Days of our Lives reaching its 60th anniversary is a television landmark, and celebrating this momentous occasion are two actors who represent different eras and archetypes of Salem: James Reynolds (who plays the esteemed former Commissioner Abe Carver) and Paul Telfer (the charming, albeit dangerous, rogue Xander Kiriakis). Though their characters are often on opposite sides of the law – and rarely share screen time outside of an arrest! – The actors have clearly developed a genuine rapport off-screen.
In this exclusive interview, Reynolds, a beloved veteran who has played Abe for over four decades, and Telfer, a fan-favourite “baddie” who has become an anchor of the current cast, come together to reflect on the show’s enduring legacy, its recent groundbreaking shift to the Peacock streaming services (in the U.S.) and the unique connection they share with the multi-generational DAYS audience.
I don’t believe Abe and Xander have shared that many scenes together! How has it been spending the day together?
Paul: Well, it’s been pretty good.
James: Yeah, I was just saying that I kind of like Paul a little bit!
Paul: Well, because he’s a “goody” [on the show]. And I’m a baddie. We only usually interact when you’re arresting me!
James: Did you plot to kill me one time?
Paul: I’ve plotted to kill everyone! You can’t take that personally, Jim.
James: [Laughs] I guess.
His character did shoot Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall)…
Paul: Sure! But again, that was one that annoyed me. That was when I was a recurring villain and so I’d come in, cause some trouble, and then leave. I’d go do something else and then come back for a few months. That was one of the times and they were like, “Oh by the way, you shot Marlena!” I was like, “Who shot Marlena? Marlena’s been shot?” And everybody was mad at me! I was literally taping Once Upon a Time or whatever other TV show I was doing. If you turn your back for one second, they’ll frame you for some crime!
A huge milestone for the 60th. How does it feel celebrating that milestone along with being inducted into the Broadcasting + Cable Hall of Fame?
James: It’s amazing. When I started this show, and I think a lot of people felt this way, I thought I’d be here for a year, and the longer I was here and talked to the people that were around, like Macdonald Carey and Frances Reid (Tom and Alice Horton), all of those folks, I really began to appreciate the history of this show and how much of an honour it is to be part of that history.
Mac would tell me stories of long ago, not only old Hollywood, but of Days of our Lives, and the history made sense. Its storylines are iconic. I just feel such a great deal of gratitude to be part of this.
Paul: Absolutely. It’s going to sound cliché but it’s an institution and we don’t have many things that you can point to, cultural institutions, that can last that long. So, to first have it as a job versus just another gig, and then I can’t believe people do this for 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, 40 years, and then all of a sudden, I’ve been doing ten years. It just sneaks up on you because it’s a wonderful place to work and to be part of something that’s ongoing. Not just for the people that create it but for the viewers. They know that there’s a new episode every weekday and this thing has been a part of their life, for many of them, since they were children. They’ve watched children grow into adults and have children of their own on TV. To have this generational connection to people and now be a part of it, it’s just an honour.
James: Two aspects of what Paul just said, one is the generational aspect of the show – that people pass it on from one generation to another. And I liken it to sports teams. If you’re a Raptors fan, if you’re family was a Raptors fan, then you’re going to be a Raptors fan. Also, the fact they follow us. Paul’s been here for ten year and I’ve been here for over 40 years. They grow through life with these characters as if we are part of the family. Some may believe we actually are! [Laughs]
DAYS has also made the transition from broadcast to streaming. You guys are pioneering that change.
Paul: Honestly, it feels like it has not just saved the show but allowed us to flourish again. For so long, since I had joined DAYS, it had always felt like soap operas, or the daytime drama, was on the decline. It was kind of yesterday’s genre and the “legacy” shows that had managed to hold were all just in a managed declined. Since we transitioned to Peacock, it has started to feel like a rebirth, honestly – instead of, “Well, it’s not what it used to be.” We’ve been told that we’re important and the audience is [as well]. “We can literally see them. They weren’t here and now they’re here. Thank you for bringing people to Peacock.”
Just for us, to be embraced by them, and certainly for me, it’s the first time that I’ve felt it since I’ve been part of the show, that we’re a vital part of the “full feast” of the NBC Universal offering.
James: I remember “the Go-Go ‘80s!” – our rockstar days! We were rock stars in those days. We couldn’t go anywhere. Thousands of people would like up. And then of course, we experienced that late 1990s decline and shows were leaving the air. It feels like there is a bit of a rebirth now.
With Beyond the Gates coming in, CBS has a brand new soap opera. It’s a good indication. I think the success of DAYS at Peacock, where there’s a lot of competition in streaming, has been another key part of it. We always must remember, that most dramatic shows are soap operas. People often forget that. If you look at Game of Thrones and so many shows that I enjoy, they are soap operas. People should always remember that. Maybe they have a little bit more money, but that’s what they’re doing! [Laughs]
Paul: Linsey [Godfrey; who plays Sarah] and I always talk about that. Especially on DAYS, we have some pretty over the top storylines, like science-fiction, fantasy stuff. On paper, it can be a bit tricky at first. “How do I make this work?” and then you’ll turn on some Marvel movie or Game of Thrones, and they’re doing similar things. Especially after they get past that first season and they’ve got to come up with other ideas, or an actor leaves, and they’ve got to recast for whatever reason, or you know just little production things that start to influence story. Welcome to soap opera! That’s what we do all the time.
James: We’re constantly aware of that. One of my favourite shows, The Diplomat came back. It’s a soap opera!
Paul: With swear words!
I remember when Star Trek started to cuss when it went on Paramount+ it was a big deal for the older generation. Could Abe finally cuss on DAYS?
James: I hope so! There are a few words that Abe would like to say… I think we’re slowly getting there. I was talking to one of the actors who actually had a word that he said a couple of months ago.
Paul: They have teased it. They went right to the edge and then retreated. I got to call Eric Martsolf, who plays Brady, I think I got to say a two-part swear word where only if you say the two words together it’s very rude. This one or this one, but you can’t say them both. So I said them both, because I was scripted to say them both, and then on the show, on the edit, they spliced it. It was “something” hole and then they cut the hole. I was disappointed! But I don’t think we want to necessarily have gritty realism and dialogue. That’s not what we’re selling. Our audience needs their hand held a little bit. It should still be a daytime show that anybody can watch. We’ll have innuendo and those kinds of things, so it can go over the heads of any kids that are watching.
James: As our audience ages, you’ll probably see a little more…
Paul: As Xander is British, if you try and write British swear words now and again, some of those words aren’t rude here, but are rude back home and would never be allowed on television before ten o’clock, what they call “the watershed.” So I got to say a few of those. I know Emily O’Brien, we both get really excited when we can sneak one in! “I can’t believe I’m going to say…” Because for us, even though it’s on streaming [in the U.S.] and we can watch it whenever we want, in my head the show is still on at noon. It’s a daytime show. You should watch it at lunch time. Your dialog should be lunch-time appropriate.
Paul, how familiar were you with the British soaps? I know every time I’d go back to see family there, I’d really get back into EastEnders. Coronation Street is also huge here in Canada.
Paul: My family were obsessed with them. My mum and sister love EastEnders, not so much Coronation Street but they love all of it. We had Brookside and all the Aussie soaps like Home and Away and Neighbours. I was held hostage! It’s not like today where everyone’s got their individual screen. So, I had to watch it. I would pretend to hate it, but I was obsessed with it like everybody else was. I was in love with Kylie Minogue (Charlene, Neighbours). I was in love with Anna Friel from Brookside. Oh my god.
But they are so different to American soaps. American soaps are all about aspirations, billionaires, and glamour – but ours are all about smoking cigarettes and dingy working-class pubs!
What was interesting about the transition from one to the other, because I never did a British soap, so many people in the UK assumed that Days of our Lives was just a show within a show – on Friends!
Because Days of our Lives wasn’t primetime like Friends was, they just assumed it was a very intricate show within a show. But, no – it’s a real show that’s been on for all these years. So to finally get on the show and have that association to it, because that was my first introduction to DAYS as well, but then also be working with John Aniston all the time, who is Jennifer Aniston’s father, it was surreal. “This is a real show. This is a real job. I’m really a part of it!”
Paul, did Xander becoming Victor’s son legitimize his place on the show for you?
Paul: Yeah. I wish we had been able to do it when John was still with us, to be honest. It was very bittersweet. It did feel like they had set up little breadcrumbs over the years, that it wasn’t jarring to the audience. There was part of the audience who had wanted it. “He should be Victor’s son, so make it so that he’s Victor’s son.” So, that was nice. And it gave me the opportunity to play really lovely scenes that deal with the fallout from that. That’s part of what I was nominated for at this year’s Emmys…
Congratulations! (Telfer would later win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series).
Paul: Thank you! I was really grateful for all of it. Even though Xander has been kicking about for ten years on this show, he was just kind of made up from scraps. They pushed them together. “Why is he on the show? He’s just somebody’s nephew. He has no real attachment.” So they’ve done a really wonderful thing for the past six years of me being on contract. They’ve shifted me more and more towards the middle of the show, and I’m really grateful for it.
Like you said, it just doesn’t legitimize Xander, I think it legitimizes me a little bit for part of the audience that needs there to be these strong family justifications for why “this person” is on camera instead of “the person I want to see” on camera. Which I totally understand and am sympathetic towards, so for them to fix that for me, I’m grateful and relieved!
James: Let’s not forget Paul’s skill for crafting that character and how successful he’s been. It’s not easy to craft a character in daytime TV because of the link of the character. At some point, and some of us are lucky to get past that point, this character could be wearing thin so for Paul to come in, there were several leaves that had to go into the scrapbook to make one picture. So for him to accomplish that, it’s pretty extraordinary.
They should be on the show, which I totally understand and sympathetic towards. So for them to like, fix that for me, I’m just really grateful and relieved. Well, let’s not forget Paul’s skill and crafting that character and how successful he’s been. It’s not it’s not easy to craft a character in daytime TV because of the length of the character, right?
Now, for James, your character’s pairing with Lexie had such a huge following. I hope Renee Jones is doing well. Abe and Paulina are popular. How’s it like working with Jackée Harry?
James: Oh, beautifully. It’s such a joy to work with Jackée. We have a great time. We have really good chemistry. I’m not sure either one of us thought we would in the beginning, but we really like other other. It’s been a pleasure. I always look forward to going into work but there are times where you look forward to going in a little more. And that’s what it is now. It’s a pairing that I don’t think anybody on the planet would have thought of a few years ago, but it works!
Days of our Lives airs weekdays on W Network in Canada and streams on Peacock in the U.S. Canadian viewers can catch up on demand, on the Global app, STACKTV and on GlobalTV.com the next day.
