The world of The Vampire Diaries and The Originals is welcoming new characters, and I’m very excited. I was also excited to sit down with these fresh faces in the press room at New York Comic-Con to learn more about their characters.
When I watched the pilot I was most excited about MG, who is played by Quincy Fouse. He was so funny, and I’m sure him being Alaric’s assistant didn’t hurt. Alaric has always been a good judge of character, and he’s taken this kid under his wing. I thought Quincy was so dynamic on screen and I wanted to see more from him.
I think my first thoughts of his character were pretty dead on. Quincy says he’s a kid with a big heart, a little funny, insecure and in the realm of today’s culture. He says MG is bringing a new taste and he’s a vampire in this world.
Aria Shahghasemi and Qunicy say that the show is very much in the world of TVD and The Originals, but has it’s own identity outside of those shows too.
Aria, who plays Landon, says, “[It’s] a new spin on what we know and love.”
Neither Quincy or Aria had watched the original shows.
Qunicy knew of TVD and the strong fan base it had. He started watching the show after the audition and then came across Klaus, and really liked him. He then started watching The Originals and that’s when he knew he had to be part of this show.
Aria knew of TVD but had never heard of The Originals before. Then he saw it had an 8.6 rating on IMDB, and couldn’t understand how he had never heard of the show before.
Jenny Boyd and Kaylee Bryant had watched the shows beforehand. Kaylee who plays one of the twins, Josie, started watching TVD with her mom when she was 15 and says they were obsessed about watching.
Kaylee and Jenny also talked about Kai Parker from TVD after they found out they were going to be the Saltzman twins. It’s nice to know they are clued in of their horrific past. And that past will come up in the show, just not right away, according to Kaylee.
There wasn’t much that the actors could tease us about the show, but Jenny did say that she walked into one of the writers’ rooms one day to find something very scary. She said to the writer that she thought their show was for a young audience and the writer said no, that horror is part of their genre.
Executive Producer Brett Matthews says the show is meant for a younger audience but says they are always surprised by how old the needle goes with their shows. He welcomes everyone to enjoy this show. If you are a fan of TVD and The Originals, he says, you will see a lot of things that only you will understand, but new fans can also enjoy the show.
They are very excited to introduce their new characters. He says they’re exciting, dynamic and diverse. He does hope some of the old characters will pay a visit too. We can expect to see Jeremy Gilbert, and he they have ideas on how they can incorporate other characters too.
Check out the full interviews with these new faces and the EP:
Quincy Fouse (MG) and Aria Shahghasemi (Landon)
Jenny Boyd (Lizzie) and Kaylee Bryant (Josie)
EP Brett Matthews and Peyton ‘Alex’ Smith (Rafael)
