Vampire Diaries Director Paul Wesley Teases Intense Caroline/Alaric Scene, the Arrival of 'Bearded Stefan'
Friday’s Vampire Diaries (The CW, 8/7c) marks Paul Wesley‘s fifth episode as a director, and while he’s certainly comfortable at the helm, there’s one fear he has yet to conquer.
“I’m terrified of directing children — it petrifies me,” Wesley tells TVLine of the actresses playing Caroline and Alaric’s twin daughters. “They’re just so sweet and adorable, and they’re kids, so I’m always worried about them. I don’t want to be too loud or ask for too many takes, but these two little girls are so sweet.”
Speaking of Caroline and Alaric, Wesley says his favorite scene in this week’s episode is a simple, non-supernatural conversation between Stefan’s fiancée and her baby daddy.
“There’s nothing fancy, no special camera work or effects,” he explains. “It’s a scene between Matt Davis and Candice [King] in a parking lot, and they’re just talking — well, they’re arguing. It’s the kind of scene where you kind of forget you’re on a show about vampires. … I was kind of like, ‘OK, guys, let’s do the CW version of John Cassavetes. Forget we’re on a supernatural show, just spit the words out without worrying. It felt organic and real, and I think they both enjoyed it.”
He adds, “I thought Candice especially did a really phenomenal job with this episode. She was really the standout for me. I actually think this is the best episode she’s ever done, if I can pat myself on the back.”
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Though Wesley is keeping the plot developments of his episode close to the vest, he’s comfortable revealing that “there’s a bit of a resolution in terms of Stefan trying to save Damon. Things go in a different direction, let’s put it at that.”
Lastly, did you really think we’d let Wesley off the hook without asking about “Bearded Stefan”?
“It’s a flashback, and I believe it’s the next episode,” he says of his scruffy new persona. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen Bearded Stefan — he’s never had a beard. I did a play over the summer and I grew out a beard for the role, then Julie saw my beard, and I think she loved it. So when we were flashing back to this era we’ve never seen, she was like, ‘Let’s get that beard back.'”
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