DAYS OF OUR LIVES - Michael Fairman On-Air On

DAYS OF OUR LIVES
arin Brooks
realises that Days
Of Our Lives faces
an uncertain future,
given the current climate,
but he reveals he's about
to make the most of his
time in Salem. And, while
he loves playing ladies man
Max on the show, the level­
headed 24-year-old, is tak­
ing precautionary measures
and nurturing big dreams ...
D
What do you think is at
the core of your Days
character Max Brady;
what's he all about?
"I define him as the lost boy
trying to find his reason,
his love, and who he is.
He was abandoned, so
he's always going to go out
of his way to make some­
one else feel they are not.
He's a hero, but has been
hurt to the extent where
he might be dangerous."
It looks like he might
be finding that his
soul connection is
with Chelsea after all?
"Yeah, Chelsea and
12
I go way back. Originally,
Rachel Melvin (Chelsea)
started a month before
I did, so we both have
been here the same
amount of time and
we're really good friends.
She's a good actress.
It looks like they will
explore the relationship
with them again. I think
they do decide to put
Max and Chelsea together,
that's a great soap story."
What draws them
back to each other?
''They know each other
inside and out. They
know each other's little
quirks and they've been
best friends, and they
don't converse much.
They are getting back
to old feelings, and
before, the relationship
was young. I think their
characters have been
through so much lately
that their characters are
older people now. They
have experienced a lot
more life experiences, and
they both understand that."
Would you like Max
to return to his
womanising ways?
"Yeah, I think it could be
a good little story. All this
stuff happened all at once.
He lost his father and his
girlfriend. I think Chelsea's
reasoning for coming back
into Max's life is that she's
trying to comfort him. It
would be fun to have a
rebellious stage with Max,
where he's kind of woman­
ising. Or, maybe something
like (becoming) an alco­
holic when all of this gets
dumped on you all at once.
That can throw somebody
into a downward spiral if
they don't have support."
Can you reveat what's
coming up for Max?
"It's going to be more
dramatic. You can also
look forward to better
writing and more quirkiness
to the writing. They're
settling in to who the
characters are, and I kind
of ad-lib at times, too.
I think it will be a more adult
crowd, so expect more sex!"
Interview
Is there an actress
on the show you'd
still love to work with?
"Arianne Zuker
(Nicole) and I have
joked about that.
She's so funny, and
a phenomenal actress.
We're friends. She's
amazing. I would
love to work with
her on-screen."
Who is Max reatly
related to in Salem?
It's so confusing!
"He's confused! I think
the only two people he
is related to by blood
on the show are Trent,
his dead father, and
Melanie (Molly
Burnett) who is
his stepsister."
What are your
thoughts on the
uncertainty of the
future of Days?
"I think the show is such
a staple for America,
and to get rid of us on
the NBC network would
be such a mistake. We
have dedicated fans. My
theory is because of the
recession, there are not
as many single mothers
watching the show. Both
parents are out working,
so they have to TiVo it
or watch it on SOAPnet.
If only we could find a
way to track those rat­
ings, that would help. I
think that's the problem;
the execs are seeing
the numbers, but those
are.·not necessarily the
real numbers.
Was there a sigh
of relief on set once
the renewal untJ/2010
was announced?
"I didn't hear about it on
set. I think a lot
of people are relieved
and happy they have
18 months to (make)
some sort of a plan.
People love this job;
the fact that we did
not hear about it for a
long time was tough."
How did you
feel about the
axing of Deidre Halt
(Marlena) and Drake
Hogestyn (John)?
"My feeling on it is
that they are two
magnificent people,
and they are pros at
what they do. We
have all learnt so
much from them, espe­
cially Rachel and I.
She was doing scenes
with Deidre (and) I've
had some scenes with
Drake. They are profes­
sional. I am sad that
they are leaving."
Does it make you
and the cast feel
they could be next?
"I am sure it's in a
lot of people's hearts.
It's a scary time with
our show and the
economy, in general.
I think if we were not
in a recession, I think
people would be more
relieved. I'm trying to
save and be careful.
I want to start doing
movies and prime-time
and move on up.
I'm writing my own
projects now. There
are a lot of different
things going on. I am
trying to get financing
for a film, and I am
trying to branch out."
- MICHEAl FAIRMAN
IN HOllYWOOD
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