Looking at Michael Trevino, it’s hard not to see how he was the perfect casting choice for the role of Tyler Lockwood on the CW series, The Vampire Diaries. With his refined good looks and penetrating eyes, the latest development in his character’s plotline makes perfect sense. When we left off in season three, Tyler had been transformed into a hybrid, a supernatural crossbreed between a werewolf and vampire. “There have been so many transitions with Tyler. In season one he was basically just this one-note douchebag, alpha-male, football jock. In season two, he’s cursed and becomes a werewolf, and when we finished off in season three, he was the first successful hybrid created by Klaus. Our cliffhanger in season three was Tyler becoming Klaus after. Klaus is taking over Tyler’s body. We’re going to see that play out in the beginning of season four.” Prepping for lycanthropy didn’t always prove to be the most settling experience. “I had to watch some very graphic videos of women giving birth. It’s drawn out, agonizing and gruesome. That pretty much got me where I needed to be.”
It’s safe to say that The Vampire Diaries is the one of the CW’s most successful shows; something Trevino says is the result of constantly pushing boundaries. “We’re always pushing the envelope. They don’t wait until the end of season for a major character to die. [Characters] come and go. What’s cool about our show is the cliffhanger at the end of each episode. Things change all the time within the script. When we have a storyline it isn’t cemented. It’s always going to change. That keeps us on our toes.” Die-hard fans of the show could also play a significant role in story. “With Twitter and Facebook and other social media, the execs are definitely tracking what fans are saying and what they want to see.” Of his own anticipation for season four, Trevino says he’s excited “to see how long I’m going to be playing Klaus. And When Tyler is his own self again, I wonder how that’s going to play out with Caroline and affect the whole love triangle between she, Klaus and Tyler. We left it on a weird note and Caroline’s in the dark about it. I want to see how she reacts to what’s happening.” The best part about playing Tyler? “Kissing Caroline, without a doubt.” The Vampire Diaries returns to the CW on Thursday October 11th at 8/7c.
Interviewed by Ashley Symone Lee
Photographed by Vince Trupsin