Gwen’s back in Salem and wasted no time lighting proverbial matches and letting things burn on Days of Our Lives. She has purposely been irritating Sarah, making her think that she’s been hooking up with Xander. While she claims to him that she’s just helping to make Sarah jealous, he’s not taking kindly to her tactics. Emily O’Brien weighed in on how Gwen keeps getting under people’s skin.

Sarah’s Always on a Pedestal

O’Brien revealed to Soap Opera Digest that while she likes to provoke Sarah as Gwen, she and Linsey Godfrey are the best of friends in real life. “I love her. I adore her!” she enthusiastically remarked. She explained that the two of them and some other actresses got together for a girls’ night out that lasted until 1AM recently. She gushed, “Linsey is one of those women that I’ve just bonded with, and we celebrated her birthday just the week before that.”

And that relationship off-screen helps them play their rivalry well on-screen. She explained that Gwen enjoys provoking Sarah whenever she can, and recently lied, saying she and Xander (Paul Telfer) were sleeping together. “I think any chance that she has, she wants to get under her skin because Sarah has been living under Gwen’s skin for years!” she stated. She feels that Sarah has always come first, leaving Gwen in the dust.

Gwen Has No Remorse

O’Brien explained that Gwen has returned to Salem with a huge bank account and feels that she could easily sway Xander to be with her. “But deep down, she knows that she’s not going to,” she noted. However, she’s not going to let Sarah know about her self-doubts, which would be admitting weakness.

The actress further explained that while getting under Sarah’s skin might be something Gwen does just to get a laugh, in reality, she’s a bit more desperate than she lets on. But she doesn’t regret messing with Sarah, explaining that Gwen has “no remorse whatsoever! She thinks it’s fun and she’s really leaning into it.” (Find out if Xander will pick a side.)