I went to a school and was hauled in by the choirmaster, who was doing Fiddler on the Roof , and she tried me out and said 'You've gotta come play this part' and the part was the Russian character, the sort of alienated character. I can't remember all the details, but he's a soldier and he's different from everybody else in the world of Fiddler on the Roof . Every introduction I've had to any medium or a new town or whatever, it's always alienated characters, and this is the most alienated character that I've ever gotten, so it's absolutely right within my type. McManus is quick to deny that this doesn't necessarily make him a hero, however. So the change of Xevs is really interesting, but it changes the Kai character as much as the Xev character.
People can put romance onto the character all they want.
He could have, to me, been anything. He could have been a really messed up human on a personal level, but with big ideals. But the romantic part, I think other people do that. I don't really see him that way. Apparently, the outfit isn't as uncomfortable as it looks.