Who is Xavier Smalls? Meet the actor playing Zavier in Madea's Destination Wedding

Xavier Smalls is the fast‑rising Sacramento‑born actor who brings rapper Zavier to life in Tyler Perry’s new Netflix feature, Madea’s Destination Wedding.

A 27‑year‑old graduate of Sacramento State University and the William Esper Studio, Xavier Smalls has already moved from local theatre to a series regular in Beauty in Black and now to his first franchise movie role. In Destination Wedding, he plays Zavier, the yacht‑met fiancé whose whirlwind Bahamas nuptials throw Madea’s family into comic chaos.

Off‑screen, Xavier Smalls, who identifies as African‑American on his father’s side and Mexican‑American on his mother’s, has built a resume that blends gritty drama with broad comedy, earning him a reputation for hard preparation and easy screen presence.

Xavier Smalls: from Sacramento stages to Tyler Perry’s big screen

Born on November 7 1997, in California, Xavier Smalls discovered acting during a general‑education theatre class at Sac State and never looked back. After five years of campus productions, he won a place at New York’s William Esper Studio, where two conservatory seasons sharpened his technique.

His break came in 2024 when Tyler Perry personally asked him to audition for Netflix’s crime drama Beauty in Black, casting him as Angel across all 16 episodes. That exposure led straight to Madea’s Destination Wedding, Perry’s 13th Madea film and second Netflix collaboration, released worldwide on July 11 2025.

The Bahamas‑set comedy co‑stars Diamond White, Taja V. Simpson, Cassi Davis, Tamela Mann and David Mann. Xavier Smalls credits perseverance for the leap from regional retail jobs to a global release and was ecstatic when he received the call for the role, stating in a KCRA‑TV interview, July 4, 2025,

"I just got that call, and I was like 'wow,'....My agent — I remember her saying, 'You ready to be a star?' And I was like, 'Yes!'"

What is Xavier Smalls’ ethnicity?

Xavier Smalls has spoken openly about having a Black father and a Mexican‑American mother, a heritage he says helps him slip between culturally specific roles. In the same KCRA segment, he noted that working with Tyler Perry allows him “to explore different parts of myself,” a nod to the dual identity he brings to the screen.

The actor has also used social media to celebrate his multicultural family life. His 2023 engagement post went viral among fans who share similar mixed‑heritage stories. The Instagram caption reads,

“I proposed to the woman of my dreams. Thank you, God… I love you forever, Vanessa, can’t wait to see what God has in store for our relationship and future family.”

Career highlights: from Beauty in Black to Zavier’s mic drop

Television - Beauty in Black (Netflix, 2024) Angel, a trafficked hustler whose loyalty arc anchors the drama’s first‑season cliff‑hanger.

Film - Madea’s Destination Wedding (2025): Zavier, an up‑and‑coming rapper whose sincerity is tested by family scrutiny. The film is written, directed and produced by Tyler Perry, with Angi Bones and Tony Strickland producing for Tyler Perry Studios.

Short‑form - Shelf Life (short, 2024, dir. Jordan Exum): Pat, a supporting role in an interracial relationship drama now on the festival circuit.

Modelling & representation - Signed to The Dragonfly Agency’s lifestyle division, Smalls maintains a parallel portfolio for commercial fashion work.

Away from the set, the actor is known for meticulous preparation. Reflecting on Perry’s famously brisk shooting schedule, he warned during the KCRA interview:

“If you’re not prepared… you’re going to fold on screen.”

With Madea’s Destination Wedding trending globally and Beauty in Black confirmed for a second season, Xavier Smalls stands at the intersection of heritage, hustle and Hollywood momentum.

Stay tuned for more updates.