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Ibsys: Victor Webster
Versatile Hunk Victor Webster Hits His Stride: 'Days Of Our Lives' Star Talks About Rise To Fame
Webster's Definition
We meet at the ultra-posh Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel. It's a warm day and we find a cool spot outside on the spacious garden patio. Victor Webster recently wrapped his role as Nicholas Alamain on the NBC daytime drama "Days of Our Lives." Standing 6 feet 3 inches, with smoldering Latin good looks, it's easy to see why he was a daytime favorite. But there's more to this guy than just good looks; he's a man with big dreams. It was a dream that started to take shape when Webster got national attention on "Days" just a year and a half ago.
"I went in on a call (for the role of Brandon), auditioned, and was originally turned down," Webster tells me.
But in true Hollywood style, the story doesn't end there. The producers were so impressed with the young actor that they created the role of Nicholas Alamain for him.
Was he a "Days" fan before joining the cast?
Webster says that he hadn't followed the popular show before he auditioned for it. In fact, Webster rarely watches any television even to this day. Having recently opted out of the show to pursue other opportunities, Webster says he enjoyed working on "Days" and found that the show's intense schedule provided an excellent training ground for his acting -- and memorization -- skills.
"(Recently) I shot five episodes in one day -- 65 pages of dialogue in one day, 31 scenes," he says.
Action Figure
"I used to deliver papers and bundle up in 10 layers (of clothing). It would be so cold there that if your skin was exposed for more than, like, three minutes, it will get frostbitten." Webster is talking about growing up in his native Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Webster didn't get frostbitten, but he couldn't escape the bite of the acting bug. He tells me that he's always been an actor at heart.
"When I was a little kid, I used to pretend I was everybody but Victor. I was always 'James Bond Victor' or 'Batman Victor,' or 'super' something," he says.
Webster says that his antics often led to interesting situations and got him into trouble as a kid.
"Not only did I have a wild imagination, I used to live out my (fantasies)," he says. "I used to jump off the roof."
While Webster has given up his roof-leaping habit, he does manage to stay pretty active. Aside from shooting hoops, kickboxing and swimming, Webster is an avid martial arts enthusiast and holds a black belt in tae kwon do. He tells me that getting his black belt was his proudest moment.
"(Earning the black belt was) the first time I choose to go after something that was unattainable and achieve it. That was when I first started to see my goals as potential realities rather than just goals I couldn't achieve," Webster says.
It was just the beginning.
Model Citizen
"I've been a bartender, a waiter, I've taught martial arts, I was a construction worker, I've sold doughnuts door-to-door ..." Webster's list of odd jobs before starting to act full time is almost too long to mention.
But it was a successful stint as a high-fashion model that would eventually bring him to Hollywood. After working briefly as a stockbroker in the U.S., Webster started modeling. He soon found himself strutting the world's runways for such fashion luminaries as Versace, Armani and Valentino. What did he think of his fashionable life?
"It's not hard work, but the lifestyle is hard. You're living out of a bag and out of hotels. You can't plan anything," Webster tells me.
But in the end, Webster got out of the business: "I learned that it wasn't the business for me because all it involves is looks."
He says that acting does involve looks, but one doesn't have to be good-looking to be a good or successful actor.
"There are exceptionally beautiful (actors) because of what they give you (onscreen)," Webster says.
With this in mind, Webster started auditioning for commercials and taking acting classes.
"I didn't want to be a pretty face -- a guy who looked good, but couldn't act," he says.
Avenue of the Stars
Webster says he appreciates his role on "Days of Our Lives" because it opened doors for him.
"It's an avenue," he says. "It was a slingshot to help propel me into what I want to do."
In fact, the gig has done just that. Webster just wrapped an AMC television series called "The Lot." He stars as a fictitious 1930s movie star named Victor Mansfield. The show chronicles Mansfield's rocky rise to fame in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Webster tells me that the project, which premieres Aug. 29, is a mixture of comedy, romance and drama.
Webster's other big project is the futuristic feature film "Gangland" starring Costas Mandylor ("Picket Fences"). The film allowed Webster to strut his martial-arts stuff.
"I did all my own stunts, choreographed them," he says.
Closing Arguments
"I feel like I've barely scratched the surface of what I want to do," Webster tells me about his career. "There's only one thing in my life, and it's going to be acting."
As if to emphasize the point, he shows me the window of his cell phone. It reads: "There is no Plan B."
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