Creation Entertainment's Vampire Diaries Con Boston: Panel recaps part 2

It finally happened. The new seasons of The Vampire Diaries and The Originals kicked off Oct. 8. And just ahead of their long-awaited return, several of the cast members spent some time with fans in Boston, for the Boston version of Creation Entertainment's The Vampire Diaries Con.

During the multiple panels throughout the weekend, they hinted at what's to come in the new seasons of their respective shows, talked about what's already happened on it, and shared some of themselves beyond the TVD universe.  Below is a break-down of the revelations made by the actors who appeared in panels on Saturday (Sunday panels recap to come).

Michael Malarkey

Malarkey  showed up wearing sunglasses, looking as if he'd partied to hard the night before, yet he was still as attractive and charming as the vampire he portrays. He started by talking about conventions and how they love to do them for the fans. Malarkey, who said he's also as sassy as Enzo depending on the day, went on to talk about a plethora of subjects. Here's what he shared:

• He thinks Enzo won't get Caroline because she's "hooked up with Stefan."
• He thinks Enzo's revenge plan has run its course because Enzo has realized it didn't resonate with his moral code — yes, he believes Enzo does have a moral code.
• He and Ian Somerhalder knew they'd be friends from their first scene together. They spend a lot of time together and together as couples, as their wives have become friends too.
• Regarding a role he really wanted but didn't get, he admitted he got down to the last two choices for a role on Game of Thrones (but wouldn't say which one).
• He thinks the more time you spend focusing on your goals and what you really want in life, truly believing in them, the more you subconsciously act toward getting them.
• He believes bad things that happen to you are tests that can become strengths.
• He'd like to get a role in the play True West by Sam Shepard, an Arthur Miller play or a professional Shakespeare production — he finds freedom in the structure of stage acting and said Shakespeare is what drew him to acting initially (he started and grew as an actor on stage.
• The scene where Damon leaves Enzo in the fire was hard because he said actors really have to go to that emotional level and believe what's happening, otherwise it feels forced and it shows.
• When asked if he could wake up in the body of someone else, who would it be, he joked "that happens every weekend." Then he got serious and chose the president, so he could find out
  "what's really going."
• He doesn't mind doing bad things as Enzo because he's happy for "any chance to be mean without worrying about it" and looks forward to seeing how Enzo's actions are justified.
• He did find it weird that Enzo would try to destroy his best friend's brother.
• He loves working with Paul Wesley because he has a great sense of comedic deadpan.
• The biggest challenge about going from stage to television is not having a full rehearsal process.
• He didn't always know he wanted to be an actor. He played in bands and such but after ending up in a play randomly, he fell in love. He still talks to the other people in that play.
• Enzo is going to have a massive fight scene with someone this season, and possibly a romance.
• People will see more sides to Enzo — he hopes there will be flashbacks.
• It was daunting to join the show late in the game. He didn't know the actors, it was his first American show but he wasn't trying to prove anything and everyone got along.
• He didn't go to college because he didn't know what he wanted to do. He advises others like him to do the same but supports college for people who do know what they want.
• He likes theater but if he goes to a bad show he'll leave in the middle to get beer instead.

Chris Brochu

Brochu wasn't feeling well Saturday — rumors were that he got food poisoning the night before — so his panel was shorter than planned, but he stilled showed up for fans. He happily toughed it out and answered questions, with host Micah Brooks popping in and out of stage and partially taking part of it. Read on to see what Brochu discussed.

• He doesn't have anything in the works now but he's auditioning — in fact he taped one just before the convention.
• He still watches the show — he's as interested as anyone else.
• The weirdest question he's ever gotten was if his eyes are real, followed by 'can I have them.' Micah Brooks spoke to this and said that people ask him if his hair is real.
• He can't pick a favorite of his own songs but noted that he's got a new one he likes.
• He gets told he looks like is Cody Linley. Brooks said that people used to tell him he looked like Nick Jonas but he thinks they were joking. He also gets told he looks like David Alpay.

  

• He went to community college for one semester but never went back because he didn't know what he wanted to do.
• If he went to college now he'd study quantum mechanics.
• Brochu met Michelle Obama and became star struck. He's not sure if he hugged her not because he remembers thinking about it but not doing it.
• He was informed of Luke's fate via a phone call from the producer. His reaction was just to say, "that's great" because Luke was only supposed to be on one episode and he got to be on for 14.

Zach Roerig and Michael Trevino

Roerig and Trevino were in a joint panel dubbed the best friends panel, and just as their characters are BFFs, it was clear Roerig and Trevino have a real life brotherly bond. They were chummy on stage, bouncing answers and musings off each other, taking turns responding. They went together like two peas in a pod. Here's what the duo revealed to fans during their 45 minute session.

• Trevino said that when he, Roerig & Steve [McQueen] are in a scene together "it's good times."
• Trevino said Roerig is a better crier than him. Roerig joked he harnesses his inner pain or thinks of puppies being drowned. He added "I'm not actually a good actor, I'm just a good crier."
• Trevino said the werewolf transformation got easier as time went on because they used more CGI, but Roerig said that for the first transformation, two days were blocked off to shoot it, making it "one of the most grueling, time consuming things in [Trevino's] life."
• Trevino is a huge television fan and when asked what show he'd want to be on he said American Horror Story — as something really messed up — and Homeland, for an action role. Roerig said he'd want to do Longmire or something where he could be a cowboy, as well as something on a pioneering network. "Something that's trying to do new things because as an actor I want to try new things, so whoever wants to push boundaries, I'm in," said Roerig.
• Roerig said he's happy that Matt is a human, and thinks people will be stoked for the character this upcoming season — he has a gun belt. But when asked to pick between werewolf or vampire, Roerig said he'd chose werewolf.
• Trevino said that now that he's not on the show he's constantly wondering how the new people are getting along with everyone.
• Roerig said he was frustrated with Matt's romantic fails at first but realized there was no purpose for them. He doesn't mind being Caroline and Elena's fallback guy because "it's hard to cope every day if there's no one there to catch your tears." Swoon!
• Both actors want their characters to die saving someone. Trevino thinks Tyler would sacrifice himself for Caroline. "I want to save someone, I don't want to just go away," he said.
• Trevino said that to get into the dark places for Tyler's transformations, he thinks about losing family members, "the anger and sadness that comes from that."
• Roerig said that although after every other crazy incident at the Mystic Grill, there was Matt at wiping tables, that won't happen season 7. The Mystic Grill is boarded up and Matt is a deputy.
• If they weren't actors, Trevino might be a lawyer because his mom always said he'd be a good one and Roerig would probably be selling tombstones because that's his family's business.
• Trevino accidentally kneed Zach in the balls once when they were shooting the scene in which Tyler and Matt fight because Matt caught Tyler making out with his mom at a party.
• Roerig enthusiastically spurred the idea of Matt becoming sheriff in Caroline's mom's place.
• When asked about how they knew the show took off, Trevino said when they went to their first Comic Con — "the panels, photos, I couldn't believe what was happening." Roerig recalled one of the first cast bonding experiences when they went to Vegas for Nina Dobrev's 21st birthday and sat in the economy section of a commercial plane.
• When asked about their craziest fan interaction, Trevino thanked everyone for the alcohol they give him. Roerig recalled a moment two nights ago when he wasn't getting recognized but upon taking off his glasses and turning a corner, a girl saw him and wept. "That's something that still takes me by surprise, but when you guys do that, God Bless, I love it," said Roerig.

Daniel Gillies

When Gillies took the stage he first joked about how crazy Sebastian Roche is.

"I have two kids under two years old and I'd rather have a three day shift with them and no break than 25 minutes with Sebastian... we do have a bond or understanding, we both understand that he's crazy," said Gillies.

Then he teased Malarkey for probably being out drinking all night, and moved on to Boston. He noted that although every place claims to have the worst drivers, it's actually true in Massachusetts, but he made up for the critique by praising the accents. Then the questioning began. It started with him discussing his charity work and continued from there. Here's what was learned:

• He likes that Elijah is capable of violence but has the composure of a gentleman — because he's personally neither gentleman nor murderer.
• When asked about his relationship with Paul Wesley he jokingly sang "Milkshake" and "Anaconda." He then got serious and explained that when he was working as a water in Canada trying to make it in Canadian or US entertainment, Wesley was a customer, gave him a big tip and Gillies never forgot it. When Gillies joined TVD, Wesley had just gone through a terrible breakup and Gillies wanted to help him since he'd been so kind to him before. Then he got light-hearted again and said they both love Matt Damon. He added, "Paul's very talented, I look forward to seeing what he does beyond TVD."
• If he could be any hero he'd be "Phoebe [Tonkin] because I'd be smoking hot."
• He's very protective of the baby they work with who plays Hope because it reminds him of his own experience as a father.
• Gillies would love to return to Mystic Falls but crossovers are hard because it means the writers have to meticulously merge two mythologies.
• When asked about Klaus and Elijah, he said he thinks they could be the same person. Then he said that press always asks if Elijah will cut Klaus off soon and he responds, "I hope so."
• Season 3 is going to be the best season yet, supposedly, because "I feel like we found our own voice; because of the mother ship of TVD I think it took 2 seasons for us to find our own sound."
• When asked about his funniest set moment, Gillies said that every scene he does is funny because his job is silly. "I truly just say oh dear God, I hope I didn't laugh, but what I'm saying is usually absurd — but I like the job, the sense of joy that accompanies it," said Gillies.
• When asked if he knew about the spinoff and think it would be a success when he joined TVD, he admitted he doesn't think The Originals has an enormous status but thinks the fact it exists is great. He's happy that the character of Elijah inspired the spinoff. "The first time I played Elijah I knew I'd be playing him for quite a while," he said.
• After he's done with The Originals he wants to be a dad, because now he doesn't get to see his kids much, and creatively he wants to direct his own projects.
• He wouldn't name a future love interest for Elijah but joked, "whoever she is, she'll be attractive, they like attractive people on this show, I don't know how I got employed." He observed how Elijah seems to be written to have a thinks for ethnics, the whole spectrum —"which is great." He even suggested Elijah could be bi simply because he's been around so long.
• Speaking of love interests, there will be a new hot vampire on this season who is an ex of Elijah and a member of a group he founded.
• He does not think Elijah is jealous of the Salvatore brothers' relationships because a) he doesn't think it's good since/despite the fact that they shared a woman and b) he is above them.
• There's hope for Haylijah fans: Elijah and Hayley being together depends on what happens to Jackson, but since Jackson is mortal he thinks Elijah is just waiting for time to solve the problem. Then Gillies said, "as long as the show exists, those two will [have something]."