The TV Chick

Last week’s episode of The Vampire Diaries featured a very interesting development for some of our favorite new Mystic Falls residents, The Originals. Mama Original used Elena’s blood to put a spell on all the siblings, so if one dies, they all die. I think I speak for many when I say that I hope something goes wrong with this spell because I can’t stand the thought of  Klaus, Elijah or Rebekah leaving. (I’m sure I will come to love Kol as well. Finn needs to stop being all into his mother. But I digress.) I recently had the chance to chat with Daniel Gillies, who plays Elijah, about the spell, Elijah’s love for Elena and his and Damon’s unlikely semi-friendship. Gillies also had some ideas as to where The Originals could reside besides Mystic Falls, and one of them involves a very interesting choice of attire.

Last week, Elijah drank from the champagne that his mom put a spell on. I know I speak for a lot of people when I say I don’t want the spell to work. How is that going to change things?
Well, I guess it’s going to either destroy us or unify us in some way, at least for a short time. I think we’re going to have to create the unions that we didn’t really have formerly and I think we’re going to have to dispense with any sort of differences temporarily among the siblings if we are going to overcome our mother.

What is the dynamic going to be with Elijah and his other siblings? Who is he closest to?
Well, I think he’s always been closest to Klaus. I think that he definitely has a really strong relationship with Rebekah as well but I think Klaus is the one that he’s always felt [closest to]. I think what seems to be alluded to in the writing is that they spent a lot of their time together throughout the centuries. It seems to have been Elijah and Klaus sort of touring the world. Certainly when we flash back in time to the 1600s, there was sort of a glimpse in there when they were sort of reminiscing together. You got the sense that they traveled the world together. And that the world had been theirs, in many different senses of that expression, on many different continents. So I think Niklaus is the one he is closest to.

Elijah, in essence, has forgiven Klaus. But do you think he will be able to forgive Klaus for everything that happened with his mother?
I suspect these guys have had to forgive one another many, many, many times throughout history. I think that he’s going to be more than capable of kind of looking beyond it in order to defeat the mother. But, do I think that can he ever trust him again? I’m not sure that Elijah ever did. I don’t think he has for hundreds of years.

It seems like Damon and Elijah kind of like each other, a little bit. Are they going to continue with this – I don’t know if you can call it a friendship…
It’s funny, a lot of people like the scenes between Ian and I. And actually, I’ve got to say, some of my favorite scenes have between Ian and myself. I really enjoy working with Ian. I don’t know what it is, because [Damon’s] so snarky and weird and Elijah seems so stoic but they both have a sense of humor. I think that’s what’s funny. One’s sort of a snarky, bitchy humor and Elijah’s kind of got that weird, monk like comedy. Like everything in the world is sort of funny, because I could murder it all. It’s an interesting combo, those two on the screen together. I don’t know why. It’s probably because we amuse each other, also.

Is Elijah going to make any more unlikely friends?
I can’t say. I mean, Elijah doesn’t randomly choose friends. I think that he really, really values friendship. And he values respect almost even more. I think that if he respected somebody – friendship aside, whether or not he could become friends with them is something else – if he respects someone, then it’s somebody who obviously has a great degree of nobility. He really does respect Stefan and Elena.

Even though Stefan has gone a little crazy lately?
Yeah, but he respects him anyway. I think he understands the choices that he’s had to make.

And there’s been a lot of fans who want to see Elijah and Elena get together…
I know. This grows by the day.

Yes, I’m sure you hear a lot of it.
I don’t understand. Let me ask you something. Do you think it’s creepy? Do you think that’s a creepy pairing?

Maybe a little, but certainly no creepier than Caroline and Klaus, and people are really pushing for them to get together.
I don’t think it’s any creepier than that. What do you think is creepy, the age difference? Ian is a year younger than me, I think.

I don’t think it’s really that creepy. I like both of the characters.
Or maybe two years younger than me, but no more than two. I don’t know, I think that there is a romance happening anyway, at least in my mind. They might not be articulating it, they might not be saying it, but there’s something kind of going on between them. I can’t explain it. But it’s just there when you see the two of them. It’s in the very classical sense of the older, more regal — in the tradition of the vampire, it’s often the older guy or whatever, and the fascinating, maiden-like beauty. There’s something Dracula about their relationship, between Elijah and Elena. I don’t know why, but for some reason, that emerges.

There’s a big flashback coming up and I know you can’t say much about it, but are we going to learn more about Elijah and Tatia?
Yeah, I think so. I’d imagine so. These writers are very strategic and I don’t think they’d bring up anything unless they were going to expand upon it. But, I do think that as long as Elijah is on the screen, you’re always going to learn something new about him. The lovely part of doing television versus movies is you’re able to continue to grow and to unravel. It’s like the layers of an onion. It’s an amazing experience being an actor on a television show, because you learn more and more all the time.

Especially with a show that’s so mythology based. I mean I sometimes don’t see things coming. I am so impressed.
I know. I do not see anything coming from moment to moment. I’m still shocked, and I’ve read the scripts. I don’t understand.

Are we going to learn more about why Elijah is so wary of his mother? Obviously it’s for good reason.
Well, I don’t think we really need to learn why. She’s definitely responsible for a lot of the mischief and misfortune in their lives. I don’t think it takes a Harvard graduate to understand his rage towards her. But there’s definitely a part of him that wants to believe that she could turn it around.

Do you think Elijah wants to settle into Mystic Falls with his family? Do you think he’s happy about this?
I think he wants to be anywhere where he could create a unity between the members of his immediate family. But he’d be most happy in New York.

Interesting. Why do you think so?
Because I like it myself.

Because you want to go there?
Because I want to shoot in New York. I think Elijah’s top choices for where his family should reside: Tahiti, New York, Spain.

Anywhere with a beach or a nice city you can shoot in.
The Originals take Rio.

You got to take that one up with Julie, I guess.
Exactly. I’ll pitch it to her in a Brazilian thong.

Well, that will probably convince her. (laughs)
I don’t know. It might work exactly in the opposite direction.

Then, she might put Elijah in a thong…(laughs)
No, let’s never suggest that. (laughs) We’ll lose millions of viewers.

He’s far too noble to know what a thong is, probably. (laughs)
He can have a bowtie on the top of his thong – a tiny, glittery bowtie. Or it can have tails at the back. You need to unlock your mind. You need a little bit more liberty.

I think you need to pitch that one to Julie!
I agree.

Wow, now I’m really excited about the prospect of a bowtie. In Rio, of course. I like where we’re going with this. It would be too cold to go to New York with a thong right now.
It is a little bit. I think we should wait to the warmer months. He can join that cowboy gentleman in Times Square.

I would be like who is that Original next to the naked cowboy? (laughs)
I think we’ll be signing show tunes.

I guess Elijah might have gone to a lot of Broadway in his day… I don’t know.
Can you imagine the languages he knows? The now extinct languages that he knows. He can probably sing anything from a Mayan chant to an old Tibetan prayer to Burlesque. His repertoire’s got to be pretty vast.

Maybe he can impress Elena with his musical talent?
He doesn’t need to impress her. She’s already there. He doesn’t need to work.

Back to the show, although I’m now thinking about the bowtie thong, thank you…
Hold on, hold on, let’s go back to the thong for a second. It’s black and white. Fifty percent of it’s black and fifty percent of it’s white. You have to imagine junk here, I’m sorry. From right down the middle heading west across the hips, and white heading east.

Now, are there buttons?
Oh! Now we’re talking! And a little tiny waistcoat. This is amazing. And let’s not go for the tiny top hat. Anyway, keep going.

(laughs) Now I have to get the image out of my head.
It’s a terrible image.

It’s an amazing image. (laughs) So there’s also a lot of fans talking about Elijah’s haircut. When did he have time to get that?
I had about seven months where I was locked in that coffin and no one told me whether or not I was coming back to the show. There was a suggestion I was coming back to the show but it just kept getting delayed and delayed and delayed. By the third or fourth time that I wasn’t going back, because they decided they wanted to surprise later and later in the season with his return, I was just sick of it. It works for Elijah but it just didn’t work for me. And actually, that’s a wig when I return. That’s my old haircut. And those hair guys are unbelievable. Our team, they’re incredible.

Rebekah had time to get a new dress, so I think it’s okay.
They did a great job. Well, he didn’t have a haircut in the coffin. When he emerged, he had the same hair. It’s funny people are all saying that – did he have a haircut when he was in the coffin? I’m like, no. The first scene where you see him, he rips that heart out, he’s got his old hair. But then he goes away and gets a haircut. But nobody seems to put that together.

Are there going to be any more dinner parties? Because that was one of my favorite scenes.
Really? You liked it? I was hoping people would. Because I find that stuff engaging but when I look at it, I always think, are fans really into this? Because it’s four men with strange haircuts and suits and the camera traveling in fancy directions and everybody airbrushed out. I’m wondering is this of any interest to anybody. I mean, the writers keep it pretty engaging. I know I’m enjoying this.

I love the dichotomy between Elijah and Klaus’ mood and Damon and Stefan’s mood. They wanted to get answers. I thought it was a really interesting scene.
I’m glad you dug it. It makes me happy that you liked it. You fell asleep twice, didn’t you?

No, no, no! I sit on the edge of my seat during every episode!
That is awesome.

So no more dinner scenes for the moment at least?
No, no. Not unless we’re feasting on the young women of Mystic Falls.

What can you tease about the next couple episodes and beyond? I know you can’t spoil too much.
Well, we need to establish a new order. We either need to squash this terrible plight on our family or perish. And that’s it.

Thank you so much. I will now probably think about tuxedo or bowtie thongs for the rest of the day.
That’s awesome. Think of it fondly.

Of course.
Let your imagination be kind. Give it exactly the dimensions you need.

Be sure to tune in tonight at 8 PM to the CW for an all new episode of The Vampire Diaries.

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