With just three episodes left in Season 4 of The CW series The Originals and a huge showdown between the Mikaelsons and The Hollow becoming increasingly inevitable, Kol (Nathaniel Buzolic) finds himself at odds with his own siblings, as he’s tested to see just how far he’ll go for Davina (Danielle Campbell) and their love. With loved ones pitted against each other and no obvious way to defeat a force as powerful as The Hollow, growing tensions will push them to decide just whose side they’re on.
During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, actor Nathaniel Buzolic talked about Kol’s love for Davina and why it’s the most important thing to him, whether he might really choose love over family, what he most enjoys about working with Danielle Campbell, what Uncle Kol is like with Hope (Summer Fontana), what Kol might be up to when we don’t get to see him, and how much being a part of the show has changed his life and why he owes that all to executive producer Julie Plec. Be aware that there are some spoilers discussed.
Collider: Kol was clearly changed by Davina, and then he was changed again by the loss of Davina. When did Kol come to the realization that Davina actually really deeply meant and continues to mean something to him?
NATHANIEL BUZOLIC: I definitely think that would have played out when he first lost Davina. Sometimes you don’t realize how special someone is until you don’t have that person. So, when Kol finds out that she’s actually back and there’s a possibility they could be together again, that’s a renewal of, maybe this is meant to be. It’s interesting, you can have all things in life, but if you don’t have love, you don’t have anything, which is the theme of Kol’s journey in this story.
Kol has never really found that love that he’s looking for, from his own family, who doesn’t really take him seriously.
BUZOLIC: Yeah, I definitely think Kol is one of those characters that’s like the middle child who gets forgotten about. They left him at Disneyland and no one noticed he was not in the car until a month later when they went back to Disneyland and Kol was probably still there going, “I don’t want to be here anymore!” I think that’s definitely why Kol responds to the affection of Davina so much. She’s probably the first person who really loved him, in that way, and made him a priority.
Have Kol’s feelings for Davina given him a new perspective on certain aspects of his own family, whether it’s how Klaus felt about Cami, or how Rebekah feels about Marcel, or even Elijah and Hayley?
BUZOLIC: Definitely, but at the same time, when you’re in the spell of love and you’re in the eye of the storm, sometimes that becomes the most important thing. So, what this episode will bring out a lot of is, when you love someone, what are you willing to do to make sure that person is around and you can protect them? How far will you go? And what conflict of interest will that create, if the entire family doesn’t agree with something you’re about to do? That’s where this episode takes us, and I think the audience will enjoy it.
In the last episode, The Hollow offered Kol just what he’s been wishing and hoping for, which is a way to bring Davina back. But by doing so, they’re now linked and he has to protect The Hollow, if he wants to protect Davina. How does Kol feel about the situation that he’s in?
BUZOLIC: Probably the driving force for all of this is that Davina brought back Kol, and she did that when everything else was going wrong in her world, so I feel like he has an obligation to do the exact same thing. That’s what’s interesting, when love becomes stronger than family, in these circumstances. Definitely, it’s going to be his first and only priority, in this episode.
Clearly, it isn’t easy being a Mikaelson because if somebody doesn’t currently want to kill them, someone from their past does, or they’re at each other’s throats. Is Kol at a point where, if it came down to it, he would seriously consider choosing Davina over his own family? Could he ultimately betray them, to that extent?
BUZOLIC: I’ll put it this way, he’s not kissing Klaus, is he? Every Mikaelson has needs. It just comes down to who ticks more of the boxes. Even though the family motto is “always and forever,” we’ve seen time and time again that that can be subject to the situation. It’s definitely going to be interesting for the audience. There’s a lot going on in this episode that people will really enjoy. There’s also a great little scene between myself and Summer [Fontana], who plays Hope. It’s the first time you get to see Uncle Kol have some one-on-one interaction with her, which is another perspective and angle of this character that sometimes we don’t get to see. We see the killer and the maniac, and we see the cheekiness of Kol, but there are a lot of shades and colors that we’ll see in this episode. There will also be some explanation as to why he’s doing what he does.
What does Uncle Kol look like? Could you see a point where, if they survive The Hollow, that he would be the uncle who likes to bring out his niece’s mischievous side?
BUZOLIC: I might be biased, but I think Uncle Kol is the best uncle. I definitely have conversations with Summer, and I ask her every single day that I work with her, “Who’s your favorite person to work with besides me, since I’m talking to her?” I’m just trying to slowly subconsciously put into her mind that I’m her favorite, so that she will choose me. Who else would you choose? I think Kol definitely has that same attitude. He just wants to bring out a different side of her than all of the other Mikaelsons try to. Everyone puts their own little bit on Hope, and I think Kol definitely brings out the cheeky side, for sure.
Kol seems like he’d be the fun uncle.
BUZOLIC: I couldn’t think of anything more boring than hanging out with Uncle Elijah, playing piano all day. Oh, my gosh! Let me put you out of your misery!
How does Davina feel about being turned into a pawn in all of this?
BUZOLIC: It must be frustrating for these two. They always get so close to having this happily ever after, and then it never quite works out. It’s very sad. A lot of the fans were so upset when Kol killed Davina. I had a lot of unhappy people and I was like, “It wasn’t my fault! Don’t shoot the messenger!” Hopefully, for the fans, there’s a little bit of a better ending than what’s been playing out. But it is The Originals and it is the Mikaelsons, so you’ve gotta expect the worst, every single time.
You and Danielle Campbell have shared some really special moments, throughout this journey with these characters. What have you most enjoyed about working with her?
BUZOLIC: She’s just so easy to kiss! I do fan conventions and people always ask me what the best part of my job is, and I’m like, “Well, kissing Danielle Campbell is not that difficult.” But no, she’s so great to work with. We have so much fun together on set. I was actually texting with her this morning. I haven’t seen her for a long time, but hopefully we’re gonna catch up because I’ve got a European adventure that I’m about to go on. I do enjoy working with her. I think she’s just such a fun actress to be on set with. We always have a lot of laughs. I think we’ve been able to create some really sweet moments for these two characters, on screen.
Kol and Freya have sort of been the late bloomers of the Mikaelson family, when it comes to romantic relationships and actually really caring about someone else. How has it been for you to play that character journey, going from who he was on The Vampire Diaries and getting to explore this other side of him now?
BUZOLIC: It’s really fun. It’s good. Obviously, I enjoy playing the menace and the character who has no thought of his actions, but it’s also really nice to have scenes where you see his vulnerability and you see that he really does love someone. At the end of the day, as horrible as Kol can be, there is a good side to him, and that side is brought out through one thing, which is love. That’s the over-arching theme. Love is really the thing that brings out the best in people.
You’ve in about half of the season, so there’s a lot of time that Kol is off doing things that we don’t get to see. Have you thought about what he keeps himself busy with, when we don’t get to see him?
BUZOLIC: Lots of dancing? I feel like he’s building orphanages in far off countries, but you just never get to see that. He’s playing with children on the top of Everest and planting little flags there. Who knows? Maybe that’s Julie Plec’s next spin-off. What does Kol do, when he disappears for six months at a time? We could shock an audience. I could open an ice cream shop on Santa Monica Blvd. and sell ice cream to families who are touring from different parts of the world. Who knows? The possibilities are endless!
So, he becomes Kol, the humanitarian, when we don’t get to see him.
BUZOLIC: Wouldn’t that be great?! I would be impressed with him. There’s a lot of need in this world, and he’s a vampire who’s done a lot of bad, so it’s time to give back and do some good. He can compel some crappy politicians to make some good choices.
Is it bittersweet to know that receiving a Season 5 pick-up means that your showrunner Michael Narducci won’t be around any longer, or do you at least feel reassured that, whatever happens to Kol, if the character and you return, at least you’re in good hands with Julie Plec?
BUZOLIC: Narducci was a legend. It was really sad to see him go, and I think he’s already moved on to another show, which I’m so happy for because he’s such a wonderful human being and a talented writer. But, I’m forever grateful to Julie. She has been so instrumental in changing my life, to be honest. I’ve had so many opportunities and so many amazing experiences that never would have been possible, if it wasn’t for this show. So, I’m eternally grateful to Julie and I’m excited to see what they do with the season. With her coming back on, I think it’s going to be really, really great. I think she’s gonna do some really, really amazing stuff with the season. There are a lot of stories to be told.
I’m forever indebted to Julie Plec. She is definitely a person who has shifted a huge part of my life that has allowed me to do so many great things. Last November, I had an opportunity to go out to Iraq and volunteer with an amazing non-profit, called Preemptive Love. A lot of that has got to do with the fact that I work on a TV show that’s so popular that I’m allowed access to some more stuff than people would normally have the opportunity to do, so I’m really grateful for that. I also want to try to be a better role model for this younger generation that’s coming up. You see social media, and how it’s so much about vanity and self and who’s got the biggest house or car, or who’s on the yacht or the private jet. I’ve been so fortunate to be on a show that’s in front of a young audience, and I can send a different message besides self, that’s more about community and loving and respecting one another, and going out of your way to not just be a talker, but to be a doer in life. There’s a lot of need outside these walls that we live in sometimes, and we forget about that. It’s thanks to Julie Plec that I have the opportunity, and this job that I’m able to do those things and share that message. She’s a rock star, in my eyes.
The Originals airs on Friday nights on The CW.
