This Week's Cover: 'The Vampire Diaries' stars talk about the red-hot Damon-Elena-Stefan triangle
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Somehow, for a series packed with vampires, werewolves, witches, hybrids (and yes, even the occasional ghost), it’s a love triangle between two undead brothers, Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan (Paul Wesley), and one very mortal girl, Elena (Nina Dobrev), that gets The Vampire Diaries fans the most riled up. (And judging from the chemistry in our cover photos, it’s not hard to see why. Check out collectors’ covers No. 2 and 3 after the jump.)
When executive producers Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec decided that they were finally ready for bad-boy Damon to share a legitimate kiss with Elena — after more than two years of build up — they knew it would have to satisfy two avid fanbases: those who wanted to see Elena get with Damon, and those who were still holding out hope for her to work things out with soul mate, Stefan.
“It’s one of those things that you want to be able to defend,” Williamson explains to EW. “But even more importantly, you’d rather not defend it. You want it to feel real and right and natural by all the audience.” Satisfying the “shippers” (a term used to identify fans who root for fictional characters to have relationships), is a challenge both Williamson and Plec have faced each time they’ve tried to advance the triangle. Asks Plec: “How can we service this moment between our characters that we really want, a Damon and Elena kiss, without getting the Stefan/Elena side of the fandom to give up hope and give up on us? And vice versa, when we want Stefan and Elena to have a moment together, how can we do that and not have our Delena fans outraged?”
This week’s EW cover story also features interviews with Vampire‘s stars — Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder, and Paul Wesley — who talk about keeping the love triangle red-hot, where they fall in the Stelena-Delena shipper wars, and all rumors swirling around their real-life relationships. Says Dobrev: “The rumor mills were ‘Is Nina with Ian or is Nina with Paul?’ There was a lot of speculation.” Notes Somerhalder coyly, “Nothing has been confirmed yet.”
Entertainment Weekly photoshoot:
EW to hit newstands on Friday!
Behind The Scenes Of The Photoshoot: GOOD LORD!!!!
Bonus pictures:
Prepare Yourself for Dangerous Liaisons:
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Official synopsis: SOME ENCHANTED EVENING — Elena is surprised to receive an invitation to a formal ball, and when Damon and Stefan hear the party is being hosted at Klaus’s newly renovated mansion, they both insist on attending the event with her. Caroline and Matt also receive invitations to the ball from unexpected admirers. At the elegant party, Elena learns of a horrifying plan that could lead to numerous deaths and she must decide who she can trust with her new information. Caroline discovers a side of Klaus no one would have suspected. Finally, after an evening of violence and dashed hopes, Damon finds a new way to cope.
Dangerous Liaisons (EP314) Stills:
Extended & Canadian Promos for Dangerous Liaisons (EP314)
The Vampire Diaries: Five Things to Expect From Tonight's Epic Ball!
You are cordially invited to the Mikaelson's mansion tonight for an epic ball, which promises to provide dancing, drama, and hot guys in tuxedos. What more could you ask for?
We attended a screening of The Vampire Diaries episode "Dangerous Liasions," which finds most of our cast mingling with the recently reunited Original family at a fancy ball, and to say it's jam-packed with moments that will make "shippers" of almost every couple on the show squeal and/or rage is a bit of an understatement. Seriously, prepare yourselves now!
Want to know what you can expect from the Mystic Falls ball? Lucky for you, we're in a sharing mood. Plus, we hit the set in Atlanta to get some scoop from Nina Dobrev, Candice Accola and more!
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"The ball at the Mikaelsons' is going to be a really interesting affair and it's going to be really exciting and sort of suspenseful and scary because everyone is there. Almost the entire cast is there and they're on a mission and a lot can happen," Dobrev teases. "It could turn for the good or for the bad. I mean things could happen and our main characters could succeed or they could miserably fail. In the Vampire Diaries and in Mystic Falls the stakes are so high that what you could lose and what you're risking are lives and so in this case we get to do that but in ball gowns so it's extra glamorous and extra fun."
We can assure you that the affair is indeed extra glamorous, but it seems making the episode was anything but. "I'm really excited for the episode of the ball I hear it has turned out absolutely beautiful and I'm excited for the editors to make it look like we all can dance because we were all terrible, absolutely terrible," Accola says. "There is a line at one point in which Caroline even says like, ‘Yeah I know I'm a good dancer' and by that point I was like really tripping on my feet and everyone just like bust out because it was so obviously not a moment of being a good dancer."
Accola says the cast did get dance lessons, but they weren't exactly thorough. "We did take dance lessons for, like, 30 minutes. It was very quick and of course while were in there you're like, ‘Oh I got this!' and then you're like, ‘Oh you want us to talk while were dancing? This is a whole other avenue! Hold on.'"
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Here are five things you can look forward to in tonight's episode:
1. Elena shares some very intense moments with both Salvatore brothers, including a scene where one of the brothers drops three very important words. Fans of both couples should prepare for some major angst, including Elena hurting Damon and possibly causing the return of the old Damon. We won't lie, we kind of missed him!
2. We don't know about you, but we've been secretly rooting for an Elena and Elijah hook up since the first scene these two shared, so their moments in tonight's episode made us especially happy. Rebekah, who is definitely not Elena's biggest fan at the moment, drops a hint about Elijah having feelings for Elena and the two share several meaningful scenes at the ball. (Psst! We're chatting with Daniel Gillies/Elijah tomorrow so send questions for him our way, won't you?!)
3. Mama Original Esther (Alice Evans) has some serious plans for her family, plans that involve Elena. Oh, and prepare to see some sibling bickering between the Original brothers and sister that is so relatable, you almost forget they're all over a thousand years old. As for the two newbies, Kol (Nathaniel Buzolic) is all about having fun and causing trouble (and he looks damn good doing so!) while Finn (Caspar Zafer) is a true mama's boy.
4. Klaus (Joseph Morgan) is into Caroline (Accola) in a major way and is not shy about it in tonight's episode. It's hard to remember he's a diabolical hybrid responsible for a lot of the deaths in Mystic Falls' when he looks so dashing in a tuxedo and promises to take you wherever you want to go. Unfortunately, Caroline's love (and respect) can't be bought. Plus, she still has feelings for Tyler (Michael Trevino). Will that change when Caroline sees a different side of Klaus, one no one's ever seen before?
5. The following are all MIA in this episode: Alaric (Matt Davis) is in the hospital, Tyler is off bettering himself for Caroline, Meredith (Torrey DeVitto) was off being crazy and/or taking care of Alaric and Bonnie (Kat Graham) was presumably at home. Don't worry, Bonnie fans: Something goes down in tonight's episode that Bonnie will definitely be a major part of in the episodes to come.
We just returned from a screening of "The Vampire Diaries" upcoming Original ball episode, "Dangerous Liaisons," and we're still reeling, as can be expected. We obviously can't share too much with you -- we wouldn't want to ruin the fun -- but we do have some juicy tidbits to tide you over until tonight.
Damon gets his neck snapped -- but the real surprise is who commissioned the rather violent (if temporary) kill. Later, Elena says something to him that hits him pretty hard, and definitely changes things between them. By the end of the episode, Damon has his old swagger back, big time. He may not quite be the Damon we met in the pilot, but he's got some of that sexy recklessness back, and it's about time, if we do say so ourselves.
Klaus/Caroline fans, you're going to have a lot to sink your teeth into this week, as the two vamps spend considerable time together -- he even shares some of his hobbies with her. Yes... apparently he's a true artist, when he's not slaughtering entire towns and stuff. Still, despite Tyler's absence from the episode, we never doubt for a moment that Caroline loves him. Well, maybe one moment. Or two. (There are even some fun moments between her and Matt, for those of us who still keep that candle burning. Dimly. In a hidden corner.)
Meet the (other) Originals! A few more family secrets are revealed -- the least of which being that their last name is Mikaelson. We'll get to know Kol a little better and we've got a feeling you're going to love-to-hate him as much as we do. Let's jut say he messes with someone we love... but he looks damn good doing it. As for Finn, he remains rather enigmatic, but Julie Plec tells us he shared his father's self loathing and hatred of vampires, and we'll see how that plays out over the next few episodes. The ever-mysterious Original witch will make her true plans known. Yes, like everyone else in Mystic Falls, she's got a hidden agenda. Also like everyone else in Mystic Falls, she needs Elena to pull it off.
Bonnie doesn't appear in the episode, but we do find out a bit of information about her and Abby that puts them smack in the middle of the mythology, and not just as plot devices. (We're pretty sick of the vampires using the witches as pawns in their vampire games at this point.) Turns out, the Bennett witches aren't just witches. Their ancestry has been intertwined with the Originals' for thousands of years, and the revival of Esther will bring them even further into the fold in upcoming episodes.
Matt remains phenomenal. Someone is plotting to kill him throughout the episode, but he's more gentlemanly than ever, even in the face of obvious jeopardy. There's a great moment toward the end that Julie says is a bit of a shout out to the Matt fans -- and specifically to @Matt_Donovan1 on twitter. (We had ourselves a nice little chuckle.) There seems to be some potential for a relationship between Matt and Rebekah, and he'll make a decision on that before the end of the episode. We're just impressed that he thinks he has any say in it at all.
We haven't forgotten about you, Stefan fans. Elena is caught in a virtual tug-of-war throughout the episode (at one point, they literally each have her by the arm). The question, as always, is whether Stefan can find it in himself to care about Elena -- and whether or not she still wants him to care about her at this point. That will pretty much be answered by the end of the hour. Per usual, Paul Wesley's performance will give you goose bumps.
Ménage à trois
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Is there a potential romance in perfect Matt Donovan's future on "The Vampire Diaries"?
"The only way that you could have a love story line with Matt and have it be exciting is if it was with some other crazy vampire, and Matt just decides, 'To hell with it. Let's see what I've been missing,'" Zach Roerig, who plays one of The CW series' only remaining mortals, tells HuffPost TV. "He's going to have a crazy wild time because at this point on our show, two humans doing it missionary style is just not going to be exciting."
While Roerig may be talking in hypotheticals, after the surprising development between Klaus (Joseph Morgan) and Caroline (Candice Accola), anything is possible on "The Vampire Diaries." And that "other crazy vampire" that Roerig teases could very well be Barbie Klaus herself, Rebekah (Claire Holt).
In Thursday night's episode, "Dangerous Liaisons," Roerig reveals that the two will share a dance. "He is going to dance a little bit with [Rebekah] at the ball," he says. "It's an interesting exchange, for sure."
Find out what else Roerig had to say about Matt's future in Mystic Falls, his "greatest superpower" and his relationship with Elena (Nina Dobrev) below.
Why is Matt just so perfect? Please explain this to me.
I think it makes for easy competition when he's surrounded by werewolves, witches and vampires. [Laughs.] Matt's perfect in the sense that he's pure. Matt's the only pure person left with no ulterior motives, no other intentions than just being a good man.
He's also just a really good friend. When Caroline's dad died in the last episode, there was that really great scene between the two of them. Not to mention that he's always there for Elena.
Exactly! I think Matt's greatest superpower is that he has nothing to lose. He has everything to gain from all of these relationships that he has with his friends. That's really all that he does have left now, his friends. Someone once called Matt "the human bandaid," and he really is, especially this season. I'm proud of that.
I'm starting to get nervous for Matt's mortality. Do you foresee something supernatural happening to him in the near future?
I think that's always the worry for any character on the show. [Laughs.] But I think it's important to have one grounding element on the show, and Matt staying a human and being involved in all of this kind of makes this environment that Mystic Falls is in more real. You see a real guy with average, everyday problems existing in this world, which has been nice. Matt discovered the world around him, and he just accepted it.
So you have no desire to see Matt become a supernatural being?
There's always been a small desire because it could be fun, but I'm also kind of honored to be the one that's not. On our show, everyone has some kind of power, but everything that's happened with Matt has happened because of who he is, without anything fueling it.
Tell me what's coming up for Matt at the Originals' ball.
I think the fans can expect to see Matt and Elena's friendship to regenerate. There was always an existing friendship, and there was a love from their childhood, but it's not the same friendship that there was before. All of that is gone. Elena is a different person now, like Matt told her on the bridge, so it's all about moving forward. And he's changed, too. His best friends are a witch, a vampire and a doppleganger, who's fallen in love with two vampires. [Laughs.] He's really had to accept all of this, and it made him become kind of like a new guy. I think that he and Elena are just going to keep getting closer as friends. I'm not sure if anything else will happen. I wouldn't necessarily mind it. [Laughs.]
So you would like something to happen between Matt and Elena?
For right now, I think no. The most important thing now is just rebuilding their friendship; that's what Elena needs right now, not another boyfriend. I do think it would be fun to do a flashback, like if Elena were ever to think back to what her life was like before all of this started. For right now though, Matt's best bet is to stay single and be there for all of his friends. I mean, it's kind of lame, but he's got to do it. [Laughs.]
I partially think that you're just saying that to avoid all of the backlash from the Delena fans and fans of Stefan and Elena.
Well, there is a part of that. [Laughs.] I don't want people to hate on Matt anymore! I read on Twitter the other day where someone was like, "Why is everyone always hating on Matt?" I didn't even know people were hating on Matt!
Matt just gets too close to Elena, when she's obviously supposed to be with a vampire.
Yeah, and also, the only way that you could have a love story line with Matt and have it be exciting is if it was with some other crazy vampire, and Matt just decides, "To hell with it. Let's see what I've been missing." He's going to have a crazy wild time because at this point, on our show, two humans doing it missionary style is just not going to be exciting.
I think Rebekah is single, no?
Yeah! For example, Rebekah! That would be fun. That would also be short-lived, I'm sure, because one of her crazy ancestor brothers would probably rip my throat out right afterward.
That's pretty accurate. Is Matt going to get any more screen time with any of the Originals this season?
I think that any human who spends any amount of time with an Original can expect it to be short-lived. I hope not. Unless his manly urges were to overtake him, I'd say that he is going to stay away from Rebekah. Although, he is going to dance a little bit with her at the ball. It's an interesting exchange, for sure.
In last week's episode, Klaus teased Damon and Stefan with the idea that if they wanted Elena to have a happy life, they should let her be with Matt. Is this going to cause any friction between him and the Salvatore brothers?
I wouldn't say that the Salvatore brothers will be looking over Matt at this point, but I think that it's well-known between Bonnie, Caroline and Elena that Matt is a very important part of their lives. They really need him to be there, and so I wouldn't expect Damon and Stefan to give him too much grief, or else they'll have three very upset women to deal with. [Laughs.] The vampire-witch-doppleganger combo can be deadly.
Do you feel like you're sort of like the fourth girlfriend in that group?
I am kind of like the fourth girlfriend! I don't really mind it though. It's like Matt just sits there and he's like, "Yeah, I used to date you, but I lost you to my werewolf friend. I used to date you, but then I lost you to a pair of vampire brothers" [Laughs.] So I'm not quite sure what good it is for Matt's morale, but you've got to have friends.
