Days of Our Lives’ John-Paul Lavoisier enjoys returning as Philip and likes to keep things fresh and interesting.
Oh, Philip, what are you getting into on Days of Our Lives? Everybody wants a piece of the Kiriakis fortune. Vivian talked Philip into going along with a forged letter stating that Victor wanted
Philip to be the heir, not Xander. However, at the time the will was finalized, Philip was presumed dead. Now he’s taking Xander to court over who controls Titan and the estate, and if the truth
gets out, there’s going to be hell to pay. Philip’s portrayer, John-Paul Lavoisier, dished about how he keeps his character interesting.
He Made It His Own
Lavoisier explained to Soap Opera Digest that before a scene is recorded, a rehearsal is done so he can show the powers that be what he’s planning on doing. This allows the higher-ups to let him know if anything needs to be changed. He remarked that alterations are only asked for occasionally, with little pushback on his take on Philip. So, “I’m assuming that I have made Philip my own the right way because I haven’t received any major adjustments.”
He found that playing nefarious characters can be far more interesting than a good guy. Although, he will bring one hundred percent to any character he plays. “I owe it to the audience and to the employer to be interesting and to bring something to the table,” he stated. He truly enjoys it when Philip gets caught up in a scheme because “I just find that it’s more fun to play that conniving little twerp sometimes.”
Finding the Balance
Lavoisier also explained that he has to fine-tune and weigh out Philip’s “shady, devious, and cunning” characteristics. If he simply played the character too straight, he worried that the audience and the producers would find his take to be just plain boring and uninteresting.
At the end of the day, Lavoisier continues to make Philip intriguing by following a simple mantra. “This is my dad, and I am my dad’s son way more than Xander (Paul Telfer). [Being left out of Victor’s will was] an oversight.” The untimely death of Victor’s portrayer, John Aniston, forced the writers to go in unexpected directions. While the show shakes out all of his heirs and others who just want a piece of the pie, Lavoisier will continue to return to play antagonist Philip as long as the show will have him. (Find out why Telfer was named October’s performer of the month.)
