By Kim Dunbar

Surprised, lucky and happy. Those are the three words Chaske Spencer used to describe his current situation.

Spencer is in the midst of the Twilight hysteria as the actor who plays werewolf Sam Uley in New Moon and Eclipse, the second and third installments of the supernatural series. While he is not surprised by the movie’s popularity, he is a little taken aback by the response. “It is definitely an experience I can’t put into words,” said the 34-year-old New Yorker.

Spencer, who has previous onstage and other on-screen experience, had never heard of Twilight before he was invited to join the star-studded cast. “I had seen the posters for Twilight around New York, but didn’t know anything about it until after I got the part,” he said.

In preparation for his part, Spencer had to pack on 20 pounds of muscle. “In the story, the werewolves’ bodies get bigger and bigger, so I needed to get more mass. Kind of like a big rock,” he said.

Spencer hit the gym with a trainer for workouts he describes as “really intense” and followed a diet free of sugar but filled with proteins like fish, chicken and steak. “It’s all in the diet,” he said.

Spencer’s hard work has paid off for both him and female Twi-hards, who enjoy a shirtless Sam Uley in the flick. Because his abs elicit the oohs and ahs from audiences across the country, Spencer is okay with the shirtless requirement. “It’s always uncomfortable [acting with your shirt off], but you learn to deal with it. Especially if the results include being in Twilight. No complaints here,” he said.

Spencer’s new-found notoriety as a result of New Moon has given his blossoming career an enormous boost. “After the movie I got a lot of great opportunities,” he said, including the chance to launch his own production company, Urban Dream.

“It gives me more control over my career and I have more artistic freedom,” he said of the company. Spencer added that his future plans do not include any werewolf or vampire related roles; he is already hard at work starring in and producing the forthcoming flick The Block, a role that he said is a departure from his previous character.

In the meantime, there is still one more opportunity to enjoy Spencer’s werewolf role when Eclipse releases sometime this year. And while Spencer couldn’t divulge much about the film, he did give away one little detail: “I’m still shirtless,” he said.

That’s enough to make anyone root for Team Jacob.

Note: On January 31st, two lucky Pulse readers had the chance to meet Chaske Spencer after winning our contest. Nicole Pieratos and Tabatha Alicea ~ fans of both Twilight and the Worcester Sharks ~ attended an exclusive meet and greet with the actor before enjoying the evening’s hockey game. A special thank you to the Worcester Sharks and Chaske Spencer for making this happen!