The Heartwarming Tale Behind Suzanne Rogers Attending the Daytime Emmys with Paul Telfer

Award show red carpets are a lot of fun but maneuvering the packed walkway often can be tricky! Soap Hub has the scoop on how Paul Telfer, who plays Xander on Days of our Lives, gallantly stepped up and escorted his co-star and Gold Circle award recipient Suzanne Rogers, who plays Maggie, down the press line and into the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

Kindness Matters

“They gave me two tickets [to the show] because I was getting the award,” Rogers tells Soap Hub. “I thought, ‘Who am I going to take?'” The actress, who won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1978, called her TV daughter Linsey Godfrey, nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Sarah, to see if her on-screen leading man — Telfer — would be up for accompanying her for her big night.

“I asked Linsey, ‘Do you think Carmen [Cusack, Paul’s wife] would mind if I take him with me?'” Rogers adds. “Linsey said, ‘Oh, I think she would love it!'”

Not only did Telfer’s wife think it was a lovely idea (she wrote a note to Rogers congratulating her on her honor), but the actor himself was deeply touched. “It was the sweetest compliment I could possibly imagine,” Telfer tells Soap Hub. “It meant a great deal that she wanted me to be her buddy on a night she was being honored. She and I have a really strong working relationship.

“It was a lovely gesture on her part, but it also made me feel really good about how I’ve comported myself at the studio over the past 10 years that she’d feel more comfortable at the Emmys having me on her arm,” Telfer continues.

Godfrey’s role in helping make her TV mom ‘s night perfect went beyond opening up a few lines of communication. She suggested to Telfer that she find out what Rogers would be wearing; Telfer checked in with DAYS’ costumer Richard Bloore, who helped make sure that Telfer’s bowtie would complement Rogers’ outfit.

A previous nominee himself, Telfer actually didn’t get to attend the awards as a nom because the year he received the honor (in 2020) the ceremony was held virtually. He has escorted his wife to two Tony Awards ceremonies as she has been nominated twice for the prestigious award.

Telfer says he was also happy to be there to cheer on his nominated castmates including Godfrey, Eric Martsolf (Brady), Emily O’Brien (Gwen), Tamara Braun (Ava), and Wally Kurth (Justin). For all these reasons and more, Telfer says with a smile, “I thought if ever there’s a year I should go, this is it!”

In addition to Telfer, Suzanne Rogers was accompanied by co-star Robert Scott Wilson (Alexander). “They’re both such nice guys,” Rogers says with a smile. “You can tell they were raised well, and they both have a kindness to them.”