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Catching up with Paul Telfer (Xander, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) at Starstruck’s YesterDAYS Fan Event, November 10th, 2017.

WHAT DID YOU ENJOY THE MOST ABOUT PLAYING “XANDER” ON DAYS OF OUR LIVES?

Paul: The character of Xander gets to say things about the other characters on the show that most of the other characters don’t get to say. Very often, he vents the frustrations I feel fans feel about certain behaviors that other characters might be caught up in. Any hypocrisies they might have. Any embarrassing things in their past. Xander’s the guy who is always needling people with their past. So it’s fun for me because it allows me to learn more about the history of the characters on the show and dig into some of that a bit. It’s also fun for other people in the cast because Xander’s always calling them on their bullshit. It’s really fun to do. I feel really lucky to have a character where I can never guess what he is going to do next. Different writing teams have written for Xander now; and they all seem to lock into some predictability that he has. That’s a lot of fun. I’m never stuck in a rut playing him.

IF YOU COULD PLAY ANY OTHER CHARACTER ON DAYS BESIDES “XANDER”, WHO WOULD YOU WANT TO PLAY?

Paul: So when I was first on the show as a day player, I just dipped my toe in to see if we all liked each other, I played Victor’s henchman for like three or four episodes. It would be fun to play that character again just to be sneaking around in shadows, killing people and just doing Victor’s dirty work. That is what Xander does as well. It’s just that Xander is always so upset about it all the time. He takes everything so personally. I like the idea of playing somebody who just does it. Outside of that, I also almost played EJ a long time ago. James Scott wasn’t feeling very well and they asked me to cover for him for a week. This was like ten years ago, maybe more. Fortunately he didn’t have to miss work so I got paid for nothing which is the best kind of getting paid. Obviously that would be fun, but I would be hunted in the streets if I tried to play EJ because people love James so much. So I’ll stay away from that.

WHAT PROJECTS ARE GOING ON FOR YOU RIGHT NOW THAT YOU CAN TELL US ABOUT?

Paul: I just did a little indie film. Hopefully something will come of it. It’s called “California No” but I have no idea what it will end up being called. I just finished a couple of writing projects But outside of that I’m just auditioning and chasing after my wife. She’s an actress as well and doing a big show in LA right now, a theater show, and we’re taking it out on the road right through Christmas. So there’s going to be a lot of that going on. A lot of traveling.

WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUR FANS WHO HAVE FOLLOWED YOU THROUGHOUT YOUR ACTING CAREER?

Paul: Call your congressman and tell them that you want Xander to come back on DAYS; and I think it could happen. I have a very good feeling that Xander will be back causing trouble again soon.