DAYS Exclusive: John-Paul Lavoisier on Philip Vs Xander: ‘He’s Still In The Game’
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Thanks to a forged letter from Victor, Philip pulled off a coup and was awarded half of Titan Industries on Days of our Lives — only now, he has to run the company alongside his combative half brother, Xander. Actor John-Paul Lavoisier chatted with Soap Opera Digest about Philip’s win, his testy relationship with Xander and his own off-camera dynamic with scene partner Paul Telfer .
Soap Opera Digest: What is Philip’s reaction to the judge’s decision to make him and Xander partners at Titan?
John-Paul Lavoisier: Well, he’s as happy as he can be. He’s still in the game and kind of won. He got what he wanted, sort of. Philip was actually wishing that Xander was going to quit, throw in the towel, and not accept the half victory, that Xander would just go, “Oh, screw this. If I can’t have it, all of it, I’m not going to do any of it.” He was hoping that Xander wasn’t going to accept the tie and would totally quit. But he doesn’t, and they have to work together. Now Philip is joined at the hip [with Xander].
Digest: Two brothers who pretty much loathe each other will be working together side by side. What’s it like playing that dynamic?
Lavoisier: I’m enjoying playing the scenes very much, because Xander is so scary, stoic and serious. It’s intense, like at any moment he could snap my neck or put a bullet in my brain, because of who the character is. So I’m riding that line, because Philip still feels that he’s deserving of everything. He just has to make this work. But at times, Philip can’t control himself. He still makes these emotional jabs and screws with Xander’s head. He messes with him knowing that he’s probably not going to kill him… but he might. There’s that element of, “Ha, ha. You’re stuck with me.” Also, and it doesn’t always necessarily play in the dialogue, but Philip would like to mold Xander and see how malleable he could be, too. He wants Xander to be more like him so they can make this work.
Digest: How do you like working opposite Paul Telfer (Xander)?
Lavoisier: It’s a lot of fun. We have a blast running lines. But working with him and being on stage with him can be very difficult and aggravating in my own head, because he and I get along so well. We speak the same language when it comes to film and television. We know a lot of references, like [about] cinema. We do a lot of quoting; we’ll quote movies that things in a scene remind us of. But then when we’re on stage, I have to shut all that down. So all the fun and pleasure that Paul and I have off stage, I have to drop when we’re on set, because there’s a job to be done and characters to play. There’s constantly stuff at the front of my brain and things I want to say to him, but can’t. It’s like there’s an itch inside me that I can’t scratch. I want to talk about this joke, but I can’t because we have a scene to do. I have to hate Xander. I have to be scared of Xander and I am, but I’m not of Paul.
Digest: Is Philip content sharing the reins at Titan with Xander and making things work or is he trying to figure out a way to gain total control of the company?
Lavoisier: Philip’s trying to make it work way more than he’s trying to screw Xander over and rip the rug out from under him. It’s just, “How can we make this work, the two of us?” Philip isn’t going behind Xander’s back. Well, aside from the lying and the fraud of the letter. Once their desks are in the same room, both of their names are on those plates on those desks, and they’re in the shared office, it’s like, “We need to figure it out. We’re counterparts now.” I’m not trying to kick him out the door.
Digest: It’s going to be a bit of a switch for Philip to play nice. Do you welcome that?
Lavoisier: Well, he can’t be a jerk all the time. You pick and choose your moments. I mean, he’s always good with his mom. There are people that he’s always good with for the most part. Also, this is a company. It’s a business. So he’s good for the sake of the empire, and he does mean it. He wants to be good in his father’s eyes, which is why he’s not going to rip the rug out from under Xander. It’s like, “No. I don’t think Victor would’ve approved of that.”
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