Days of Our Lives’ Greg Rikaart described what exactly helped Leo to finally attempt to redeem himself after years of misdeeds.

Several people in Salem absolutely despise Leo on Days of Our Lives because he has been a con artist, a liar, and a blackmailer. Many of his schemes were driven by selfish reasons and personal gain. However, Leo’s been on the path to redemption lately, even getting much-needed therapy from Marlena. He also found love with Javi and apologized to Gwen for destroying her marriage. Greg Rikaart recently shared some real insight into how his character has evolved over the years.

From Blackmail to Baby Bottles

Rikaart took some time to speak with Woman’s World about Leo’s evolution over the years. While Leo had once helped Nicole (Arianne Zucker) deliver her baby, Jude, he would later find out that Sloane (Jessica Serfaty) kept the baby for herself. And he subsequently used that intel to blackmail the shady lawyer. But lately, as he’s turned over a new leaf, he and Javi (Al Calderon) have been helping to take care of a foster baby.

He explained, “The Baby Jude storyline certainly impacted Leo, but this is personal.” He added that, “Leo and Javi are very much front and center in this, and it’s been fun to share the heft of that with Al.” It would seem that Leo has begun to mature.

A Softer Side of Leo

Rikaart praised his scene partner, Calderon, describing him as “Wildly talented, fully emotionally available and game to play and find fun nuances.” He noted that his castmate is a good 15 years younger than he, and as such, reminds Rikaart of himself. “He’s going through a lot of the growth and evolution that we all do at that time in our lives,” he enthused.

He loved that the writers have been able to dig down past Leo’s smarmy exterior to reveal that he actually has a heart. The actor recalled recent scenes with Gwen’s Emily O’Brien that illustrated Leo’s evolution. “It was poignant and meaningful, but there was also a lot of humor peppered in,” he remarked.