Today we’d like to introduce you to Xavi de Guzman.
Hi Xavi, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
Born and raised in Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto, an extensive martial arts background of being the Muay Thai Canadian lightweight champion lead to a film opportunity in stunts. That time on set sparked a newfound interest in the art of acting. Moving out to the West Coast proved to be the bold move that lead to my first series regular role on ABCs Take Two, starring alongside Eddie Cibrian and Rachel Bilson. This lead to the founding of The Play On Foundation. A charity raising funds and awareness for brain aneurysm development and prevention. Fast forward to the industry shutting down because of COVID-19; the downtime gave way to exploring a story that’s been on my mind for a while. What started as an idea for an animated short then became the children’s book Peeled Fruit. The book is based on my upbringing and is about a mother’s (my mother’s) love language of peeling mango for her baby. Proceeds from book sales go towards the charity. And I’m also a stand-up comedian and podcast host (The 2 degrees podcast, where we discuss mental health in the world of art & entrepreneurialship )- and I use that to promote the book.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
From the perspective of, things will always work out, it was a smooth road… but human nature is what made it stressful and long. As artists we want control, but we’ll never get it. You can’t fight for balance; you kind of just have to let it happen and be. But a few road bumps along the way would range from a toxic engagement to getting recast in a movie I was excited for to not having support from friends or family… to not having the support from my former agent. Life.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Former Muay Thai champion. Former sailor.
Host, MC, on-air personality.
Actor, writer, director.
Podcaster.
Children’s book author.
Charity founder.
Comedian.
Producer.
I’m proud of the fact that I live life to the fullest. I’ve been to 41 countries. I also bought a moving truck converted it into a tiny home, and spent 500 days on the road. And those experiences is what I carry with me into my creativity.
How do you think about luck?
Luck is present in every and any success story. Call it God, call it the universe, call it the divine – what have you. Anyone who denies luck is either arrogant or stupid, or both. But it’s the preparation when that luck arrives is what separates the masses. I will always be the hardest working person in the room, and it’s what gets me noticed and why I excel.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.LetsPlayOn.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/xdeguz
- Other: www.linktr.ee/xdeguz
