Soap Opera Digest: Who made the first move and what was the result?
Paul Telfer: “Back when we lived in London, some friends of ours had written a musical and wanted us to do a table read for investors. I already had a crush on Carmen, and I knew she’d be late because she had to run over from her matinee performance as Fantine in Les Mis to do the reading. So I made sure that we were one script short of what we needed and that the only empty chair was next to me. So Carmen was forced to sit with me and share my script. The reading went well, plus we flirted a bit, then Carmen went back to do her evening performance while all our friends proceeded to get drunk. I didn’t drink back then, so when Carmen came back again, I was the only sober person she could talk to. We spent the rest of the evening becoming better acquainted, then shared a cab home with inebriated friends. I walked Carmen home, and instead of kissing me good night, she bit my ear. We’ve been together ever since.”
Carmen Cusack: “Paul made the first move by asking me out. I accepted. Good result!”
Digest: What three words describe your first date?
Telfer: “Miserable but happy (I went to see her in Les Mis — she was amazing! — then we went to the pub and really hit it off).”
Cusack: “Sexy, solid and right!”
Digest: Who is more romantic, you or your partner?
Telfer: “I think we’re both romantic in our own way, but I’m probably a lot more sentimental.”
Cusack: “Paul.”
Digest: What’s your Valentine’s Day vibe with your partner?
Telfer: “We always try to be together. Valentine’s was also a kind of anniversary for us really getting serious as a couple. So even if we were separated because of work, I’d try my damnedest to travel to wherever Carmen was so we could have a romantic dinner.”
Cusack: “Well, we don’t make a big deal out of Valentine’s, only because it used to be an anniversary placeholder of sorts. But now we have enough anniversaries to remember and honestly we don’t need a day to remind us to be romantic. It’s in the DNA!”
Digest: What’s your favorite place you’ve visited with your partner?
Telfer: “We’ve done a fair bit of traveling together, but one place that sticks out isn’t particularly exotic. Carmen’s tour of Wicked was on a short hiatus near upstate New York, and she needed vocal rest. We found this tiny cottage for rent in Niagara-on-the-Lake. We drove up, past Niagara Falls, playing French jazz on the radio. There was a Shakespeare/theater festival going on and there were vineyards everywhere, so we just watched plays, went on wine tours, visited the Falls, played board games and just blissed out for the whole week. Pretty perfect romantic getaway.”
Cusack: “The Maldives.”
Digest: What’s your partner’s best domestic skill?
Telfer: “Baking! Even before all the lockdowns, Carmen had some skills — but she has leveled up big-time since she’s been trapped at home. Pies, cakes, whatever you need — and she’s the sourdough queen now!”
Cusack: “Cooking! He makes the best steaks and curries!”
Digest: What domestic skill could your partner stand to improve on?
Telfer: “Erm, she can be a wee bit klutzy. We don’t have much matched glassware….”
Cusack: “Remembering where the trash can is.”
Digest: What’s the cutest thing your partner does?
Telfer: “Carmen has a very particular way of mangling or misunderstanding common British and American phrases — I call them Carmenisms, and they are adorable.”
Cusack: “He makes these kissing sounds very frequently throughout the day if he knows I’m in earshot like a dozen times a day! Once I realized it’s his way of saying, ‘Hey, thinking of you,’ or ‘Love you!’ and not some strange tick, I found it annoyingly adorable!”
Digest: What TV show do you most enjoy watching together?
Telfer: “The American version of THE OFFICE. We hadn’t watched it because we’d been living in the UK. When we moved to L.A., Netflix had just shifted to streaming and it had all the episodes and we started binging it. We had this little bungalow in Silver Lake and it was just a very happy time — so now we’re always reminded of that when we watch it. Plus, Jim and Pam’s love story is very romantic!”
Cusack: “COBRA KAI. He likes to bounce around the room jabbing and ducking like he ’s in the show. Also with UFC. Same thing.”
Digest: What TV show do you watch that your partner can’t stand?
Telfer: “There’s a bunch of cartoons I watch — ARCHER, RICK AND MORTY — that sort of thing, when Carmen’s asleep because they are not her cup of tea.”
Cusack: “THE VIEW! I mostly watch it to wake him up. He loves screaming at the conservatives! Ha!”
Digest: What’s your favorite quality in your partner?
Telfer: “Her total authenticity. She has a big, generous heart and it shines through in her work, her interactions with people and especially with me. She can’t hide what she feels and thinks and it’s utterly charming and endlessly surprising.”
Cusack: “On one of our first dates I told Paul that I don’t do favorites. I don’t have a favorite color or book or movie. I can now say that I do have a favorite person — take a guess. He has so many great qualities, but if I had to choose, the one I appreciate the most is his loyalty.”
Digest: What do you do that gets on your partner’s nerves?
Telfer: “I’m messy and I talk too much!”
Cusack: “He hates being interrupted.”
Digest: Who should play your partner in a biopic about their life?
Telfer: “She absolutely should! But if not, some CGI combination of Marlene Dietrich and Reba McEntire.”
Cusack: “He’ll love this answer: Kurt Russell.”
Digest: What would be the title of a movie about your relationship?
Telfer: “The Highlander and the Hillbilly.”
Cusack: “9 ½ Centuries.”
Digest: What has your relationship with your partner taught you?
Telfer: “To be less selfish, that to want to place the needs and comfort of another above your own is actually liberating and rewarding.”
Cusack: “Respecting and protecting our relationship.”
