In February 2014, Soap Opera Digest announced that model True O'Brien had been cast as Paige Larson on the series. O'Brien made her first on-screen debut on March 3, 2014. About her audition, O'Brien said "It was an intense process. It was the first time I had really tested for anything. I didn't know what was going on, so I just let it happen.When I walked out of there, I felt good. I was very thankful to have had that opportunity to even experience something like that." In June 2015, it was confirmed that O'Brien was let go from the series, she exited on September 9, 2015 when her character was the second to be killed off as part of the Necktie Killer storyline to commemorate with the show's 50th anniversary. O'Brien returned in flashbacks on September 28, when Paige's death scene was shown and in her mother's visions on October 2, 2015. In October 2017, O'Brien reprises the role of Paige as part of special dream-sequence episode on October 31, 2017.
Storylines
Background
Paige was born on May 29, 1995 and would grew up with her single motherEve Donovan. Her father would later be revealed to be Eduardo Hernandez, aka Eddie Larson; which makes Rafe, Arianna, Dario and Gabi her half-siblings.
2014-15
In early 2014, Paige Larson arrives in Salem without her mother, Eve Donovan and quickly develops a connection to JJ Deveraux. Upon Eve's arrival back to Salem, Paige's relationship with J.J. begins to hit a hard spot, ultimately ending with them parting ways multiples times. She becomes close to another guy, Cole Hines and asks him out on a date, which he accepts. After their date, Paige meets up with J.J. at the park, where he apologizes profusely and asks for a second chance. She forgives him, leading them to reconcile. Cole finds her at the park watching Parker play and tells her that J.J. will hurt her and that she deserves better, but when he sees that she's not listening to him, he leaves. He then works with her mother Eve to break J.J. and Paige up. Cole plants drugs in J.J.'s backpack to frame him. When Paige realizes what Cole has done, she angrily confronts him. At first he denies the accusations, but then Cole tells her how amazing she is and that she deserves better. Paige tells him to stay away from her and J.J. before leaving. Paige would find out that her mother and J.J. had an affair and Jennifer Horton knew about it and she confronts him at her surprise twenty birthday party, on May 21. She becomes very cynical and wants nothing to do with them. Paige begins a relationship with Kyle to make J.J. jealous, not knowing that he is a drug dealer and that J.J. works for him; however, the relationship would later end. Paige and J.J. begin to reconnect the following month. She becomes a witness to the Chad and Serena fight and would reveal what she saw, since Serena would later be found murdered. Since they become close again, Paige is the first person J.J. tells about the Clyde/drug ring and was sworn not to involve the police. In early September, she would retell what she saw to Rafe and exchanges words with Chad, who doesn't remember what happened after the fight, and calls J.J. afterward; Paige had something to tell him, however, when J.J. arrives at her dorm, he finds her in the shower with a tie loosely around her neck. Paige is pronounced dead, much to the horror of J.J. and Eve who apologizes to Paige over her body. Chad DiMera is seen as the prime suspect, due to the fact that a flower found near the crime scene can only be found at the DiMera mansion; following the arrest of Chad, he was released after Aiden Jennings was believed to be the Neck Tie Killer. In December 2015, Ben Rogers was arrested for the string of murders, following a statement by Abigail Deveraux.
