A spoilery bit from Carina MacKenzie aka the lady that is joined at the hip to the VD cast –

Paul Wesley at Eye-Con -

Favorite off-screen moments: friendships & camaraderie with fellow cast.

Paul Wesley likes having Elena and Katherine around…..but loves the romance with Elena.

Is it harder or easier to play Stefan as the show goes on? “I understand the character.” Thinks Season 3 will get more complex

On blood: they keep changing the formula of the blood. The cast members are guinea pigs.

Paul “We’re like chemists, we keep having to change the formula.”

Paul adores Elijah and he loves being in twitter.

Paul spoke a little French to a fan who flew in from France.

Paul would love to play a werewolf. “It’s fang appropriate.”

Paul said he can’t make a decision team Jacob and team Edward.

On “the fuss”: people have been very respectful and he’s always flattered when people approach him about the show.

Paul Wesley said in the scenes when he cries Ian is pinching his legs and makes him cry.

Paul’s favorite scene in Season 1 is when Nina touches his face before the first love scene.

Paul says that there isn’t too much room for improv because the writing is instrumental.

His inspirations: Ingmar Bergman, Stanley Kubrick, Christopher Guest, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Gary Oldman.

Paul’s favorite co-worker is Ernesto Riley.

Paul is hoping to do a movie soon. There are some things in the works. Keep your fingers crossed.

Paul wishes he could infuse some of his sarcasm into Stefan and not brood so much.

Paul offered to throw himself out a window (pilot scene) to prove he wanted the role very badly.

Paul said during season 1 it was hard to switch back and forth between Paul & Stefan at first.

Paul takes his supernatural characters and grounds them in reality.

S2:Ep.18 – The Last Dance Synopsis – As the high school prepares to throw a “1960s Decade Dance,” Elena starts receiving disturbing messages from Klaus via an unusual source. Bonnie tries to reassure Jeremy that she is strong enough to help Elena, but a worried Jeremy asks Stefan for advice. Caroline talks Matt into taking her to the dance. Expecting Klaus to show up at the dance, Damon and Alaric attend as chaperones, but Klaus is playing a complicated game that keeps them on edge. Finally, Damon comes up with a new plan of action that shocks and upsets everyone.

Dawn Olivieri interviewed by PopWrap - When Andie Star entered Damon’s life, he was still reeling from the loss of Rose. When actress Dawn Olivieri entered “The Vampire Diaries,” fans were still reeling from her loss as well. But Dawn made quick work of filling that fabulous female void and Andie made quick work of filling Damon’s bed.

Yet she has turned out to be a lot more than your average compel-ee, becoming more of a sounding board than any of Damon’s previous walking blood banks. In fact, many fans are wondering if she’s the one who could finally get his heart off Elena for good.

In celebration of my favorite Andie episode (“The Dinner Party) repeating tonight, I rang Dawn up to talk about her arc on the show, what the rest of season two holds for Mystic Falls’ intrepid reporter and why porn would be a suitable backup career for Miss Star!

PopWrap: First off, it should be said that Andie Star is an amazing reporters name.
Dawn Olivieri: I know, right? I don’t think you can beat that! Someone should take it and actually become a reporter! And if that doesn’t work out, then porn star is always possible [laughs]. Doesn’t it kind of seem like it could be a porn star name also?

PW: For sure — although for many fans, that bathtub scene came close.
Dawn: [laughs] Oh, that was just a horrible day, grey clouds moved in.

PW: It’s always tough when a love interest comes in for one of the guys on a teen series, but fans have really taken to Andie.
Dawn: Well, if that’s true, then you’re really gonna love her in a few weeks, because I laid it on heavier than normal in the last episode we shot. I want it to build, want her to become comfortable in the state of being she’s constantly in. I’m having a lot of fun, but I’m glad you’re enjoying that because you never know as an actor if a choice is going to work or not [laughs].

PW: Right, especially when that choice involves suffering from a fictional malady.
Dawn: Totally. What’s funny to me is that the writers are really showing what it’s doing to Damon. In season one, he was compelling Vicki and it became disastrous. He may have entered this situation thinking it could be a similar case, but it’s turning out much differently for Damon, which has been an interesting turn. He’s not just able to shrug her off like he thought he could. I can’t wait for you guys to see episode 19 – there’s a lot of Andie and Damon in that one. Some big things go down.

PW: The compulsion is interesting because I think she doesn’t actually mind — what do you think?
Dawn: It’s a really good question. An episode ago, I would have said yes, but given what we’ve filmed, I might say no. Think about it like an alcoholic – when you’ve been drinking for so long, that state of being becomes normal to you. It’s almost a subconscious decision. But so far, she hasn’t been given the opportunity to make a choice.

PW: And yet I love how you’ve been playing her because while she’s being swayed by Damon, I also think we’ve seen a lot of who she truly is through that.
Dawn: I think so too. I mean, who’d want to watch — or play — a drone robot. It’s been a difficult part of the character for me: incorporating her real self in with her compelled self. I decided that she doesn’t have any fear when she’s compelled, so it’s been fun trying to figure out how you act when nothing frightens you. All I can refer to is how I would act, and I’d be funny – I have a good time, I’m laid-back, I’m making jokes. If life doesn’t scare you, you’re going about it in a way that’s super fun.

PW: Historically though, things don’t end well for Damon’s women.
Dawn: I think any time you watch this show, you should have concerns [about dying]. But the great thing about science fiction is that even if you die, it doesn’t mean you leave. Look at Caroline! So what if Andie dies, she could rise from the dead a month later!

…who will be played by Dawn Olivieri

and her first table read will be on Monday.

What do you guys think?

~M.