The Vampire Diaries - Janina Gavankar Interview

So, we know almost nothing about Tessa, except that she ‘thwarts’ Damon & Elena’s plan to save Stefan.

Ah, yes, excellent use of ‘thwarts.’ We first meet her on episode three, which is called ‘Original Sin.’ It’s a flashback episode, so you will learn a lot. Tessa singlehandedly tells you a lot of information. She’s part of Stefan’s past, and she’s about to bring the truth.

How far back does Tessa go with Stefan?

As far back as he does. … You’ll understand exactly what that means after the episode airs.

Will what we learn change the way we look at Stefan?

Yes, definitely.

Since flashbacks are involved, did you get to have some fun with ridiculous wigs and costumes?

I went through more make-up and hair tests on this show than I have, cumulatively, in my entire career [which includes shows like Arrow and True Blood]. It was a lot, but I’m really glad we did it, because I think we arrived at something that makes a lot of sense. We put a lot of time and thought into the way she looks, what she wears and where she comes from.

OK, now let’s talk about Damon. I understand Tessa reveals something bad about his future?

Oh, I do, that’s right! I can’t tell you exactly what she tells him, but Tessa knows all. She’s about to drop a bomb on Damon and Stefan, whether they want to hear it or not, which they don’t. Most people don’t want to know what she knows, but she’s about to make them face the truth. She’s like, ‘Listen, sit down, because I’m about to handle things the way that I need to.’

What was it like walking onto the set of a show in its fifth season?

Well, I actually had a funny moment with Steven McQueen. The second I landed in Atlanta, I was like, ‘Someone, hand me all the DVDs right now!’ So I was in my dressing room, opposite Steven’s, and he came out of his room to say hi. I honestly didn’t recognize him because, on my screen in my dressing room, was a little baby emo child — and out of his room came this strapping man. I was like, ‘Nice to meet you. Who do you play?’ Meanwhile, there was a freeze frame of him on my TV screen.

Wow, that’s super-awkward. What about Nina? Did you get to work with her, too?

I did, and let me tell you, Nina Dobrev is working her butt off. She’s got such crazy hours, people don’t even know. By the end of my run on the show, she was doing things she’s never done before on the show, and I’m really happy that I got to be a part of it and see her do them. We had a lot of fun. … Oh, and not only is this girl doing these insane hours, but she still manages to look totally fly. … She’s fantastic. She loves her show, and she’s proud of her show.

Anything else we should know about Tessa?

There’s so much I want to tell you. So much is going to be learned on this episode, and I can’t wait to read the tweets. So, people reading this, tweet me your thoughts! … Seriously, I can’t believe I get to be the one who brings this character to this hit show.

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The Vampire Diaries - Six Fresh Faces Of Mystic Falls Recap

Silas (Paul Wesley)


The face is familiar, but it's a totally new role for Wesley, who's now also playing the 2,000 year old immortal who quickly returns to Mystic Falls. ''The fun of Silas is much like season 1 Damon [Ian Somerhalder] in that he's up to something and no one can quite figure out what it is,'' exec producer Julie Plec says. ''Specifically for Damon, it's driving him crazy because it's like the tables have turned: If you remember in season 1, Stefan was always saying to Damon, 'What are you up to?' and Damon's like, 'That's for me to know and you to....' Silas plays the same little tricks on Damon, so it's up to Damon to get to the bottom of what Silas wants, what he's doing to get it, how it's gonna impact all of them, and ultimately how they can put a stop to it.'' Wesley agrees that Silas is fun: ''Silas definitely sees Damon as being beneath him, on every level — experience, knowledge. Damon has always been the one to be the smartass who outclasses everyone else. So it's nice,'' Wesley says. ''I'm getting my revenge for playing droopy, sad Stefan for five years.''



Nadia (Olga Fonda)

The mysterious badass Czech beauty follows Matt (Zach Roerig) home from his steamy summer romance abroad with Rebekah (Claire Holt) in the season premiere. ''What she is, is the big mystery. She seems like some single moment that they left behind in their European whirlwind, and when she appears, she indicates that there's more to her than meets the eye,'' Plec says. ''Between her and Silas, we definitely have our hands full in Mystic Falls of people causing trouble.'' Bonus tease: ''People should be looking forward to everything with Matt [this season], we just can't say anything about it,'' Plec says. ''Matt's got a good story line this year. It begins with a steamy, sexy tryst in Prague, and just goes from there. Our little Matty boy had a good summer.''


Jesse (Kendrick Sampson)

As exec producer Caroline Dries says, ''The girls go to college, and they don't just go to college to study and learn. They go for the boys.'' They meet human student Jesse in the premiere. ''He begins as just someone who finds our darling Caroline Forbes [Candice Accola] very interesting and attractive. And she, of course, is remaining true-blue to Tyler [Michael Trevino] who hasn't quite managed to show up to college yet,'' Plec says. ''She's trying to hold him off without hurting his feelings, but he's very sweet and very smart and very tempting.'' He's also something else: ''As we get to know him, he opens the door to a bigger mystery that's happening at the college,'' Dries says. ''He becomes engrained in the supernatural mythology there.''

Dr. Wes Maxfield (Rick Cosnett)

You'll recall that Whitmore College is where Bonnie's Grams (Jasmine Guy) taught, as well as Professor Shane (David Alpay). So you can understand why Elena (Nina Dobrev) and Caroline might think this brilliant, young, hot microbiology professor has something to hide when they work their way into his advanced class trying to solve a mystery in episode 2, and he, in Plec's words, ''calls them out instantly as not belonging, embarrasses them, and sends them slinking away.''

Tessa (Janina Gavankar)

''Similarly to Nadia, she comes in to our world very clearly not who she seems,'' Plec says of the exotic beauty who makes her first appearance in episode 3. She comes to Mystic Falls looking to rekindle an old flame. ''Part of the mystery is trying to get to the bottom of who she is, what she wants, and why she wants it,'' Plec says.

Aaron (Shaun Sipos)

Introduced in episode 5, the human student with a tragic backstory that rivals Elena's will become a genuine friend to her. ''Internally, we like to call him the Jordan Catalano of Whitmore,'' jokes Plec. ''Though it is just a friendship, it's one of those deep friendships that could be seen as threatening to boyfriends. But we thought it would be a really great opportunity to bring a new person in to Elena's life who would legitimately be somebody who could fill a void of a lot of the friends and relatives she's lost over the years, somebody that really gets her in addition to her Salvatore boyfriend.''

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The Vampire Diaries - Spoiler From TV Line - 17th September 2013

Any scoop on Janina Gavankar’s Vampire Diaries character?

I hear she’s a real *itch.

The Vampire Diaries - Tessa Has Been Cast

Janina Gavankar has been cast to play Tessa in The Vampire Diaries. Tessa is described as a beautiful, exotic and self-assured woman who comes to Mystic Falls to rekindle an old flame. She first appears in the third episode, which is also a flashback hour.