The Vampire Diaries - Julie Plec Answers Burning Questions

It seemed as if Damon and Bonnie found peace as The Other Side was destroyed. Let’s start with the big question on fans’ minds: Is Ian Somerhalder a series regular in season 6?

I think the ending of the episode is meant to be left up deliberately for speculation of what exactly did happen to them. I can say for certain The Other Side is gone for good, and I can say for certain that when The Other Side disappeared for good that they had already been dealt with — whether it’s through finding peace or other means. Outside of that [laughs], I think I’ll let the speculation blow around a little while longer.

But can you say whether we’ll see Ian and Kat again?

We will definitely see Ian Somerhalder and Kat Graham on the show. I mean, there’s a million different ways that you can do that. But as far as in what context — how, why, and where? — that’s part of the mystery.

You tweeted about a year ago that you had thought of the ending of season 5, and it was a “mind f–k.” Was this the ending you’d thought of?

[Laughs] Yes, it was. When you think of the ending at the beginning of the year, you always have to leave yourself open to shift[s]. Because when all is said and done, trying to force your way somewhere that sounded cool in the moment and then you’re struggling to find your way back there — you can actually compromise the story a little bit. But we just believed in this ending so, so much, and everything kind of gracefully let us there. So we didn’t have to make too many changes.

I loved the way Ian played Damon’s goodbye to Elena. You felt Damon was at peace. Was that sense of calm scripted?

You know, I think by the time we got to this episode this season, Ian was so profoundly dialed in to Damon’s character and to Damon’s relationship with Elena that he just found it for himself. Ian was on fire this year. To be able to come to terms with this character that is so fearless and is facing true oblivion and death, probably for the first time in his vampire life — I thought it was so beautiful the way he was able to embrace it and face it and say his goodbyes in that way. So hat’s off to Ian Somerhalder for that.

Tyler came back from the Other Side no longer a hybrid. Is he now just a human with a werewolf gene?

You hit the nail on the head: What got stripped away from him when he got thrown over the border were the elements that made him both vampire and triggered-werewolf. So he is back to being a boy with a werewolf gene. And so it puts him in a really interesting predicament next year because it’s almost like a do-over in a good way, but also a scary way. Now with that comes that testosterone, needing to work out his aggressions, and find way to not lose his s–t, so to speak, so that he doesn’t re-trigger the curse [laughs]. I think after having gone through everything he went through, re-triggering the werewolf curse would be possibly a fate worse than death at this point.

That leads us into the question of whether Stefan and Elena and the others who came back from The Other Side are human.

No. Tyler died within the boundaries of Mystic Falls, and he actually physically got stripped all the way down to his base state — which was a supernatural being, boy with werewolf gene. Therefore he could be on the Other Side. But Stefan and the rest of them died still being supernatural beings, so they came back the way they were left. They are not human. Everybody’s circumstance is the same, except for Tyler, whose specifically got everything stripped away from him down to the guts.

So that means Alaric (Matt Davis, who’ll be a series regular) is still sort of a super Original vampire.

He’s still a super Original, and I think if anybody doesn’t want to be that, it’s Alaric. We never really got to see him deal with having become a vampire, because Esther had gotten in his head and screwed with his brain so badly that he just kinda became the villain with no conscience. So now this is our favorite sexy teacher back in our lives and having to hide the fact that [laughs] A.) he’s this weird, weird breed of vampire and B.) he’s not particularly sure if he likes it. So it’ll be a good story for him.

With Stefan and Elena — will you pick up right away with them trying to figure out if Damon and Bonnie are really gone for good?

I think the most important thing I can say about season 6 is our characters fundamentally have to come to terms with the fact that Damon and Bonnie are gone forever, and have been doing so for quite some time when we return. Some are in denial, some are still searching for answers. “They’ve got to be somewhere. Where are they? We’ve got to rescue them.” Some have given up completely. Each individual character’s reaction to the loss of these two people will be what informs the beginning of the sixth season.

Does this set the stage for a Stefan-Elena-Caroline love triangle?

Well, you know, I think people will actually be surprised by how each of those three have individually handled the tragedy that they’ve had to face. In the beginning of the season, it’s really about trying for all these friends to find their way back to each other, as opposed to having set the stage for any romantic entanglements. If anything, they’ve disentangled briefly from each other. Part of the journey of the first part of the season is, if we can’t stay close and have each other and be here for each other, then what’s the point? We don’t have anything. And in addition, of course, it’s if we can’t get our home back and live in our home and get back what was ours, then all of this was for naught.

What about Enzo (Michael Malarkey)? It seemed like he was walking off when he returned from The Other Side.

[Laughs] We have not seen the last of the delicious Michael Malarkey. He’s a wonderful addition to the team, and he will be officially a series regular next year. I think you’re the first person that knows that.

I love his chest hair. When we saw his chest hair the other week –

Ohmygod.

I screengrabbed it and tweeted that seeing chest hair on a CW actor was like seeing a unicorn. 

[Laughs] I sorta feel like in season 9, if it’s Enzo and Alaric, we just spin them off into their own show. I think life would be pretty good.

Do you anticipate them having scenes together next season? They would have fun chemistry.

I think so. I anticipate them not liking each other very much.

When I talked to you for our Women Who Run TV package, you said you and Kevin Williamson had thought of the ending to the entire series as you writing on deadline in an Atlanta Mall early in season 2. Are you still on track for that same ending?

Well, it’s a modified version of the same track [laughs] in that it did involve a ghost. In the absence of The Other Side, we might have to make some modifications. But I think emotionally, we knew where we wanted the series to end. I think it will depend, obviously, on when the series ends and who’s still a part of the show contractually. And if they’re not, who’s willing to come back and play. We definitely have a sense of where we want each character to land when it’s all over.

Are you plotting for season 6 to be the final season, or is that not on your radar yet?

No. It’s not on our radar yet. You could ask 10 different people that question and you’d get 10 different answers, in terms of how long the life of the show is. Warner Bros. would say, “17 seasons!” And I think I would say, “Seven!” [Laughs] Presumably we’ll land somewhere closer to my wishes or theirs, depending on the circumstances.

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Matt Davis Set To Return To Vampire Diaries

Even though Matt Davis is starring in the new CW midseason thriller "Cult," all signs point to yes for his return next season to "The Vampire Diaries." 

The actor, who played staked vampire Alaric on the fangbanger hit, confirmed today (July 13) at Comic-Con that he has talked to "The Vampire Diaries" producers about his coming back. 

"I think there are plans to come back, the capacity of which I'm not sure," he said. 

"It will definitely be weird going back," he added. "It's weird being here [at Comic-Con] too, at the same time as 'The Vampire Diaries' cast. Ian Somerhalder keeps asking me, 'Are you here for "The Vampire Diaries" or "Cult"? And I'm here for 'Cult,' which is odd." 

"It's interesting to sort of parallel the two shows and odd...to cross over and cross back will be an experience."

Davis told us he doesn't know "exactly how it plays out creatively," but he is definitely looking forward to returning to the Atlanta-based set of "The Vampire Diaries."

"It's great -- I'm thrilled by it!"


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Matt Davis & Zach Roerig Interviews From TVD Chicago

Matt Davis Interview...

Interview with Matthew Davis of The Vampire Diaries: cw14online.com

Zach Roerig Interview...

 

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Alarics fate & 10 Things To Come...

First off: Please don't read this article if you haven't yet seen this week's decade dance episode of "The Vampire Diaries." Go watch it, then come back, and we can all hold hands and share our feelings in the comments section. There will be spoilers after this paragraph.

The show always delivers when it comes to the dance episodes; they're always packed with romance and death and drama and trauma. "Do Not Go Gentle" was no exception to that as we said an emotional goodbye to Alaric (Matt Davis) -- and then were abruptly introduced to his darkest, most violent alter-ego.

The Alaric we knew and loved is dead and gone, unfortunately -- "The Vampire Diaries" producers aren't the type to give him such a powerful, emotional send-off only to bring him back a few episodes later. We're going to have to get used to the twisted, Original vampire version of him that we saw in the final moments of tonight's hour. 

He will be an important part of the next two episodes. Despite having been filming his pilot,"Cult," in Vancouver during filming, Davis managed to get back in time to complete all of his scenes for Season 3.

"He's pretty clearly a badass vampire killer with a pretty magnificent, deadly, and unburnable stake," executive producer Julie Plec says. "I definitely think he's going to be a conflict-provider; not to make it an understatement. He's not going to be the friendliest version of Alaric we've ever met. He's pretty hardcore, which is going to be equally exciting and devastating, because he's one of our heroes who is no longer one of our heroes."

Esther revealed that though Original Alaric is technically a vampire, he's not immortal. He'll die after he killed off the Originals. That said, Esther is no longer a factor, and Alaric's fate could change over the course of the next two episodes. So where does that leave the chances for Davis to return in Season 4?

Obviously, if "Cult" is picked up, that will be Davis's first priority, but we're told that Alaric's fate in the finale is ambiguous enough that he could possibly return for guest appearances in Season 4. Additionally, sources at The CW tell us that "Cult" is in contention for mid-season, not a fall premiere, which may leave Davis more time to travel to Atlanta.

The potential for a return shouldn't reduce the impact of tonight's incredible quasi-funeral scene, though. We didn't think "The Vampire Diaries" would ever be able to top last year's funeral for Jenna and letter from John, but that rare scene with most of the series regulars, without any dialogue, was one of the most moving sequences of the series.

"I love those scenes, I really do," Michael Trevino says. "Even when there's scenes with that many people with dialogue, it's just awesome to be on, because we barely are in scenes all together. We just see each other in hair and makeup or in our dressing rooms. That was very emotional."

"You could feel it," adds Zach Roerig. "You could really feel it.""That one scene was the most important scene in the entire episode for me," Plec says. She tells us that the producers in Atlanta wanted it cut, because it had no dialogue, but required a lot of money and work (and some acrobatic scheduling) to get everyone into play. "I don't do this very often, where I pitch the 'I'm the boss; shut up' fit, but I was just like, 'Guys, I'm telling you, this is the heart and soul of this episode, and one of the heart and soul moments of the season, and it's going to stand, so figure it out.' And they did. They always do."

As for the rest of the season... here are ten things to expect going into the next two episodes.

1. No one is safe. Plec added "if they're lucky enough to survive the season" when discussing the future of every single character.

2. Meredith isn't going to disappear just because Alaric is gone. "I think that every town needs a nice pretty doctor, and Damon might need a new drinking buddy," Plec says. In the books, Meredith and Elena were close, so there's potential there, too. "I do think that as a caretaker and as a compassionate human being, she and Elena will probably have a bond that could develop into a nice friendship."

3. We will discover which Original sired "Scary Mary" and is thus the bloodline ancestor of the Salvatores, Katherine, and Caroline. 

4. Expect some fireworks between Tyler and Klaus when Tyler reveals that the sire bond is broken. "Tyler finally sticks up for himself," says Michael Trevino. "He's tired of getting bitched around and he acts on it. It gets messy."

5. Last season, the big sacrifice happened in Episode 21, and the season finale was about emotional fall-out. This year, the action continues straight on through to the end. "Our story path kept us going at high-octane all the way to the end," says Plec. "Definitely I would say the penultimate is very, very adrenaline-infused. There are some big mythology moves that happen and it's a pretty big deal, whereas the finale is definitely more emotional, but it is by no means the epilogue to the season. It's half closing the door to one season and half blowing the lid off the next."

6. Stefan and Damon will continue to grow closer to each other even as Elena makes her choice between them. "They will get stronger instead of weaker as brothers in spite of this looming conflict, this looming decision," Plec says. "There's a really nice scene in next week's episode that shows that they might just survive this no matter how it plays out, and that when all is said and done... bros before hos. The cliche is that the girl tears them apart, so how can we let the girl bring them even closer together?"

7. Having lost Alaric, Elena will have even more trouble choosing between the brothers. She feels she's choosing which one of them to let go, not which one of them to hold onto. "She has no one, and she's lost everyone that ever mattered to her -- almost everyone -- and how do you choose, in a moment like that?" Plec says. "For the last two episodes of the season, the fall out is going to be about her asking herself that question and really trying to understand how she could possibly let one of them go when she's already lost so much."

8. Season 4 will chronicle the second half of the kids' senior year, so in addition to our usual vampire adventures, they'll be making choices about college and moving on from Mystic Falls. Though Plec tells us they won't all go to "Mystic University," she reminds us that Jenna attended school nearby, so there is a college within a reasonable distance.

9. Even though Esther was manipulating Alaric on the other side every time he died, that doesn't mean that Jeremy is now safe from his ring. "There's always going to be a concern of consequences for cheating death one too many times," Plec says. "The ring's going to stay in play for a while, because ultimately it's that coin toss of 'I can't be in the fray, fighting the good fight, if I can be killed, so you roll the dice.'"

10. Our girl Katherine will not return to Mystic Falls until Klaus is dead. Period.

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TVD on MTV's 10 on Top

TVD Cast talk 'The Murder Of One' on MTV's 10 on Top. A few words from Candice, Ian, Paul, Matt, Nina and Kat which include hints of spoilers.

Julie Plec On The Big Spoiler Twist

At The Vampire Diaries‘ PaleyFest panel in Los Angeles last week, fans were treated to an early look at the just-aired episode of the heart-pounding series, and, as a result, were made aware of the shocking reveal that came at the end of the fantastic hour. [Don't read on if you haven't seen the episode! Seriously!]

The crowd was understandably floored to find out that Alaric (Matt Davis) is the person responsible for the string of murders in Mystic Falls, and equally stunned when it was revealed his killing streak is a result of his magic ring. (The ring begins to have bad consequences after being used to resurrect a person several times.) And boss Julie Plec told the crowd during an un-streamed portion of the panel, the bombshell is just the tip of the twist iceberg!

“It definitely has implications for Jeremy and for Elena,” she said. “[Elena realizes] not only that the ring may not be completely trusted to bring them back to life, but it might actually contribute in allowing a darker element of that person to take hold. Jeremy is now wildly unprotected. Elena is a character who is all about saving the ones she holds most dear, and now has to deal with her guardian in a difficult place and possibly her brother suffering the consequences of a ring that used to be so reliable. We’ll see how it all plays out.”

“The next few episodes are going to be shocking,” added Davis, who earlier that day told EW that he was excited that a payoff for Alaric’s storyline was on the way.

For Plec, among the most tragic aspects of the twist was the fact that the ring holds such a deeper meaning to Elena. “In the second episode, he tried to refuse that ring and Elena asked him to take it back and be part of her family and now there’s a consequence for that,” said Plec. “Alaric is a character who is very near and dear to all of us, and Matt Davis as an actor is very near and dear to us…Getting to explore a darker side is both exciting for a character and exciting for an actor. And we wanted to showcase that.”

So can Alaric be saved/stopped? “I hope so,” said Plec.

Matt Davis Interview

Where do you see things going with Meredith? Is Alaric ready to move on...with a suspected killer?I don't know! I absolutely love working with Torrey DeVitto. We have a great time. So whatever it is they have planned, I hope it continues to develop.

It seems like he's destined to forever have his heart broken.It seems so, right?

Is it just us, or do you think there's something between Alaric and Elena, too?You know, I keep pitching that to executive producer Julie Plec. I tell her, "If you want a ratings extravaganza, have an Alaric-Elena moment." It would be so hot!

Seriously, he's always there for her. He's kind of needy...He's living in her house. She's kind of needy. I am telling you, that would be ratings gold.

If Alaric had to pick one Salvatore brother to kill, who would it be? It would probably be Damon. It would be some sort of a lovers' quarrel. [Laughs]

Have you had a favorite kill so far?I haven't been doing much killing lately, so I would have to say that my favorites are whenever Damon kills me.

And that happens so often! How many times has Alaric died already?I don't know, five or six. It's like a regular thing.

How is it working on a show with such a high mortality rate?It's funny, there are elements of absurdity that you have to overlook as an actor. Just because so many people die or go missing...they develop major characters and then, done. It's like being on Survivor! 

PaleyFest Interviews

Here are a few of the interviews that took place before the panel...

Matt Davis - The Sexual Tension Between Elena and Alaric is Undeniable

Most Vampire Diaries fans want Elena (Nina Dobrev) to be with either Damon (Ian Somerhalder) or Stefan (Paul Wesley), but Matt Davis thinks there's room for a third possible pairing: Elena and Alaric.

"There's a lot of sexual tension between Alaric and Elena; you can't deny it," Davis told TVGuide.com. "I'm surprised he hasn't snuck into her bed already."