Paul Wesley Interview - Elena's Choice and More

Vampire Diaries 4x01 Official Synopsis

Ep 1 Growing Pains

ELENA’S WORST NIGHTMARE — Elena (Nina Dobrev) awakens on the morning after the accident to find the thing she dreaded most has come true – she died with vampire blood in her system and now must go through the terrible transition to become a vampire…or face certain death. Stefan (Paul Wesley) promises Elena that he and Bonnie (Kat Graham) will exhaust every possible way out of the situation, but Damon (Ian Somerhalder) is furious with his brother for letting Elena die in the first place. Bonnie pays a terrible price for her attempt to change Elena’s fate, while Damon takes out his frustration and rage on Matt (Zach Roerig). In a rare moment of empathy, Rebekah (guest star Claire Holt) is deeply touched by Stefan and Elena’s devotion to one another. Finally, Pastor Young (guest star Michael Reilly Burke) and the Town Council members begin rounding up the vampires and their supporters, leading to an unexpected tragedy. Steven R. McQueen, Candice Accola, Michael Trevino and Joseph Morgan also star. Chris Grismer directed the episode written by Caroline Dries (#401).

Nina Dobrev Helps Us Understand Why Elena Doesn't Want To Be A Vampire

Between the season-four promo and the web clip, we’re pretty sure most of you are with us on this fundamental question about The Vampire Diaries: Dear god, why doesn’t Elena want to become a vampire? Thankfully, VH1 Celebrity got the chance to talk to Nina Dobrev on the phone while she was in Toronto for the premiere of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and she gave us a list of all the drawbacks of being a vampire:

“For one you can’t have kids, you will never be able to experience something for the first and last time, and I think Elena really wants to be normal,” Dobrev told us. “There’s so much chaos in her life, there’s so much death, and so much sadness, especially when you become a vampire all your emotions are heightened, so if it’s raining you all of sudden start bawling because you’re so sad that the clouds are out and the sun’s not out. If someone makes a moderately funny joke you erupt into hysterical laughter, so it’s almost like going through puberty again and your emotions. And I don’t think anyone wants to go through that again. Once was enough.”

Hmm, we’d never thought of it that way. At the same time, the 23-year-old Degrassi alum has been going through the emotional turmoil of teenage life onscreen for quite some time now. Is she looking forward to graduating to adult roles sometime soon?

“I’m going to ride this train as long as I can!” she said. “The thing is, as soon as you play an older role, then nobody can see you young again, so it’s a defining moment. So I’m going to keep doing it as long I can, as long as people believe me at that age range, and then when I can’t pass off anymore… But yeah, I do look forward to it someday. I want to do an action movie.”

Nina said it’s too soon to tell whether she’ll get more action on TVD, but from what she can tell, “It’s going to be a very character-driven season. You’re really going to get to be in Elena’s head and really experience and witness everything. Kind of like we did in the beginning, but in even more detail, and then we’ll as close as anyone has to seeing what it’s like to become a vampire.”

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Spoilers From TV Guide & TV Line - 18th September 2012

TV Guide

Who will Elena lean on during her transition on The Vampire Diaries?

The better question might be, "What does she rely on?" Remember in Season 1 when both Elena and Stefan wrote in their journals? Expect a significant callback. If these pages could talk, we'd love to know what it would say when she writes, "Dear Diary, I am now a vampire."

TV Line

I have a good piece of advice: Watch Episode 7 live. And in the company of friends. And with lots of alcohol (or root beer if you’re under 21). And with copious snacks.

Season 4 Promo and Sneak Peeks

Promo
 


 Webclip 1


Webclip 2

4x01 'Growing Pains' Stills

Julie Plec And Nina Dobrev Talk Graduation

Vampire Diaries fans have already heard that season 4 may very well end with Elena (Nina Dobrev) graduating from high school. But here’s why: “Paul Wesley looked at me this year, and he’s like, ‘I don’t have to go back to high school, do I?’” exec producer Julie Plec tells EW with a laugh. “I said, ‘Yeah, you do. You’re in high school.’ He goes, ‘That’s ridiculous.’ I’m like, ‘You’re in high school. If you don’t go to high school, what’s the point?’ ‘I look so ridiculous. We all look so ridiculous. We’re 100 years old, we shouldn’t be in high school.’ I said, ‘Well, there’s one more year to go, so suck it up.’”

Of course, while Plec says she’s targeting an end of season ceremony, things could change. “But look, what I’ve been saying a lot about this season to the people at the network and in general is that the writers and I are really focusing on that time in your life as your adolescence is coming to an end, that milestone of graduation, and you are making decisions: Do I leave home for good? Do I stay? Can I part with this town that’s been so important to me? Do I part with these people who have been so important to me? Am I going out into the world and starting a life and growing up? Or am I gonna hide here where I’m comfortable even if it’s not the best place for me? There’s a lot of great questions that come along with graduation that our characters — both human and supernatural — are gonna be asking themselves about who they are, who they’re supposed to be, and what they’re supposed to do with their life moving forward.”

Dobrev, who sees Elena not only transitioning into a vampire this season but also into her womanhood, is definitely on board with the graduation plan. “Prom. Hello. Pretty dresses. Corsages,” she jokes. “But it is gonna be nice. Paul’s right. We’re all growing with the show and we’re becoming adults, and we can only play high school for so long and be believable and also challenged. I think it’s definitely time, and it’ll be a good button for the end of the season and for the next phase of The Vampire Diaries.”

P.S. Since she mentioned “pretty dresses,” we took the opportunity to ask where Elena scored that gorgeous ball gown on such short notice last season. “Trust me, I asked that exact same question,” Dobrev admits, laughing. “I’m pretty sure she was at school an hour before like, ‘We should go to the ball.’ And then she shows up in full hair and makeup and ball gown like it’s no big deal. I don’t know. Maybe her mom had it lying around? Maybe Bonnie has a hair and makeup spell, like a Cinderella story that happened off-camera that none of us saw?”

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Spoiler From TV Guide - 11th September 2012

I'm so excited that Daniel Gillies was included in the new Vampire Diaries cast gallery! What can you say about his role this season?

Elijah will definitely be back. In fact, Gillies just told us about a recent flashback scene he filmed. "It was the 11th century," Gillies says. "It was an episode that depicted a brand new menace on The Vampire Diaries and not just a menace to the beautiful boys and girls of Mystic Falls, but also to the Originals. A big threat."

Spoiler From TV Line - 11 September 2012

The first seed of Jer’s big Season 4 arc will be planted in Episode 2, airing Oct. 18. Meanwhile, that same episode may set a new Guinness record for featuring the highest concentration of bloody puke in a single hour-long episode of television.

Spoiler From TV Line - 6th September 2012

PREVIOUSLY ON... Where to start? Elena chose Stefan and then it was revealed that Damon met her first, Rebekah ran Matt and Elena off the road and into the river, Bonnie helped Klaus take possession of Tyler's body and Alaric died. Did we forget something? Oh yeah -- Elena became a vampire! 

COMING UP NEXT... With her grief magnified, Elena won’t handle her new vamp state very well, says executive producer Julie Plec. But she won't be questioning her decision to pick Stefan even as Damon's compulsion wears off. Still, the regained knowledge – his confession of love, that she met him before his brother – will “imbed itself in her brain a little bit.” Vamp/hybrid couple Caroline and Tyler will have to deal with Klaus' “mistaken identity hijinks” – don't fret, he won't be taking residence in his siree's body for long – and the arrival of Hayley (The Secret Circle's Phoebe Tonkin), a friend of Tyler's “who's been very important to him in the past.” Another fresh face coming to the show: Grace Phipps’ Mystic Falls returnee April, who shares a history with Jeremy and Elena and has no idea what has become of her hometown. “But of course, as most new, innocent, beautiful young women that enter our show do, she gets very caught up in it very quickly,” adds Plec. As if all of that weren’t enough, Bonnie will suffer some “witch consequences” from her decision to help Klaus, and a new, powerful vampire hunter with an agenda (played by Todd Williams) shows up in town. 

TVLINE BONUS SPOILER... Look for a pivotal-ish death during November sweeps, as well as the return of a familiar face. 

More On Grace Phipps' Character, April

"TVD" is getting some fresh blood in Season 4, which premieres Thursday, Oct. 11 at 8 p.m. ET on The CW. Grace Phipps is set to star as April, a former Mystic Falls resident who returns to town after her father is killed.

Executive producer Julie Plec tells us that Phipps' character brings a "new spirit, a new energy, and a youthful quality" to the show. "She is human; I'll tell you that. She's in high school, and she doesn't know the secrets of the town. She's, in a lot of ways -- and very deliberately so -- like Elena in Season 1. So she'll be a girl who reminds Elena a lot of herself, and Elena in her new phase in life will feel very fiercely protective of this girl. It'll be a fun relationship, a fun dynamic," Plec adds.

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Spoiler From EW - 7th September 2012

What to expect this season: The Salvatore Brothers (Somerhalder's Damon and Wesley's Stefan) will disagree over whether ultra sensitive new vampire Elena (Dobrev) could handle hurting a human, but come episode 2, they'll have an additional worry: the arrival of a vampire hunter (Todd Williams) with an enigmatic origin story that piques the interest of Klaus (Joseph Morgan) and figures into the larger mythology for season 4. After deciding to hang around Mystic Falls while he investigates the mysterious vampire hunter, Klaus will also commit himself to his crush on Caroline (Candice Accola) for the long haul and ponder fun ways to screw up her relationship with Tyler. One will involve guest star Phoebe Tonkin (The Secret Circle), who'll recur as a friend of Tyler's (Michael Trevino) named Hayley. 


Plec says: ''All we know about Hayley thus far is that she shows up in the third episode and it's clear that she and Tyler have a history that we weren't aware of, that Caroline isn't aware of, and that Klaus learns of very quickly. So in the spirit of (how can I drive a wedge between Tyler and Caroline?), Klaus gets to have a little bit of fun with the existence of this girl.'' 

The Vampire Diaries Season 4 Description From The CW

The CW has finally released a write-up detailing The Vampire Diaries Season 4 complete with some minor spoilers. The new season begins October 11.

Returning for its fourth season, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES is the story of two vampire brothers, obsessed with the same girl, in a small town where supernatural beings live in secret amongst its residents. In season one, Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon Salvatore (IanSomerhalder), returned to their hometown of Mystic Falls, Virginia, for very different reasons. Stefan was determined to get to know Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), who bears a striking resemblance to Katherine Pierce (also played by Dobrev), the beautiful but ruthless vampire the brothers knew and loved — in 1864. Damon, on the other hand, was intent on releasing Katherine from the tomb where he believed she was trapped by a witch’s spell all those years ago. The explosive season finale set a plan in motion that resulted in Katherine’s return.

In season two, Katherine’s appearance threw a wrench into the Stefan/Elena/Damon love triangle. The brothers later faced their greatest challenge yet — the arrivals of Elijah (guest star Daniel Gillies) and Klaus (Joseph Morgan), two of the powerful “Original” vampires. Klaus was seemingly focused on breaking the “Sun and Moon” curse by sacrificing Elena. Ultimately, Klaus’ sacrifice ritual proved deadly not for Elena but for her Aunt Jenna (Sara Canning), whose violent death devastated both her family and her boyfriend, Alaric Saltzman (Matt Davis), who had also become a trusted friend and guardian to Elena and her brother Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen).

Season three revealed the history of Klaus and The Original Family, as well as the surprising friendship Klaus and his sister Rebekah (guest star Claire Holt) shared with Stefan decades earlier. Klaus’ return led to Stefan’s descent back to his violent “Ripper” ways. Elena and Damon worked to bring Stefan back from the edge, even as they struggled with the guilt of their growing bond. Meanwhile, Klaus found himself irresistibly drawn to Caroline Forbes (Candice Accola), forcing her boyfriend, the werewolf Tyler Lockwood (Michael Trevino), to break his sire-bond to Klaus and claim Caroline as his own. A new threat to the Original siblings came from their own mother, Esther (guest star Alice Evans), who was determined to rid the world of the plague of vampires. Using witchcraft and the unwilling help of Bonnie Bennett (Kat Graham), Esther turned Alaric into a powerful vampire whose only mission was to hunt down and destroy other vampires – the ultimate vampire hunter. Esther also linked Elena’s life to Alaric’s, making it impossible to kill Alaric while Elena is alive. In the chilling season finale, Elena’s longtime friend Matt Donovan (Zach Roerig) tried to get Elena out of town to keep her safe, but Rebekah took matters into her own hands and caused Matt’s truck to plunge off a bridge, trapping Matt and Elena underwater. Despite Stefan’s attempts to save them both, he was only able to get Matt to the surface in time, and Elena drowned, causing Alaric’s death as well. Devastated by this unthinkable loss, Stefan, Damon and all their friends soon discover another horrible truth – thanks to the well-meaning efforts of Dr. Meredith Fell (guest star Torrey DeVitto), Elena died with vampire blood in her system.

Season Four begins with the knowledge that everything is in transition. Elena faces her worst nightmare when she awakens after the accident and finds she must now endure the terrifying transition to become a vampire – or face certain death. Stefan and Damon are torn even further apart over how to help Elena adjust to a life she never wanted, and everyone has to cope with the chaos Alaric created when he outed the vampires and their supporters to the Mystic Falls Council and local church leaders. Despite everything that has happened to them, as Elena and her friends enter into the final stretch of high school before graduation sends them off on different paths, they feel the bond to their home town of Mystic Falls take on a deeper meaning when a new mysterious villain is introduced who seems intent on destroying it.

Based on the series of books by L. J. Smith, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES is from Bonanza Productions Inc., Outerbanks Entertainment and Alloy Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios with executive producers Kevin Williamson (“Scream,” “Dawson’s Creek”), Julie Plec (“Kyle XY,” “Wasteland”), Leslie Morgenstein (“Gossip Girl,” “Private”) and Bob Levy (“Gossip Girl,” “Privileged”).

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Spoiler From Zap2it - 7th September 2012

Now that Elena has turned into a vampire, Klaus' motives this season are still a little unclear. We know he's not going to be pleased with his sister Rebekah for "killing" his only doppelganger blood source, and we know he's got designs on whisking Caroline into a more glamorous life. Aside from that, though, we have yet to learn what will keep Klaus in Mystic Falls after he gets his own body back at the end of the first episode.

Phoebe Tonkin Speaks About TVD and Hayley

Was there any hesitation for you in joining The Vampire Diaries after Secret Circle's cancellation?
As a person, I'm so attracted to the supernatural world, the unknown world. I find that so fascinating I got into acting to tell stories and be a kid again and use the part of your imagination you can't use as an adult. And I'm such a huge fan of Kevin Williamson, I would do anything for him. To be part of something he created, is so popular, is so well-written and has such a big fan base, there was no question to joining.

How excited was Claire when you told her?
I called Claire when she was on set and I had to do a disclaimer before I told her so she wouldn't squeal [laughs]. But we haven't done any scenes together yet. I think they're worried about us getting too excited and giggly on set. We're hoping to work together soon.

What can you tell me about your character, Hayley?
I like that she's a world traveler, a bit of a tomboy, pretty ballsy and provocative, but not in the way Faye was on Secret Circle. I mean, she went out to manipulate and see what should could gain from people. Hayley just doesn't have a filter. She didn't really have parental figures in her life, and I like that kind of a person. I like that she's tough and tries to keep up with the boys. That's what I responded to when Julie Plec,  first pitched the character to me.

And how has it been working with Candice Accola and Michael Trevino?
They're so sweet. The majority of my scenes so far have been with them. They're so professional and prepared and talented. I mean, it's been so lovely on set the past couple of weeks with the two of them. The dynamic between the two of them is amazing, so working off that is really great.

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Casting News - New Hybrids

Klaus will have some new hybrids when The Vampire Diaries returns!

Blake Hood and Alyssa Diaz have been tapped to play his minions, TVGuide.com has learned exclusively.

Hood (90210, The Young and the Restless) and Diaz (The Nine Lives of Chloe King, As the World Turns) will play Dean and Kimberly, respectively. Both hybrids are under Klaus' (Joseph Morgan) control, though Hood will appear in Episode 5, while Diaz will first pop up in Episode 6.

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Phoebe Tonkin Speaks About Her TVD Role And Hollywood

Congratulations on scoring your role on The Vampire Diaries! What can you tell us about it? 
I play Hayley, an old friend of Tylers, who is a werewolf. She has been travelling and has come to see her old friend. Which stirs up Tylers relationship with his girlfriend, Caroline.

full interview here

Season 4 Promo

Some points made by Zap2It to discuss...

Is there really any chance that Elena could not complete the transition? 
As executive producer Julie Plec told us last spring, the gang is joining forces to find a magic spell to prevent Elena from turning into a vampire. We can definitely confirm that she does turn into a vampire -- but with all of this talk of altering her transition, we can't help but wonder whether things will turn out a little differently for Elena than they did for the rest of her vampire friends.

Could Jeremy go off the rails? 
After losing his parents, his aunt, a couple of girlfriends... and presumably one golden retriever who is wandering around Denver, Jeremy seems to be very on edge about his sister's new situation and Bonnie's dedicated efforts to change it. 

Will Season 4 be Bonnie's time to shine? 
Over the course of the first three season's, Bonnie's character development and motivation has been explored less than those of her peers. It's about time she be at the center of a story, instead of a device to move it forward. The new trailer features Bonnie pretty prominently as she navigates a dangerous sounding spell. Is the Year of Bonnie upon us?

How far can Klaus go with Caroline before it's too far? 
Was that really Tyler that Caroline was about to have a very tree-slammy makeout session with? After another chat with Plec, we don't think that scene will go too far if it's Klaus in Tyler's body. But he sure did get an eyeful.  
Hello, hot cop guy. 
Who is this random gentleman, and where has he been all our lives? The Founder's Council has had a major regime change, and now our vampires have to deal with being hunted not only by outsiders, but by their own townspeople. It's hard to tell what's going on in that exploding, flipping van, but it looks like our girl Caroline might have found herself in yet another traumatic situation. This time, though, it appears she may have brought Rebecca with her.

Where does all of this leave Damon? 
Aside from some snarky comments, Damon remains a mystery after this trailer. We're curious to see how he picks up the pieces after losing his best friend and finding out that Elena chose Stefan. We're hoping to see him get seriously involved with the Founders' Council war and the new hunter in town. 

And most importantly, does Matt have health insurance yet? 
Ford always hooks Caroline up on this show... can "The Vampire Diaries" Season 4 be sponsored by the Kaiser Foundation? For Matt's sake?

Spoiler From Zap2It - 4th September 2012

Though we won't see the Mystic Falls gang celebrate Halloween this year, we'll definitely get into the spooky spirit of the holiday. Damon, Elena, and Bonnie will visit the nearby college where Bonnie's Grams used to teach -- and, yes, where Aunt Jenna was working on her degree. While on campus, they all get invited to a fraternity's annual "Murder House" party, where revelers dress up as their favorite murder victim or murderer. (The Ripper of Monterey, anyone?)

Steven R McQueen Interview - Season 4

In the season finale, it appears that Jeremy could still see dead people, will that come up in season four?

Yeah, I don't think that ability is going away.

How do you think he's going to react when he finds out about Elena?
Elena? Well, he found out at the end of the season, because he was able to see Alaric's ghost.

But he doesn't know that she's a vampire.

No, but at the end of the season he knows she's dead. I think with the vampire thing, I think that he'll be grateful that she's not completely gone, but he also contributed to the death of his sister, and caused, and helped plan it. I don't think he'll be feeling great about it, he's been kind of inclouding, I'd say for the last couple of seasons. Self destructing. And that's been because he's had something to lose. Now, I feel he's back in the quarter, and he'll start to explode a little more this season, and hopefully take charge. Fight back a little!

Get to use your crossbow again?

Family legacy's been hunting. We take certain promo pictures, and the crossbow is present. I don't know if those are the pictures that we'll end up using, but I'm hoping so."

Are you going to have any happiness this season at all? 

I'd like to think so. I hope so! We'll see.

Have a successful love-life?

Well, I don't know. I think he's been through so much loss that I don't know if that's even where his mind's at right now, but we'll see. I don't know that's up to our capable writers.

What would you like to see happen to him on the show?

Again, the family legacy's been hunting, so i'd love to see him pick up that crossbow more, and just fight back. He's always been the guy with the big heart that keeps swinging, and keeps getting knocked down.

Why is everyone obsessed with crossbows now?

I don't know, they're cool! They shoot stuff.

Have you had fun learning it?

I have, I have. I actually, way before the show, me and my buddies got a crossbow from some, like, sporting store. Just for fun, just to shoot at trees.

There's a new girl coming onto the show...

There are a couple new characters, and the first episode, second episode, they come in, and they come in strong.

Do you want to see Jeremy get back together with Bonnie?

I think they have unfinished business, and I think there's still something there.

How is Elena becoming a vampire going to change your relationship with her?

We'll see, who knows. I think it's just one of those things where you have to wait and see what happens.

Jeremy's probably the character that's grown up the most...

I went through puberty!

Congrats on that!

Thank you, feels good. I go to physicals now, and they make me cough twice.

He was kind of like really immature when you started, kind of, not as douchey as Tyler was, but still kind of douchey.

Ugh, I wouldn't classify him as douchey, I would say self-destructive. You know when you don't have any role models, and you don't know what you're doing, you tend to do the wrong thing.

Alaric's gone. Are we going to see him take on the man-of-the-house role?

I think so, I think he's been trying to assume that role. He's been too weak, and felt powerless at times to keep the people that he loves safe. It'll be interesting to see if he-- now that he has nothing left to lose, and he's kind of an animal backed into a corner-- to see how he's going to lash out.

You said that a couple new characters, probably girls, from the show are coming in that Jeremy might get with. How awkward are those scenes to shoot?

No, I mean… Everyone that I've shot with, we all end up being friends. They've all ended up being talented actress', and very professional, and it's fun at the end of the day.

Is it weird?

Here, I'll tell you this story, this is very embarrassing. I had a scene with Malese Jow, where, you know, we get hot-and-heavy. I had my shirt off, and I was kind of nervous about it, so I decided that I was going to do some sit-ups right before they yelled action. So, usually they say 'cameras rolling, sound is speeding.' So, right then, her head was at my feet, and my head was at her feet. I had just went to do a couple of sit-ups, and all of a sudden you just hear *fart noise*. And then they go action, and it's like this sweet, sincere moment between us. It's supposed to be very romantic, and I just… I blew it! So, that was the only awkward moment that I had, but besides that it's been fun!

Is it awkward to have to take your shirt off?

Um, I'm fine with it as long as I'm given some preparation and some morning events. Will Smith once said, 'If you're always prepared, you never have to be prepared.' So that's a philosophy that I try to have, but it's my birthday weekend! Throwing cash into the wind!

What else do you love about this character?

I love the fact that Jeremy's been through so much. You know, he has all this weight on his shoulders, which he could easily crumble and say, 'You know what? F*ck it. I'm not going to keep fighting for what I believe in and who I love.' but he does. He gets up and he keeps swinging, and every time he gets knocked down, he gets right back up again. He's a fighter, in my opinion. He might not be the strongest person on the show, but he's a fighter. 

Do you fight in real life?

I box, yeah. I kickbox. But I like to think that I'm a lover, not a fighter.

Do you find the fact that you're living outside of Hollywood brings on more of a family atmosphere to the set?

Yeah, we all had to move to a place we weren't familiar with. So, I think it caused us all to bond.

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