing a testimonial for Will Smith as it is for Xan. If you’re doing the math at home, and I’m sure you are, discounting the quotes from Xan, that means Will Smith makes up a staggering 69% of Xan’s total motivation. Not even Will Smith’s kids can say that, and they spend their entire lives being whored out by him for money. In any case, I hope this gets him some work. I know James Nguyen would admire his panache.