Paul Wesley Interview: ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Season 7

Paul Wesley Interview - The Vampire Diaries Season 7
Paul Wesley at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con (Photo © 2015 WBEI)

Paul Wesley says this upcoming seventh season of The CW’s The Vampire Diaries will see a shift in dynamics, which makes sense as season six saw the exit of the show’s lead actress, Nina Dobrev. Dobrev opted not to return to the popular series, and during roundtable interviews at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con, Wesley discussed how things will change now that Elena’s no longer in the picture.

“I think it’s cool that, obviously, it’s a different sort of theme, Elena’s going so there’s going to be a natural shift. The original triangle of Damon, Stefan and Elena is what made the show such a big hit and what brought in the fans. But Nina wanted to leave and the show sort of needs a fresh spin, so it’s almost like a fortuitous opportunity to create something new. We might really botch it, but we’ll do our best not to,” explained Wesley, laughing.

Wesley also filled us in on what’s in store for Stefan this season. As far as his relationship with the Heretics, Wesley’s pretty sure he won’t be getting along with them anytime soon. “I had to Google ‘heretics’. Is that a common thing? I consider myself average in intelligence, but I didn’t know what that was and they use that word so much. I think like we need a little thingy that says: ‘Heretics – definition.’ But, no, he doesn’t get along with them. Nobody does. They’re sort of like the baddies of season seven.”

What’s the relationship going to be like with Damon and Stefan’s mom back in the picture? “There’s definitely a sense of abandonment and they’re hurt,” said Wesley. “But then it’s also like that natural maternal thing. You just naturally want to forgive your mom and assume that she’s a great person and she really did love you. It’s a natural thing. I think Stefan is going to be prone to forgiveness and naiveté, as opposed to Damon, who’s cynical, suspicious, and wary.”

Rumor has it there will be a Stefan and Damon flashback to before they were turned in this coming season, but it seemed to be news to Wesley. “That would be dope. I didn’t know,” admitted Wesley. “I have scripts one, two, and three on my iPad, but I’ve only read one. I’m in the middle of filming one and haven’t had the chance to read season two.”

As for the romance that some fans are rooting for, Wesley had some good news to share. “I think [Caroline] gets her life in order pretty quickly. By that I mean I think she gives him the green light. I can’t guarantee that, but that’s what I hear.”

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The Vampire Diaries premieres season seven on October 8, 2015.