By Andy Diffenderfer
Correspondent
LaFAYETTE, Ga., — Spencir Bridges has a well-known acting father, but that doesn’t mean he gets any part he wants.
Auditioning, Spencir said, is his least favorite part of the entertainment business, but his father — Todd Bridges, best known for his role as Willis on “Diff’rent Strokes” in the late 1970s — urges him not to feel down if an audition doesn’t net a part.
“Dad tells me to never give up and keep going out to auditions,” he said. “If I don’t get it, it’s fine, just go to the next one. I like to see myself on TV.”
Spencir, 11, offered his experiences in acting this week to an audience at By Faith Studio in LaFayette. He also spoke about what he needs to succeed in the sometimes-brutal world of entertainment.
“If you just believe in Jesus, he will help you get that job,” he told aspiring actors at the studio.
Spencir’s father, while known for his role on “Diff’rent Strokes,” also is remembered for the drug and legal troubles he got into once the show’s run ended. He’s has been clean and sober for about 15 years and had a recurring role on the recent show “Everybody Hates Chris.”
Spencir’s mother, Dori Bridges, is a former Trion High School classmate of studio volunteer Heather Marks, and his grandmother is LaFayette resident Jan Ledbetter.
Spencir’s acting credits include the movies “Daddy Day Camp,” starring Cuba Gooding Jr.; “The Three Gifts,” starring Dean Cain; and “The Reading Room,” starring James Earl Jones. He has appeared on the television shows “ER” and “iCarly,” among others.
After graduating from high school, Dori Bridges started doing plays and later was cast in a gospel musical, “A Change is Gonna Come,” that was touring the Southeast with Todd Bridges as the lead. They were married in 1997.
SPENCIR BRIDGES* Age: 11* Parents: Todd and Dori Bridges (of Trion, Ga.); grandmother: Jan Ledbetter (of LaFayette)* Lives in: California* Roles: “Daddy Day Camp,” “The Three Gifts,” “The Reading Room”; TV shows “ER,” “iCarly,” “The Starter Wife”
At By Faith Studios, Spencir and his mother answered questions about the entertainment business regarding agents, photos, auditions and keeping a sense of normalcy and consistency.
“It’s a matter of maintaining that hold and discipline,” she said. “The same rules you apply to them at home you apply to them on a set.”
Spencir is a sixth-grader in public school in California, and his mother is a special education assistant at his school. He said he’d like to continue acting as an adult, but also wants to go to college, possibly to study computers.
But he still is “pretty sure” he wants to act for a while, he said.
“It’s important to make acting fun,” he said. “You’ve got to enjoy the time you have acting.”
Vince Stalling, director of By Faith Studio, said Spencir’s talk offers a lesson to hopeful young performers.
“I want the kids to learn that all things are possible if they put their time and talents to their best use,” said Mr. Stalling. He also is executive producer of Hope Productions, a Christian theater company that typically focuses on using the talents of area youth in its stage productions.
Andy Diffenderfer is based in LaFayette, Ga. Contact him at andydiff97@comcast.net.