Days of Our Lives’s Linsey Godfrey on How She and Paul Telfer Bonded with The New Victoria (EXCL)

On Days of Our Lives, Sarah and Xander’s marriage has crumbled, but one thing remains the same: both are devoted to their daughter, Victoria, who was recast earlier this year with twin sisters Amelia and Kennedy Hileman. Linsey Godfrey (Sarah) proclaims the girls to be “spectacular. They are awesome. They are the happiest. They are willing to come and hang out. They want to play.”

Getting to Know You

Behind the scenes, both Godfrey and Paul Telfer (Xander) have taken the time to bond with the children so that they are comfortable with them on set and their connection translates to the screen. Reports Godfrey, “We either go and knock on [their dressing room] door, or the last time we worked together, they were already in hair and makeup, so we went in to see them.”

Godfrey is experienced with children, and not only because she’s a mom in real life. “I love kids, and I am really good with children,” she notes. “I was a nanny, and I taught Mommy & Me classes and a transition program. The show’s pretty good about letting me play with them for a second, even on the set to get them silly and laughing and stuff like that. I definitely take to them.”

Telfer, on the other hand? “He’s new to kids,” Godfrey says. “But these kids took to Paul, so that made him more comfortable.”

As a result, the bonding process was pretty effortless. “It’s usually just us on the floor somewhere laughing and joking with them,” notes Godfrey. “They love when I pretend to be a horse and do a horse noise. Then we gallop around or we play with dolls… A lot of times it’s just us chasing after them and spinning them around. And their parents are super-cool. So we just go and chat, whether it’s in their room to spend time with them or in the hair and makeup room. And then again, the show pauses for at least 30 seconds to a minute when we first get them on set, so that I can get them going, ready to play, and have fun. These kids are super affectionate too. They come running to you. They love giving out hugs. It is so cute.”

Familiar Territory

The adorable twins remind Godfrey a lot of her own daughter, Aleda, 11. “There’s this really cute photo of me and Thorsten Kaye [Ridge, Bold and Beautiful] and Aleda, who can’t be more than 10 months old,” says Godfrey, remembering back to her days as Caroline on the CBS soap. “Thorsten is on the ground in the middle of the studio in the middle of the set, and she’s walking to him. He has this big smile and his arms are outstretched. It’s so sweet. These girls do remind me of Aleda, because she grew up on set and she would just go to anybody, because she got used to being passed around. These kids are very similar in that way. They just run to you, if they feel comfortable with you. It’s just so lovely. I love these little girls.”

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DAYS’s Linsey Godfrey: Sarah and Xander Will Never Be ‘Done Forever’ (Exclusive)

Xander and Sarah have crashed and burned again, this time after Xander went off the rails and beat his brother Philip to a pulp, ultimately leaving him comatose. “Xarah” fans aren’t the only ones distraught over the Days of Our Lives couple’s latest breakup. So are DAYS actors Linsey Godfrey (Sarah) and Paul Telfer (Xander). […]

Godfrey has shared some tips with Telfer about interacting with babies throughout their years on DAYS, initially back when Josephine and Rosalind May were playing baby Mickey/Rachel. “The first time it was just how to hold a baby,” remembers Godfrey with a laugh. “The poor babies. Paul was like, ‘I don’t know.’ He would hold them, they looked uncomfortable, and he was sweating. So I would go and manipulate the babies in his hands. ‘Carry them like this. Hold them like this. Turn them like this.’ ”

And it’s the same thing with the new twins, according to Godfrey. “Sometimes it’s just how to interact with them or how to hold them. Paul will often be like, ‘Is this okay?’ It’s the same thing playing with them and getting them excited. Kids don’t like frantic energy. They like excited energy,” says Godfrey, noting that Telfer has got quite good at “allowing himself to be silly with them. He’s really gotten comfortable with these kids.”

And, apparently, the twins have gotten very comfortable with both Telfer and Godfrey. “These girls are funny, because if one gets to do the scene, the other one wants to come out and play with us,” shares Godfrey. “The last time we interacted with them, one of the girls got to play way more with us and specifically got to play with Paul. So the other one asked if Paul could come to her room and play with her.”