The Vampire Diaries' Jasmine Guy and Katerina Graham Discuss Spoilers, Dance and Prince Proteges

You play grandmother and granddaughter, and your actual ages (47 and 20) make that idea seem ludicrous. Is there anything grandmotherly about you, Jasmine? Did you tap into that?

JG: Oh, not really. I did tap into my maternal instinct, and that goes for mothers, grandmothers, great-grams. I find this character maternal, but odd. In my mind, whoever is in between me and Bonnie is, you know -- my progeny is estranged in some way because of my practices. That's what I say. Who knows? That's just an actor giving you their own back-story, and it means absolutely nothing.

Do you often assign back story to your characters?

JG: Yeah. Always. I'm always thinking about their life and where they lived and how they grew up, and how -- yeah. Even if they only have four lines! [Laughs] It's a lot of work for four lines, but it's worth it. And it's for more interesting to me to get lost in a character that has all of that going for them. I try to fill in as many blanks on the inner character as I can.

Grandmother Bennett is kind of spooky. How do you do it?

JG: Oh, I'm not doing anything. That is just my normal self. I'm not playing spooky so much as I'm trying to educate my granddaughter without scaring the mess out of her. And trying to make it like it's just a natural thing when she's really freaking out about what's happening to her. And so I guess there is some kind of elusiveness that goes with it. So I'm glad that's spooky.

Does the same go for you, Katerina? Your character's history goes back more than a hundred years. Do you consider all that stuff when playing the part?

KG: Similar to what Jasmine said, I do a lot of back-story. I think about my continuity, like where I walked and which way I turned. And I think about the back-story of Emily Bennett, the great-great-great grandmother that possessed me. I would watch Bianca [Lawson], the actress who plays her, when I wasn't in a scene. I would come to set and kind of study how she moves, and her voice, and her pattern of speech. And it really helped. It helped get into the character and get the vibe of her.

You mentioned Dead Like Me earlier with ease. Are you pretty familiar with Jasmine's old gigs?

KG: You're putting me on blast! But I. Love. Jasmine. Guy. OK, like... I have the music videos. Honestly, there haven't been that many -- well, maybe there are -- but in the position I've been in, there haven't been many actresses/artists that I really look up to, that are biracial and come from similar backgrounds to me. That comes from this dancing world. There's Janet, Jasmine Guy, and Paula Abdul, and that's it! And Jasmine's the only one with a similar background to me, a big inspiration, like... I'm trying to keep my cool during this interview. I'm a huge, huge Jasmine Guy fan. I'm honored to learn from her, and you know, Jasmine, I watch you when you're working and when you talk, I take everything to tell me in. It's a big part of my growth at where I'm at right now.

JG: Oh, wow. Thank you!

KG: There, I got it out. [Laughs.]

JG: I'm glad to hear all that, so I could finally... rise to this occasion. I should stop messin' around so much. Like, pay attention, girl, she's watching you.

Do you guys give each other advice?

JG: Well, you know, in between takes, we talk, we have a lot to talk about. We have a lot of intersecting experiences, and we've met a lot of the same obstacles. I also think that the ability to dance and act is an interesting combination. There are a few, like Shirley MacLaine and Debbie Allen that mix the two. That's a unique situation that puts us in a sub-category.

Though you disappear into your dramatic roles as well, Whitley Gilbert was such an awesome character. Do you miss comedy?

JG: Sometimes I do. Because after a certain amount of hours, I need to hear a joke. I'll be on set, like, "We're still doing this? Eight hours later? Ain't nobody got nothing funny to say?" I've got her to help me with that.

KG: Yes. We're very alike in that way. I'm always giggling or laughing, and I'll catch Jasmine busting into a dance move.

JG: We need each other to stay alive. And awake and alert.

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