The Vampire Diaries - Video Interview with Zach Roerig

Zach Roerig - Prom, Graduation, What's Next For Matt This Season

 

Your character has had to deal with really tough scenes in Season 4. How did you prepare for Matt’s heartbreaking moments in “Stand by Me,” especially the one where he’s crying alone in his pickup truck? A lot of viewers were raving about your performance on Twitter that night!

(Laughs) I should probably check my Twitter more often. To be honest, I didn’t watch the episode live that night. I actually recently just watched it because my sister persuaded me to. As for those scenes, they required a couple days of preparation. There’s all sorts of processes that actors use but, for me, any time my character breaks down, a lot of it is pulled from my true emotions for that person. I do really love Steven McQueen. I do really love all my co-stars like brothers and sisters. 

Speaking of Steven, did the cast and crew do anything special his departure?

No, because on this show you’re never really gone.

We’re very excited about TVD prom! Who is Matt going with? And is going to have a better time than he did at the Original ball?

Matt’s definitely going to have a much better time than he did at the Original ball. He’s going with a couple of really good friends [Editor's note: Caroline and Bonnie.] I can’t say too much, but it was exciting putting on a tux and seeing my cast mates in their beautiful dresses. Plus, Matt does have fun and even a hand in saving the day. 

At the end of the day, Matt’s usually the hero.

(Laughs) The human hero who’s all beat up and trying to put himself back together.

Aww! Well he’s been amazing to watch this season.

Yea, Matt’s definitely taken on more of a role. He kind of has to. Now that he’s in the circle of trust he needs to get involved or either remove himself completely.

Last time we interviewed you, Matt was heading to the Originals ball and you raved about the dance lessons you and the cast received. What was the best part about filming the senior prom scenes?

I didn’t take any special lessons at all this time. However, the coolest thing about filming the prom scene was that our amazing set department built a barn and the event was held there. And for me, being a Midwestern kid from Ohio, that hit pretty close to home so it was fun filming those scenes.

What is your fondest moment from your own high school prom?

TVD prom is kind of a mirror image of my own prom experience. I went to prom with a couple of good friends instead of a date actually. It was a crazy, crazy, crazy young night many moons ago.

Tyler gave Matt a mansion. Does this mean there’s a housewarming party in Matt’s future?

You know, I think there is. I’m not sure when it’s going to happen but I think there’s a party in the works.

How would you personally decorate Matt’s new digs?

I’d decorate the place with a bunch of traditional Irish decorations and colors and Gaelic symbols. However, the first order is to have a kegger in Tyler’s honor. I’m pretty sure Tyler sent Matt a letter asking him to do that. (Laughs)

Matt and Rebekah will be hanging out at prom and in TVD episode 4.21. In your opinion, should he forgive her for the pain she’s caused him and everyone he loves?

I think that at some point Matt will understand why Rebekah caused the Wickery Bridge accident and acts the way she does. He has a couple of honest moments with her at prom. There’s still something there and we’ll see how that plays out. I don’t think he’ll ever forget what she did but do I think he’ll forgive her? Yea, I do actually. At this point, everyone’s done a bunch of messed up things so everyone’s conscience is clouded. [Moreover,] everyone has a crazy rationale behind what that they did so a beautiful blonde girl could probably easily persuade Matt.

Humanity-free Elena is wreaking havoc in Mystic Falls. Will Matt have a hand in helping reel her back in from the darkness?

Yes, Matt will always have a hand in bringing Elena back to her humanity because, in a way, that is what Matt is. He is Elena’s humanity.

Graduation is coming up. Will Matt have anyone cheering him on during his stage walk?

No, absolutely not. Matt is pretty much an orphan.

Oh gosh. That’s so sad!

(Laughs) It is really sad. However, he’s not going to be alone. He’s going in support of all his friends and they, in a sense, have become his family. Aside from Caroline Forbes who has her mom, no one has any relatives left and we are essentially each other’s family.

Where do you hope your character ends up post graduation?

Well, as always, alive. And a human still. I like Matt being human. I’d also like to see him get freaking promoted at the Mystic Grill. I mean, for how long does he have to be a waiter and bartender? He should at least become a manager at some point.

Interestingly enough, we did a post about five villains we’d love to see in Mystic Falls in Season 5, and Matt as the new Mystic Grill manager was one of them. Of course in our minds, he’d take on more of a Corleone attitude and basically run the town. 

I’m totally into that idea! I think that slowly might start to happen if Matt sticks around because he and Damon and everyone are getting chummier. I wouldn’t be too surprised if Damon turned out to be the major stockholder of Mystic Falls.

Well, Damon does have the convertible to go along with that image! And, last question. What do you have planned for the summer in terms of trips or projects?

I don’t have any concrete plans of now. Currently, I’m in the process of trying to structure out my hiatus, still trying to figure it out. There are many things in the works so hopefully it will be exciting.

Source

Zach Roerig on Matt, Rebekah and Season 4

Matt Donovan may be the most unlucky kid in a town full of unlucky kids, but all these years later, he's still our favorite -- and this year, things might be looking up for the quarterback-slash-busboy. That is, as long as he can get over the overwhelming feelings of guilt he's experiencing after Elena sacrificed her own life to save his.

In last week's season premiere, Matt practically begged Stefan to let him die, and we can't really blame him. For a kid who's just trying to make enough money to keep the lights on in his house, his first love's transition into a vampire is beyond the just-deal-with-it realm. Now, with the added burden of Elena's "death" weighing on him, he's feeling particularly despondent and useless.

Hopefully, though, the combination of last week's tough-love pep talk from Stefan and a touching moment of unexpected heroism in tonight's episode, "Memorial," will get Matt back on his feet. "Memorial" will allow Matt, and the rest of the gang, a moment to grieve what they've lost, and it's well-earned after a few hellish semesters. In the meantime, though, Matt probably owes Stefan a thank-you.

"That's an interesting question, how much does Matt owe Stefan," Zach says. "I don't know if it's a question of whether he owes Stefan, or if he just owes Elena. I think that's going to be Matt's biggest struggle, starting off the season. Just the guilt, and why him, why would Stefan -- even if Elena did want it -- ever listen to [her]."

Damon definitely held it against Matt in the season premiere, but he eases up on the QB a bit by episode two. That said, they're not about to embark on an epic bromance any time soon. "Damon and Matt have never really seen eye-to-eye," Zach says. "This just puts the cherry on it, although I think they'd make a good little team."

Don't hold your breath for that one, kids.

Ever since breaking up with Caroline (apparently, for Matt, fangs are a turn-off) he's had a heck of a dry spell in the romance department... but it's hard to ignore the undeniable sparks that flew between him and Rebekah last season. You know, before she ran him off a bridge, destroyed his truck, and left him and one of his best friends to drown. Oops?

"Rebekah and Matt have been a little bit ... hot and cold," Zach says. "I think you can expect to see Rebekah trying to kind of clean things up with Matt and get him to forgive her. 'I got upset. My bad, I tried to kill you. But you survived! So now we can flirt again!' I feel like it's going to continue to be the same dance, though, because at the end of the day, in some weird way, Matt can wrap his head around why Rebekah would do that."

While we were on set, we watched Zach filming some sweet scenes with Grace Phipps, who plays Mystic Falls newbie April Young. While April may have eyes for Matt, though, Zach tells us that Matt views her more as a little sister than a potential love interest. (We'll see about that!)

Of course, we had to ask Zach how things are going on set without his buddy Matt Davis around -- since we've certainly been missing Alaric's incomparable presence on screen. "I'm going to cry right now," he jokes. "I don't really care... No, I miss him a lot. I miss you, buddy! Of course we miss him, but I'm also super proud of him. He's kicking butt and taking names up there. You know we talk all the time. He's doing exactly what he's supposed to be doing."

source

Zach Roerig Speaks About Season 4

Julie Plec Interview With WetPaint - Season 4

What will we see from Bonnie (Kat Graham)?

Bonnie is definitely in a position where her actions in the finale and the actions that she will have to take in the premiere will put her in a very dark place that she will be standing on the precipice of whether to let herself fall into it or step back from the ledge. And when she makes that decision in the first episode, then we’ll see what she's going through the rest of the season.

Is there an overreaching arc of evil this season?
There is an overreaching arc of evil, and this year, we're doing something a little different in that we don't know or say who that is right away. The mystery is who is this evil because clearly it's something or somebody, and we don't know who it is. And so that's a question we'll be asking a lot in the first few episodes as we build up to our first kind of reveal of the season's bad guy.

Do you want to play with Katherine (Nina Dobrev) and Elena (Nina Dobrev) as vampires?
I can't wait for the day when Katherine feels like she has to come back to town and comes face‑to‑face with vampire Elena. I can't say. I don't know when that will be. If it will be early or later, but it's going to be great when it does happen.

And our resident human, Matt (Zach Roerig)?
Matt has a lot to earn in his life and his mind. He got to live and Elena died. Why? What makes him so worth it? Now, we, as an audience, know why we love our Matt Donovan, but he needs to prove that to himself what makes him so worthy in this group of extraordinary people. How he can be extraordinary in his own right, even though he, himself, is just ordinary.

What happens with Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen)?
Jeremy is now the man of the house, for reals, and yet Elena as the fiercest protector of them all is not going to be so quick as to just hand over the reins of authority or big sisterhood. So he's going to be trying to find his way and his place. The thing that we shouldn't forget is that he's got this legacy in his family of vampire hunters, and we have a new vampire hunter coming to town. So, yes. I'm sure there will be some interplay that happens between the new hunter and our Gilbert family legacy.

Will Meredith (Torrey DeVitto) struggle with the decision she made?
Meredith has a big choice to make. She just found herself kind of plopped right in the center of this whole supernatural universe. Does she want to stay in it, or does she want to get out? Does she want to be Damon's new drinking buddy, or does she want to keep her distance? What is her future? So we'll see her asking herself that question too early on.

Full TVD Panel From Comic Con

Matt Davis & Zach Roerig Interviews From TVD Chicago

Matt Davis Interview...

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

Zach Roerig Interview...

 

source

Julie Plec Talks Final Episodes with Candice, Michael and Zach

Answers to questions - Julie Candice Michael Zach

Will the Stefan-Elena-Damon love triangle be getting more intense for the rest of the season?

Yeah, for sure.  Stefan’s (Paul Wesley) whole struggle this year was him hanging on by such a very, very, very tenuous thread for the first half of the season, and then he lost his mind for a nice chunk in the middle, so he’s been terrified of opening himself back up and letting those feelings in.  It’s been a slow permeation of his emotional life, over the latter section of the season.  Seeing Elena (Nina Dobrev) at her most vulnerable, and needing to give her the support that she’s been trying to give him all season, he’s finally saying, “It is okay to feel.  I heard you all those times, when you told me that.  It’s okay to feel and it’s okay to have hope.  I heard you.  And now, let me give that back to you.”  All of this is just illuminating for this girl, at this point in her life, with these two men who are so important to her.  She has no one.  She’s lost almost everyone that ever mattered to her.  How do you choose, in a moment like that?  The last two episodes of the season are really going to be about her really asking herself that question and trying to understand how she could possibly let one of them go, when she’s already lost so much.

With the new information that has been revealed about what’s gone on with Alaric (Matthew Davis) and his ring, what does that mean for Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen)?

It definitely means that the stakes of death and resuscitation are possibly not as intense for Jeremy as they were Alaric because Alaric had something happening on the other side.  But, there’s still always going to be a concern of consequences for cheating death, one too many times.  It just might not come in the form of a Jekyll and Hyde alter-ego.

So, the ring will still be in play next season, then?

Yeah, the ring is going to stay in play for a while.  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.

Will there be some deaths before the end of the season?

There are going to be a lot of people where, at one point or another, you’re not going to be sure if they’re gonna make it to Season 4.

When does a character become so essential to the show that they’re unkillable?

No one, ever, is unkillable.

When you’re #1, 2 or 3 on the callsheet, you’re okay.  I’m just saying!

Would I be so quick to write anybody’s death sentence?  No.  But, you have to have the risk that somebody can never be seen again, otherwise the death doesn’t matter.  Do we like telling people goodbye forever?  No.  As you’ve seen, we’ve emotionally found a lot of different ways in our narrative to bring people back that we love, for better or for worse.  For better, for us.  But, this year is not without its emotional casualties.  That’s the best way to say it.

So, if no one is unkillable, does that also include Elena?

Yeah, for sure!  She’s got a Katherine and god knows how many dopplegangers out there.  I’m dying to tell the Elena with angel wings story for Season 17.  I can’t wait for that!  We’ll see where that goes.

Will Katherine come back this season?

You will not see hide nor hair of Katherine until Klaus (Joseph Morgan) is gone for good.  His survival ties into her appearance, or lack thereof.

Could you really kill Joseph Morgan off?

It is logistically possible, yes.  It would be very traumatic, but it is possible.

How much are you thinking about what these kids’ life plans are, once they’re finished with high school?  Is there a Mystic U., around the corner?

We’re still waiting for the official word on Season 4, but we’re feeling as confident as one can feel.  We’ve already started talking about Season 4, which will take us through the rest of their final year in high school.  As they’re all going through some pretty extraordinary changes in their own emotional lives, personal lives, romantic lives and supernatural lives, they’re making decisions about their future and what that will bring, and all those great things leading up to graduation and the choice of whether they will stay or go.  And no, there will not be a Mystic U, although that would make a great crew hoodie for Christmas.  But, Grams taught at a nearby university, and Jenna (Sara Canning) was getting her Master’s degree, so there’s something out there that we’ll be introducing and seeing in Season 4.

Will there be more of the Caroline-Tyler-Klaus triangle, before the season is over?

Big time!

What we’ve seen with Tyler is that he’s biting his tongue, especially with this sire bond that he has broken from Klaus.  But, enough is enough.  In the last two episodes, you might see him actually take some action against Klaus and not follow his orders, when it comes to Caroline.

I just love getting asked about Caroline and Klaus because, even though Caroline has made so many mistakes and put her foot in her mouth and fallen for the bad guy, this is the first time where she’s staying true to her feelings and not getting caught up in the guy with the accent.  She loves her high school boyfriend.  But, in high school, when someone starts putting thoughts into your head about places to travel, semesters abroad, and all these experiences you’re going to have as you grow up and grow older, it’s hard not to think about them.  The only way in which she’s wooed, in any way, by Klaus is the idea that there’s another world out there.  But right now, in the present, she’s fighting like hell to just have a normal relationship with her boyfriend in high school.  That’s all she wants.

What’s to come with Rebecca (Claire Holt) and Matt (Zach Roerig)?

I’m content being single, at this point.  I’m happy being everyone’s ex-boyfriend.

Julie, when you’re writing these big, epic moments, is it harder to write in the smaller, quieter ones?

Honestly, yeah, it’s totally hard.  It’s what makes our job, week-to-week, so hard.  Not to be like, “Oh, feel bad for us!,” but what makes our job so complicated is that we obviously have supernatural stakes, we’ve got the death toll list reaching 100, we’ve got danger in every act break and villains and people battling for life, and to rescue the love of their life, and in the midst of all that, we’re still intent on telling a very human story about very human people who live in a small town and go to a small high school, and who fall in and out of love, and deal with issues with their parents and friends, and questions of loyalty, friendship and family.  The day that we lose sight of that is the day that we’ll have to take a step back and fix ourselves because that means that the balance has shifted too far to one side and we’re not doing what we’ve been meaning to do, all along.

Now that Jeremy is back, will he be stepping things up and become more of an adult?

Should Jeremy be so lucky to survive Season 3 and be in Season 4, then yeah.  It’s a big burden on him.  He is the man of the house, proverbially.  He and his sister are all that they have, so there’s a lot that he’s going to have to do to grow and keep himself together and be a champion for Elena, as she is always trying to be a champion for him.

What made you decide to have a flashback in the finale?

The flashback in the finale is a small little runner that goes through the entire episode, as Elena is looking back on a part of her life when things were just more simple, at least from a supernatural level.  That’s going to lead a lot of people to think, “Oh, they’re going to reveal something huge about the way that accident went down,” but I will still say what I said three years ago, which is, “That was an accident, period, end of story.”  There was no supernatural influence.  This episode isn’t about peeling back a layer of the mythology onion.  We actually will get a little flash of something else that happened during that time, that we never even really considered, and it’s more of an emotional thing than it is a suspense thing.

How will Elena’s choice affect what will happen in Season 4?

It will affect everything, and yet I can’t expand on that more until after the finale airs.

Damon did kill Jeremy, so won’t Jeremy have some issues with him ever accepting his sister with Damon?

If Jeremy had his way, the outcome would be, “I’d choose neither of you fuckers,” excuse my language.  Jeremy, obviously, is very protective of his sister and would probably choose team Matt, if given the choice .

Where is the relationship between Elena and Matt at?

Matt is one of the vestigial representatives of this life that was clean and simple for her.  Their friendship dates back to when they were in the sandbox together.  We get a nice little flash of what it was like when they were dating, but they were, themselves, a troubled relationship.  Even though she’s remembering a simpler time, her problems were actually just as complicated.  Should Matt be so lucky to survive Season 3 – which, who knows? – I think certainly, should Rebecca be so lucky to survive Season 3, there’s a little crush brewing there, on her side.  Maybe there’s some story there to tell.  Who knows?

What do you guys do, as actors, to attempt to prevent your character from being killed off?

Show up on time.  Time is money.

I’m a huge fan of television, myself and shows like Dexter, for instance, take those risks.  We’re now in the third season.  Whoever is not able to make it into the fourth season, it’s enough time where you’ve really gotten to be a part of something that, if you know it’s for the greater good, it’s okay.  As a fan of television, as much as it would suck – pun intended – I get it.

It’s also hard to have a good time when you’re stressing, all the time, about what could possibly happen instead of enjoying the present.  We have a blast!  It’s an amazing job.

Where are things at for Klaus?

He started this season, once he realized that the Original witch was screwing with him from the other side, he decided to pull his family together.  Prior to that, he was going to build an army of hybrids.  He has big plans for himself.  Now that he realizes his mother will not stop coming after him, in some form or another, whether it’s her own self or she’s manipulating witches, this is a second call to arms for Klaus, who may have gotten a bit distracted by pretty blondes and paintings and horses.  This is the reminder that he means business and he’s not going to let his guard down again.  It’s a nice reboot of the villain.

What is Klaus’ ultimate goal?

I have my theory on that, which is that he’s someone who wants purpose, and with purpose comes intent to do something for the love of someone and to not be alone.  Building the army is to protect himself and those that he cares about.  The problem is that his behavior tends to reject more than it magnetizes.  When all is said and done, with all the bodies strewn across the battlefield, I think Klaus would just like a nice, pretty Caroline Forbes kind of girl to carry on through eternity with, knowing that they’ll be forever safe and untouched, no matter what strength the villain that comes at them.  But, he’s a work in progress, that Klaus.  He’s a messed up dude, for sure.

Can Klaus and Stefan ever actually be friends again?

If Klaus is lucky enough to survive Season 3, I think there is an opportunity there, in the future, for those two to find their way back to each other because they did have a nice chemistry.  At this point, Stefan has just rejected everything about his past self.  The healthier he gets, as he moves forward, the more he’ll be able to let that go and open himself up to the grays of vampire life.

Will viewers get to see Elijah again this season?

Maybe.

Will Caroline continue to try to push Elena and Stefan back together?

Caroline is such a Stelena worshipper.  Also, Damon and Caroline don’t have the cleanest past of the bunch either.  She just recognizes that Stefan is someone good for Elena, and she is rooting for her to open her eyes and give him a chance.  I think Caroline, deep down, feels like, “He is the best for you.  He is your one epic, true love.  I’m not going to let you throw him away, just because you’re getting distracted by shiny Damon things.”  But, I’ve already given a Delena shout out on Twitter, so I feel like I’m covered from both ends.

Will viewers find out which bloodlines come from each Original, before the end of the season?

Yes.

Is the sire bond between Tyler and Klaus really broken?

After this next episode, it gets messy.

As far as the love triangle goes, Tyler finally sticks up for himself.  He’s tired of just getting bitched around and he acts on it, and it gets messy.

Is Dr. Fell (Torrey DeVitto) going to stay on the show?

If Dr. Fell is lucky enough to survive Season 3, I think that every town needs a nice, pretty doctor.  And, Damon might need a new drinking buddy.  We’ve already established her as a day-drinker, so maybe there will be a nice friendship that could happen there.  As a caretaker and as a compassionate human being, I do think that she and Elena will probably have a bond that could develop into a nice friendship, as well.

What can you say about Stefan and Damon’s relationship with each other, moving toward the end of the season?

One of the things we set out to do, during this whole year, as Damon found himself more and more deeply in love with his brother’s girl, and all the things that came along with that, was to make sure that, when the brothers found their way back to each other, which happened about two-thirds of the way through the season, they would get stronger instead of weaker, as brothers, in spire of this looming conflict and decision.  There’s a really nice scene that shows us that they might just survive this, no matter how it plays out.  When all is said and done, bros before hoes.  Not to entirely diminish the entire season.  But, the cliche is that the girl tears them apart, so how can we let the girl bring them even closer together?  That makes her decision even more difficult.

Do you see that there could ever be a path where Klaus wasn’t the villain?

When they’re acting against the best interest of our heroes, we like our villains to have a deep emotional core that lets us understand them a little bit, and understand their want and their why.  When our villains have to work with our heroes for a shared agenda, we love our villains to be especially naughty and violent and bad because we love them in spite of their behavior.  Klaus will never be a hero.  That’s not to say that he will not do heroic things, in his journey.  Next week, he has a fairly heroic moment that’s interesting, and then he does something so horrible that you’re like, “Man, what is wrong with you!”  It’s just in the same way that Damon will never be a true good guy, and Stefan will never be a true hero, all the time.  Life is more complicated than that.

Rebekah has been used by just about everybody.  If she survives the season, will she get an ally that really is loyal to her?

You should ask that question the day after the season finale.

Will this be an intense finale, or more of an emotional fall-out finale?

Our story path kept us going at high-octane, all the way to the end.  The penultimate episode is very, very adrenaline-infused.  There are some big mythology moves that happen, and it’s a pretty big deal.  The finale is definitely more emotional, but it is, by no means, the epilogue to the season.  If anything, it’s half closing the door to one year, and then blowing the freaking lid of the door to the next.

Do you think the season finale will leave fans satisfied or wanting more?

Both, and it depends on which fan.

Do you have an end-plan for how you want to end the show, whenever that time comes?

Yeah, Kevin Williamson and I came up with our end-plan, sitting in the mall lobby of the W Midtown in Atlanta on a Sunday, early in Season 2.  I think we were trying to write Episode 7, and we were tired and stressed, and we talked about the last character moments of the show.  We both started to cry, in the middle of the mall, and just felt like that was right.  So, assuming that he and I are lucky enough to survive into Season 20, then we know how we want it to end.

Source

Zach Roerig Talks Mortality, Being a Team Player, and Matt's Current Living Situation

It can't be easy playing a good guy on a show full of badasses, but for three seasons now, Zach Roerig's been holding things down as Matt Donovan, Mystic Falls' most decent and emotionally conflicted human being. A joke I fall back on in my recaps is that Matt is like the human version of comfort food: He's just a solid guy who tends to be there in each character's time of need. And, you know, he occasionally looks like creamy, golden mashed potatoes. (Quick question: Is this racist?) Anyway, I kid because I love: Matt's actually a crucial element in Mystic Falls, and this week Roerig nicely took a few minutes to provide some insight on the subject.

Considering this show's mortality rate so far, is any part of you surprised that Matt hasn't been killed off yet?

Yeah, I mean, that that was definitely a fear for a while. Am I gonna get killed off? But then I just sort of started seeing the importance of my character and being okay with that and humbling myself, because I think Matt is kind of like a big piece of humble pie for Mystic Falls. He just kind of brings a realness, you know, in the viewer's eyes. Like you're watching all these crazy things going on that you know in your mind are not real and can't be possible, then you see a real guy with real problems navigating his way through all of this and doing it with just the purest intentions and best heart.

He's like a grounding influence.

Yeah, definitely, I feel like Matt's definitely a grounding influence on the show.

Matt's kind of a quintessential good guy, an All-American teenager, but as an actor do you ever wish that you could be a little more evil or over the top like your co-stars?

Yeah, I mean definitely it might be fun to explore darker areas, but I'm not terribly envious of the other storylines, like "Oh, I wish I could do that, I wish I could do that," because I'm content with what I'm doing and I'd be very unhappy to think like that. So I've really just kind of humbled myself with who Matt is, why he's important on the show. And also in the past in my career I've played a lot of jerks. And Matt's the only guy I've ever played who has 100 percent through and through been a good guy.

So it's actually sort of nice getting to play a good guy?

Yeah it has been nice. I think at this point though it would be nice to kind of play Matt being fed up with all the crap that's happened to him and his friends and everything that's all kind of generated from all the vampires being in this town.

It seems like this season Matt's definitely starting to become fed up with what's going on. Is that how you've been approaching the character lately?

Yeah, I've been using this analogy: Matt's a football player. He was the team quarterback and he's now becoming a part of a different, very unique team. Like, you always see the Salvatore brothers teaming with either Caroline or Bonnie or Alaric— Everyone's got a purpose. And now Matt's kind of found himself as a member of that team, and while Matt might be daring and a bit courageous, I don't think he's reckless. I think he learned a valuable lesson from his little swimming pool incident. He's definitely a mortal. And so I think Matt's just going to have to figure out how to be the best asset on his team.

He hasn't typically had the same amount of screen time as some of the other characters, but a lot of his scenes this season have been really emotional. Is that something that kind of comes easy for you? Can you just turn it on?

I've worked with girls who can literally just look away from you and then turn back around crying, and I was like, "Holy..." How do they do it? I mean it's not like that for me, but you know, working on a television show in its third season, whether I'm working all the time on screen with these actors or not, we've all become very rooted here in Atlanta together and we're all pretty close at the end of the day. So when you're that connected with a person in a scene and staying in the moment, I think it just makes it much easier to get to those emotional levels.

Before I ever watched The Vampire Diaries, I knew you from Friday Night Lights, where you played Tyra's pill-poppin' cowboy boyfriend. That show was known for its more handheld, organic style whereas TVD is more locked-down and storyboarded. Do you have to adjust your performance based on how something is filmed, or do you just do your thing and not worry about the cameras?

Well sometimes you really do, especially on our show because we are kind of a locked-in show and we do a lot of close-ups, a lot of tight shots, so it kind of does in some ways limit your movements, stuff like that. Whereas Friday Night Lights was so completely opposite. That show threw me for a loop when I first started because I had never worked like that. You know, there was no blocking, there was no dress rehearsal, it was just like, "Go! We'll film it!" You know? With improvising, just the whole bit. I at that point had just come off of As the World Turns and a few other jobs, but that was definitely a much different working environment. Then I came to love it, it was a good way to spend 12-14 hours.

And I've heard Friday Night Lights filmed pretty fast. Do you ever miss that speed?

Yeah, I definitely miss the speed of it in the sense— It seemed like everyone was always having a good time. And everyone has a good time on our show and we love our jobs, but sometimes those long days and grueling schedules can kind of kill people's morale, so I would say Friday Night Lights' schedule had a much better effect on the crew's morale.

I know future storylines are pretty much still being worked on or they're under wraps, but are you able to tell me anything about how Matt will factor in as the season goes on?

I can definitely say that fans can expect to see Matt and Elena kind of rediscovering a new friendship, sort of developing it within their old one. How close that friendship goes I'm not completely sure yet. I think you can definitely look to see Matt playing a role in everything, just being a team player.

You can be honest. Is Matt homeless? Does he eat out of dumpsters?

[Laughing] I think Matt probably divides his time staying at home and in the Mystic Grill stock room.

Does he sleep there?

I think he does some nights, yes definitely. You know, those nights where he's working late and his truck doesn't start, where else is he gonna go?

Zach Roerig Interview - Matt Is A Piece Of Humble Pie For Mystic Falls

In Thursday's episode, "Dangerous Liaisons," the Originals hold a ball in their mansion. How does Matt get in on the action?

Klaus’ vampire sister Rebekah asks him to accompany her to the dance and he does, mostly out of fear. I’m sure he’s attracted to her in some ways but I’m pretty sure he’s intimidated.

Were there any surprising things that you learned while filming the episode?

We’re all pretty good dancers, I realized. We all took ballroom dancing classes before and we all looked pretty good doing it.

As of late, there have been several touching moments between Matt and Caroline and Matt and Elena. Will Matt continue to have that role?

I think you can always have those moments sprinkled throughout the show. When you look for a purpose in every character, I think that’s definitely one of Matt’s sole purposes in Mystic Falls right now, being there for his friends. If you look at the bridge scene with Elena, moving forward with her in a new friendship based off their old friendship. Being there for Caroline on her birthday at the tomb, that’s definitely what Matt’s got going for him, since he has no family left.

What are Matt’s motives for sticking around?

At this point, Matt really has nothing to lose. Yea, he can leave town, he can go somewhere else, but Mystic Falls is the only home he’s ever known. Matt’s the only person left in town who is pure in every sense of the word. I think he wants to make sure Mystic Falls doesn’t self-destruct.

Earlier this season, Matt risked his life to see his sister Vicki again. What’s the likelihood of a similar situation like that popping up?

I don’t see Matt killing himself any time soon. I think he learned his lesson from that one. I see Matt acting daring or rash; he doesn’t have a superpower or anything to act on but he still is that hero at heart. He just doesn’t have the ammunition the other guys [have]. I think he would still put his life in danger for those he loves.

Will he get more power in coming weeks?

No, I don’t think so. I’m not searching for that and I don’t think the writers are either. Matt is a nice piece of humble pie for Mystic Falls and that’s the important reason for him staying behind. I don’t think he can leave Elena for too long. She, in some aspects, really does need Matt in her life.

Will there come a point when Matt says “I deserve better”?

I definitely think Matt deserves more and deserves better, but that will all come in time. Everyone will get something better out of their lives in Mystic Falls.

Can you describe a scene that you recently shot that stands out?

I had a pretty interesting scene coming up in a closet with Matt and Elena, that's all I'll say. Whether it's in the past, present, future .. I'm not sure, that's all you get.

Who haven't you had a chance to work with extensively in a scene?

I really don't get to work with Ian Somerhalder that often. It'd be fun to work with Ian and actually have dialogue. If he knew Damon wasn't going to kill him, maybe speak his mind a little bit.