Ian Somerhalder and Michael Trevino Interview THE VAMPIRE DIARIES Season Two

In The CW’s hit drama The Vampire Diaries, Ian Somerhalder plays Damon Salvatore, the elder and far more dangerous of the vampire brothers who share a long and bitter history that is closely connected to their hometown of Mystic Falls. In Season 2 of the series, Michael Trevino’s character, the volatile Tyler Lockwood, will be giving bad-boy Damon a run for his money in the villain department, as his more primal werewolf side makes an appearance.

During an interview to promote the new season of their popular show, co-stars Ian Somerhalder and Michael Trevino hinted at what’s coming up for their characters and what fans can look forward to. Check out what they had to say after the jump:

Question: Ian, what hints can you give about what’s coming up for Damon in Season 2?

Ian: I do know that when Damon finds out that it was not Elena that he kissed, he’s going to blow his top. He’s not going to be very happy about it. Also, by virtue of the fact that there are other supernatural elements coming to town, Damon is going to have to make a decision and figure out whether he can work with Stefan to protect what they love, their way of life and all the things that come with it.

Michael, what can you say about the evolution of your character this season?

Michael: I don’t know much. One big thing is that there’s Uncle Mason. Mason Lockwood is a younger, hipper brother of Mayor Lockwood (Robert Pralgo), Tyler’s dad, and he comes to town. He takes Tyler under his wing and will probably be there for awhile to explain to him why he lashes out all the time and has this rage. He’ll give reasons to that and school him on the Lockwood ancestry from 1864, the werewolf gene, where that came from and why they have it. Somebody will probably turn into a werewolf, at some point. It’s going to be a process. We’re not going to show all our cards right away.

Will Tyler be a villain?

Michael: Yes. Tyler was always a bully and a prick, but now that he has this supernatural ability, he’ll be a villain. Yes, definitely. You can’t just have Damon around, kicking people’s asses and being a punk. If they can write for me as well as they write for Damon, then it will be fun.

Ian, if you could choose, what era would you like to see Damon flashback to?

Ian: I was in the ‘80s, but I was so young. My brother and sister were ‘80s kids. They partied in the ‘80s. I would rather see Damon in the late ‘60s, early ‘70s. I would love to see that, and that’s why we’re so lucky for this show. We can do these flashbacks from the 1860′s, all the way up until now. That’s so many decades, and so many influential political, environmental and cultural issues and booms that were happening.

I always said it would be so awesome, if we got the time and money to do it, to see Damon at a Rolling Stones concert, front and center, wearing some bad-ass ‘70s outfit, or even in the exact same thing he wears now because he hasn’t changed since about the ‘50s. How cool would it be to be able to use stock footage of some unbelievable Rolling Stones concert, and having Damon sitting there, scoping stuff out with two beautiful women on either side? I just think it would be so amazing to see Damon in that situation.

Michael, do you feel like this is the moment to shine for the werewolf?

Michael: Yeah, that’s why I’m hoping we’re different. With Twilight, their werewolves are big and CG. And then, with True Blood, there’s are real wolves. I think we’re going to have real wolves.

Have you always known the origin of your character?

Michael: I did. Before I even auditioned, I read as much of the books as I could and I saw that Tyler ends up turning into a werewolf, way down the line. In Season 1, I didn’t know that we weren’t really going to tap into it as much, so it can’t get any worse than that. Season 2 is going to be my season. It’s going to be big for Tyler. So, yeah, I knew all along. I don’t know how they’re going to do it or what we’re going to do, but hopefully it’s better than True Blood or Twilight.

Are you excited?

Michael: Yeah, I’m excited. I really am. But, I’m also nervous. I’ve got to bring it ‘cause they’re going to compare me to that Taylor [Lautner] kid, and if I don’t bring it, I’m just going to get crushed.

Ian, what is Damon like to play, as an actor?

Ian: Damon puts me into some weird places. This is a season to see him scared. He will be. That I promise you.

Are you more nervous for Season 2, since there’s so much expectation now for the show?

Ian: Absolutely! We were talking about that at a meeting in Atlanta, during a table read for the second episode. We had a pow wow with the cast and I said, “Look, guys, the second season is our defining moment. We have to promise ourselves, the network, the studio and the fans that this is going to be a better year of storytelling and acting than it was last year.” That’s what we need to do because we can’t let everyone down, and we should try to exceed and make it better.

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES returns for Season 2 on The CW on September 9th