The Vampire Diaries: Cast & Creators Live at PALEYFEST

Following the supernatural adventures of sibling bloodsuckers in love with the same woman, “The Vampire Diaries” is a key contributor to the current pop cultural craze for love and intrigue among the walking dead and the CW’s most highly-rated series. This William S. Paley Television Festival live event honors “The Vampire Diaries,” the drama series about a comely high school student and her love/hate relationship with a pair of handsome, bloodsucking brothers, based on the book by L.J. Smith. Debra Birnbaum (editor-in-chief, TV Guide Magazine) moderates the following panelists: executive producer/writer Julie Plec; and cast members Candice Accola (Caroline Forbes), Paul Wesley (Stefan Salvatore), Ian Somerhalder (Damon Salvatore), Nina Dobrev (Elena Gilbert/Katherine Pierce), Matt Davis (Alaric Saltzman), and Kat Graham (Bonnie Bennett). The panelists touch on such topics as: Davis’s nervousness in romantic scenes with Torrey DeVitto (Meredith Fell), Wesley’s real-life wife; Wesley’s increased enjoyment in playing Stefan since the character “went bad”; the long-awaited Damon/Elena kiss scene; and Plec’s observance of social networking for audience feedback to twists. Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics among others: Dobrev’s experience playing two very different characters (Elena Gilbert and Katherine Pierce); if the “epic love story” is really between Damon and Stefan; and the show’s lucky presence in “the explosion of vampire zeitgeist.”