After his rage cost him his marriage to Sarah, Xander has tried to better himself on Days of our Lives, finding some self-awareness. And somewhere in the wreckage of his shattered life, he and Leo found each other; two guys who’d been side-eyed by half of Salem sitting in the same boat and realizing it was less lonely with company. That was the headspace Xander was in when Paul Telfer did a long interview and, almost casually, dropped a take on all those shirtless scenes that wasn’t what fans would expect.
Key Takeaways
- Paul Telfer joked that he likely holds the record for the most consecutive days as Xander, shirtless.
- He says the shirtless moments are written, and he eventually stopped fighting them and leaned in.
- Telfer realized it didn’t matter whether he was at 10% or 18% body fat.
- What ultimately looked best on camera was being relaxed, not physically “perfect.”
Telfer Looked Back With Humor
Telfer appeared on the Soapy podcast, hosted by Rebecca Budig (Taylor, The Bold and the Beautiful) and his castmate, Greg Rikaart (Leo). They ribbed him about beating Rikaart at the Daytime Emmys, discussed the emotional weight of his acceptance speech, and talked about how he had channeled his mother’s memory into some of Xander’s most vulnerable scenes. And then, as it always does with Xander, the topic drifted toward his habit of shedding clothing in Salem.
The hosts asked if he’d had his shirt off as many times as his co-star Robert Scott Wilson (Alex), and while he couldn’t quantify that, he remarked, “I’m pretty sure I hold the record for the most days consistently shirtless, like, without ever putting a shirt on.” He recalled that, as Xander lamented one of his breakups from Sarah (Linsey Godfrey) a few years back, “I was literally in my underwear for four shows straight.”
He explained that it was the writers’ choice, not his, but eventually he decided to roll with it and play along. What was surprising was not that he often took off his shirt. It was how casually he described it. “I just don’t get embarrassed by stuff like that anymore,” he remarked, noting that also applied to public speaking.
Relaxed Looked Better Than Perfect
Telfer admitted he once obsessed over being in peak shape anytime Xander might be shirtless. On bigger projects earlier in his career, he had weeks to prepare. On a soap, there’s rarely that luxury.
He admitted he had overcome his own self-consciousness. “I got a little more blase about it all and started to realize that it didn’t matter if I was at, like, 10% body fat or 18% body fat,” he explained, adding, “What looked good was me being relaxed.”
After COVID, he was somewhat out of shape and worried about it. But the audience didn’t run screaming, and he thought to himself, “Huh, well, maybe it doesn’t matter.” For a character working through rage, regret, and vulnerability, that kind of ease feels unexpectedly on brand.
