Interview with Taylor Kinney

Taylor Kinney plays Tyler Lockwood's very young and attractive uncle Mason on the "Vampire Diaries". In this interview he talks about his earlier gigs on the telenovela "Fashion House" and the medical drama "Trauma" and reveals some details about working on the "Vampire Diaries" and what makes this show so special.

Foto: Copyright: NBC Universal
© NBC Universal

The interview is © myFanbase 2010. Please do not copy it to other websites or messageboards.

1. In 2006 you played Luke Gianni in "Fashion House". What was it like to work with Bo Derek, Morgan Fairchild and Tippi Hedren?*

It was great working with Bo Derek. Fashion House was one of my first big jobs and she was like a mom to me for the first 6 months. I actually didnt realize how famous she was until after we finished shooting and we started our press tour. Radio hosts and celebrity journalists would start sweating when she walked in the room. Most of them said they grew up with posters of her on their walls. Morgan Fairchild was great to work with and watch. She had endless stories about life in Hollywood. I didn't work with Tippi directly, but I remember a time when, during a scene, part of the roof caved and dumped water all over her. The crew was worried she'd be upset but she laughed it off, grabbed an umbrella and went on with the scene.

* Bo Derek was a sex symbol in the 1980s, Morgan Fairchild became a style icon through the 80s soap "Flamingo Road" and Tippi Hedren was the lead actress in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" (1963) and "Marnie" (1964).

2. On "Trauma" you play the new EMT Glenn Morrison. Can you imagine yourself working in such a job finding yourself struggling with the question who to treat first when there's a huge accident?

When i first started "Trauma" in San Francisco I was lucky enough to ride along with the local EMTs. The first time I shadowed them I had no idea what their protocol was. I had a billion questions. They showed me how they treat victims by the extent of their injury versus whoever you come upon first. Even after playing an EMT for a year, I'm still amazed how many lives they save everyday and how they can still balance a personal life. They really are real superheroes.

3. You play Mason Lockwood on "Vampire Diaries". When Damon killed Mason he said Mason wanted to die rather than live on with the curse. There was a lot of speculation around this comment. Do you think Mason really wanted to die at that point?

I think there was so much going on internally as far as the relationship and betrayal of Katherine, which he had just found out about. It was too much for him to take in so it was less of an admission to Damon and more of the struggle of being hurt by someone he loved. He wasn't afraid of Damon, he just didn't care to live anymore if he had to bear that pain. Under different circumstances Mason would have responded differently. The scene for Mason wasn't about a conflict between Mason and Damon, it was Mason seeing his world go black because of Katherine. She was the only thing on his mind those last moments.

4. You have a great on screen chemistry with Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley. Your three characters are a threat to each other and this was very palpable. Is this difficult to play with another actor you know and get on with well?

Working with Ian and Paul was a main highlight of the entire project. The lines got blurry with the characters lives and our personal lives. I really thought they were vampires and maybe they thought i was really a wild animal! I'm just gonna say for the record, i've never seen either of them sleep.

5. You don't have a lot of scenes with Nina Dobrev but the ones you have are quite intimate scenes. How do you as actors approach love scenes in case you haven't met the person opposite you before?

You'd think it would be difficult but it's one of the easier parts of the job. You find something you like about that person and you just go for it. That was more comfortable for me because she's a pretty girl and has a beautiful soul.

6. If you could be a supernatural creature what would you like to be and why?

I've actually thought about this before. I'd be a werepire. It's a hybrid of a vampire and a werewolf so I'd have the supernatural powers of both. Plus I could fly and I'd be even harder to kill. The only way for a werepire to die is if he bites himself on the neck during a full moon. You wonder, why would he do that? Exactly! He'll be around for a long long long time.

7. What was the best part of working on "Vampire Diaries"?

The fans. I've never been part of a project where the fans are so devoted as they are on "Vampire Diaries". So thank you to all the viewers, you really do make the show.

8. What do you like to do to relax after a busy day at the film set?

Eat steak and drink red wine.

9. What does a perfect date look like to you?

I don't care who it's with or what we do, I just want to laugh. A lot.

Nicole Oebel - myFanbase