The changing face of evil

Vampires have come a long way since Max Schreck's grotesque Nosferatu in 1922 and Bela Lugosi's suavely creepy Dracula in 1931. In fact, by the look of the Cullen family in Twilight and New Moon, and the cross-purposed Salvatore brothers of The Vampire Diaries (this year's People's Choice winner of Best New Dramatic Series and premiering tonight on MBC Action), vampires are some of the best-looking creatures walking the earth, undead or alive. Ian Somerhalder is the heartthrob who stars as Damon, the evil vampire brother, in The Vampire Diaries. He and his brother Stefan, played by Paul Wesley, are attracted to the same high school girl. Stefan wants to protect her. Damon, however, wants to consume her. "There are many layers of contradiction," said Somerhalder. "Still, The Vampire Diaries is the PG [parental guidance suggested] version of the vampire myth. A 13-year-old can comfortably watch it with her mother beside her." That statement points up two of the major themes coursing through the genre's resurgent popularity: a focus on a younger and younger audience and a focus on young females. And little wonder as far as The Vampire Diaries television series is concerned. Based on the novels of LJ Smith, the story has been brought to the small screen by the producer Kevin Williamson, who is best known for Dawson's Creek, the TV series that made household names of many of its then-teenage stars, and the cinema's Scream franchise, which rocked box offices the world over with its savvy references to teenage-oriented slasher films. Whereas TV series are usually a writer's medium as far as plot and character development go, Somerhalder said that Williamson's hand in the mix altered that. "This is really an anomaly - luckily for me. It is just great storytelling on the small screen. He consults with me. The writers write for me. There is a real collaboration. It's almost the same freedom you have in doing a film." Somerhalder jokingly referred to himself at 31 as "the dirty old man" of the cast, but he is, indeed, the oldest and most experienced cast member other than those playing parents and teachers. He had a recurring role as Boone Carlyle on Lost for six years, showed up in The Tournament (2009) and Pulse (2006) and even had a recurring role in Smallville. "I think I'm a couple of years older than Paul but, yeah, I'm a lot older than the girls," he said. The spotlight is nothing new for Somerhalder, who, at his mother's urging, began a childhood career as a model at the age of 10. As he reached adolescence, however, he went back to doing what most boys his age were doing: playing sport. He played university football and baseball as a schoolboy before jumping at the opportunity, at the age of 17, to do fashion modelling in Europe. At 19, he began to study acting, and a chance encounter with an agent while working as an extra in James Toback's hip-hop feature Black and White led to a series of TV and film roles. He does not like to talk about his modelling background, but there is no denying that his good-looks and his model's ability to change his look had a big hand in his landing the role of Damon. "I change all the time and my character changes with me," he said with a laugh in response to a question about his somewhat boyish appearance in the show's pilot in contrast to his sultry handsomeness in the promotional photos. "In every episode, Damon looks different. He really has the power to do whatever he wants and that includes changing his look." Getting into the role was not too difficult. "I ran around and bit about 15 people," he joked before explaining that he grew up around New Orleans where the vampire myth and the influence of Anne Rice, author of The Vampire Chronicles (Interview with a Vampire, etc) were distinct presences. Somerhalder attributes the current popularity of vampire films and TV series to an enduring human attraction to the qualities that, oddly enough, he points to Ian Fleming's James Bond as representing. "People love the bad boy because he represents sex, danger and beauty all in one fell swoop," he said. Whether all of this will fly in the Middle East is something of an experiment on the part of MBC. Somerhalder, however, has little doubt that it will work just fine. "Even if you take out all the racier stuff," he concluded, "you still have a great story to follow." jsipe@thenational.ae

The changing face of evil

Today's vampires have undergone a make-over. Sure, the blood thing is still there but are they ever good-looking! The Vampire Diaries premieres tonight at 10 on MBC Action.