Paul Telfer is enjoying his latest DAYS storyline, in which Xander is on a downward spiral following the loss of Sarah. “When I came on DAYS properly again as a contract player and went on to have the romance with Sarah and the story with Mickey, I was surprised that that was the storyline they were giving me because it was so different from Xander in the past,” Telfer notes. “I understand there was this big endeavor to not necessarily redeem him, but take some of the harsher edges off of him, and see him intend to try to change and become a better person. And as much as I enjoyed all of that, it is nice now to be able to return him back to a more dark version of Xander. It’s not like he’s just reverting back to the way he was before. He’s reverting back to the way he was before with the knowledge that he can try to be a decent, moral person, so it makes the stakes a little bit higher. So that’s been fun. I know a lot of people are going to be upset and are upset about the shattering of the Xander/Sarah romantic storyline, but at the same time, I hope people do enjoy Xander in and of himself and have fun with how wild things get and how quickly it happens.”
Y&R newcomer Jacob Aaron Gaines (Moses) is grateful that he got to share scenes with Alyvia Alyn Lind (ex-Faith) before she left the soap. “Aly is so great,” he enthuses. “She’s really sweet, warm and very accepting. It’s exciting to see where things will go for her.” Gaines is impressed that Lind is going on to star in the upcoming series CHUCKY. “Her career is taking off and I’m so happy for her,” he smiles. “She’s so focused and down-to-earth, and she’s younger than me! At 13, I was playing video games, so for her to handle everything with such grace and ease while being in the business is inspiring.” Gaines credits Lind and Bryton James (Devon) for helping him adjust to the demands of soap production. “The first week was tough,” he admits, “but it’s gotten easier. Sometimes I feel like my brain is popping out of my skull because there’s so much to memorize but it’s okay, because it’s getting easier. Bryton has given me great tips, and everyone wants to help you. No one’s there to make you fail. They all want to make the best product for the fans, so you find out very quickly to be prepared before you go on set.”
Photo credit: SHANDON PHOTOGRAPHY
B&B’s Vasthy Mompoint (Dr. Ricks) had big plans for her career when she was starting out. “I moved to New York because I wanted to be a dancer in music videos on MTV. Remember when they used to show music videos and actually talked about music?” she laughs. “Then, I got really into musical theater and I was in eight Broadway shows. I was in Mary Poppins and SpongeBob SquarePants and the last one being The Prom.” Mompoint recreated that role in the Netflix film version, and also won a plum spot in the CBS Diversity Comedy Sketch Showcase, which kept her in L.A. “It was great because I didn’t want to do winter anymore,” she offers. “I still can’t parallel park but it was worth it.” Prior to B&B, Mompoint landed a gig on NCIS. “It was so different than when you audition for musical theater but I remember saying to myself, ‘Stop overthinking everything and just go in and have fun with it!’ and it was so great when I got it because I got to use a Caribbean accent. It was a blast. Like B&B, the cast was really supportive and kind. I’m very lucky that the first few things I’ve gotten in L.A. have been such great experiences.”