Who do you like playing more, Katherine or Elena?
Nina Dobrev: I definitely enjoy playing both, because there's never a dull day. The great thing about television is that it's not [just] two hours where you have a beginning, middle, and end, [where] you see one character and one thing that they go through. Fortunately, the characters get to grow. I mean, Elena — the way she was when I first started, when I first signed on to the show — she was one person; she was a sort of younger, naive, sad, young girl, and she's become a strong woman. And when I later found out that I would have to play Katherine as well, it was interesting to create another character. I really wanted to make her completely different, and make her so that you could distinguish between the two of them. So that's been the biggest challenge, and it's been great.

Will Elena go for Damon now that Stefan isn't around?
ND: You'll see in the first episode that she may not necessarily be skewing towards Damon. Just because he's there and Stefan's not doesn't mean that she's going to fall into his arms. She realizes that she was in big trouble when she found out that Damon was going to survive after she kissed him. She was like, uh-oh. He's going to follow me and keep telling me about this forever; it's going to be so frustrating. We'll see what happens; it's either out of sight, out of mind, or absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Of Damon and Stefan, who would you, Nina Dobrev, pick?
ND: God, I don't know. I'm pretty sure there's another brother somewhere. A hybrid of the two of them. I don't know; I think Elena's got it good — she's got both of them after her. She gets both. She's a smart woman!

Is it difficult switching back and forth from Katherine and Elena?
ND: It definitely is more difficult because it's a process. You always hear of an actors' process, and it's sort of weird, but we definitely have them, and you have to go through your tics. A lot of the physical changes are what help me. When I look in the mirror, I just feel different when I'm Katherine or when I'm Elena. My voice changes a little bit, I think, and even just mentally, I feel like I can get away with a lot more. I think differently; I get a little more sassy when I'm on set when I'm Katherine, or I'm a little bit more reserved and Elena-esque otherwise.

What did you think when Elena almost become a vampire at the end of season two?
ND: I was happy that she didn't become a vampire. I think it would have been too soon. I feel like we would have burned out of storylines, and then what would we do in season six? From a character and story/show point of view, that's what I think, but also, I don't think she's ready for it. I don't think it's something that she wants. And it's not something I want, because like I said, I get the best of both worlds: I get to be a vampire and I get to not be a vampire, so I kind of like that. That'll be water that we tread further down the line, hopefully.

Plec: I first went for Kyle XY and we’d just started airing and had no idea what to expect. I don’t think ABC Family had ever gone to Comic-Con, either, and they went all out. It was great to see people were watching the show; the interest in Matt Dallas especially and in the show in general was a lot bigger than we expected.

THR: What’s your favorite Comic-Con memory?
Plec: I get very excited to do my own geek-out star-gazing when I’m at Comic-Con. One of the things I love the most is seeing Joss Whedon at a party dancing and having the time of his life. I’m a big Joss fan and I’m too chicken to go up and I say hello. But I wasn’t too chicken to go up and say hello toNathan Fillion. I realized halfway through the story I was telling him he had absolutely no idea who I was, and I just seemed like I was a blathering teenage fangirl. I lost steam halfway through my introduction because I was so embarrassed and slunk away. I was telling him how he signed a headshot for me years ago -- a friend of mine was a prop master on Firefly. I had always said, “Oh Nathan Fillion, he’s going to be my future husband.” My friend got him to sign a headshot that said, “To my future wife, one day it will be true. One day you and I will be, oh yes we will, love Nathan.” I still have it hanging in my office. I was telling him the story and realized I was completely making an ass out of myself. I just fled.

THR: What makes for a good presentation?
Plec: I have presentation envy about what Lost did last year with special videos, guest speakers and surprise appearances. I realized they had to wow the audience with tricks because they won’t give up any spoilers. That’s the biggest thing: How can you treat the Comic-Con audience as though they’re special? You have to give them new information, new footage and answer questions candidly and with humor -- and maybe be a little more inappropriate than you would be in other circumstances.

THR: What are you planning for TVD panel?

Plec: We start shooting a week before Comic-Con but we have a wish that there might be a frame or two of footage that we might be able to show off. But we also have no idea what we’re shooting before then; it could be a complete and utter disaster. We could show up with nothing. But our plan is better than that. We’ll definitely have a nice little reel.

THR: What questions do you recommend fans not as at panels?
Plec: If you’re a fan with Google, then you can read past interviews and past panels and know what pranks people like to pull, most embarrassing moment on set, favorite outfit, better kisser. Those questions have been asked before and answered in their own special ways over the years. If I had the opportunity to get up in front of a couple thousand people in the audience and take the time to ask a question, I’d want to hit hard and try to get some story spoilers out of us because we crumble on that stage. Those lights are bright and we’re sweating a little and trying to keep all the secrets we’re supposed to keep. We crumble under pressure if we’re not careful.

THR: Who would be on your dream panel?
Plec: Joss Whedon, J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof and Ron Moore. All the showrunners of the shows I’ve looked up over the years. I’d want to get inside their head and ask questions about their process and what it’s like to have given birth to these shows.

THR: What tips do you have for Comic-Con first-timers?
Plec: Bring a backpack with water and snacks and stay as far away from those vending lines as possible. I don’t think there’s a line in the entirety of Comic-Con that can be longer than the line to get a slice of pizza.

THR: Outside of the Convention Center, where are your must-hit spots?
Plec: I like to splurge when I’m there and hit Nobu at the Hard Rock. But all those restaurants across from the Convention Center are all open air and you can sit and have a beer and see more actors and famous people walking around outside in the streets than you’ll get a glimpse of inside the hall.

THR: What can fans expect from the new season of TVD?
Plec: We’re going to dig deep into the history of the original family and start to get a glimpse of the other members of the family that we’ve only just heard of. That’s a big part of, over the course of the season, understanding what makes Klaus tick, why he is the way he is and who’s responsible for making him that way. Our show is about family and all its dysfunctional glory, and Klaus is probably the most dysfunctional.

Källa

/ Nathalie