"It is tremendously enjoyable to play a straight-up villain" — Paul Telfer opens up about portraying a negative character on Days of Our Lives

In an interview People published on April 21, 2024, Paul Telfer, renowned for his portrayal of Alexandros "Xander" Kiriakis on the long-standing soap opera Days of Our Lives, shared insight into his experience playing a negative character. He mentioned it was "tremendously enjoyable" for him to play a villain and said:

"Just out of a sense of sheer fun, it is tremendously enjoyable to play a straight-up villain, and especially if you're not particularly villainous in your real life."

The actor reflected on his portrayal of Xander, tracing the character's trajectory from being purely villainous to what he termed an "anti-villain" and now, potentially, an anti-hero. He discussed the evolution of Xander's character over the years and the satisfaction he derives from the dynamic nature of the platform provided to him by the soap opera.

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Paul Telfer shares his thoughts on portraying a villainous character

The 44-year-old actor, known for playing Xander in the American soap opera Days of Our Lives, highlighted the sense of sheer enjoyment he drives from playing a villain, mostly emphasizing the cathartic experience it offers him. Paul Telfer expressed that his character allows him to "be horrible in the safe confines of a fictional story" as he tries to be "a goody two shoes" in real life.

Despite beginning as a charming but troubled individual with a murky background in 2015, Paul Telfer spoke about Xander's evolution over the course of nearly a decade and said:

"He was never an anti-hero. He was always just a horrible person that was allowed to show a little bit of a vulnerability and a little bit of insecurity that I think made him a slightly more endearing than the typical outright villain. And then over the years, it's almost, instead of turning him into an anti-hero, he became like an anti-villain."

Paul Telfer described his character Xander as a "light villain" who did good things for evil reasons and bad things for good reasons. The soap star went on to say that his character's nature is now shifting "to actually become a true anti-hero" and mentioned that had "always hoped" that he would transform.

"It's one of these things of getting the opportunity to play a character for this amount of time and the constantly shifting canvas that we get to play these characters upon is really satisfying because we all grow and change in real life," he told the publication.

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More about Telfer's character

Paul Telfer's character, Xander Kiriakis, made his debut on Days of Our Lives in 2015 as a charming but troubled newcomer with a checkered past. Over the years, Xander's character has evolved from a pure villain to a more complex figure, engaging in both noble and nefarious actions for various reasons.

Speaking to Soap Opera Digest in an article published in June 2023, the actor mentioned that his character had changed "a lot and also not very much." While he stated that Xander was his "own worst enemy," he believed that the audience was ready to see a more "considerate and mature" version of him.

In the present storyline, Xander is seen navigating the challenges of redemption and transformation, as he transitions from a villain to a potential anti-hero. This evolution adds layers to the character's persona.

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Season 59 of Days of Our Lives is currently streaming on Peacock.