Katerina Graham Interview

The beautiful and talented Katerina Graham has grown an impressive resume over the past ten years. She began her career in The Parent Trap alongside Lindsay Lohan, this past spring was seen paling around with Zac Efron in 17 Again, and every Thursday night at 8pm Graham appears as a cast regular on the hottest new fall show, Vampire Diaries. Fans have declared Vampire Diaries a hit and last week's premiere broke the record for the most watched series premiere ever on The CW.

Taking on the role of Bonnie Bennett, Graham plays the best friend of Elena Gilbert who is being seduced by the dark and mysterious world of vampires. Bonnie has her excitement, she is convinced that she is psychic, and has the daunting task of seeing the future of her small town. The ensemble cast is remarkable, the story is fresh, and all you vamp lovers are going to love this!

PopStar spoke with actress/model/student/dancer Katerina Graham about her new role on Vampire Diaries and what fans can expect from season one. Get ready for an explosive season of love, mystery, and tons of dark and devious vampires. Airing every Thursday on The CW at 8pm before fan favorite Supernatural, making Thursday night must-watch TV again!

PopStar: Vampire Diaries is a hit; can you tell us your thoughts about the show?
Katerina Graham: This might sound funny because I am on it but the show is amazing. It is one of the best vampire shows I have ever seen in my life. It is good, it is phenomenal, it fabulous, and it might be groundbreaking, I don't know, it's amazing. Okay I am gushing [laugh].

PopStar: Give us all the juicy details about your character Bonnie Bennett.
Katerina Graham: I play Bonnie Bennett in the show. Bonnie Bennett is psychic and she is also Elena Gilbert's best friend, they grew up together. She has this foreboding energy about her, in the beginning it is about little intuitions and senses things which I think is so amazing. They are giving her this gift right when vampires come to town. She knows that something is wrong but she can't put her finger on it. Throughout the show, her powers grow and she actually gets put to the test on a couple of things. It is a great character; she has this hippie style, very fun, innocent and very fun to play.

PopStar: Before the show, had you read L.J. Smith's Vampire Diaries?
Katerina Graham: Oh yeah, I have. L.J. Smith's Vampire Diaries was a book written a long time ago before Twilight, True Blood, and all those shows came out. I love it, I think it is a great book; my character has been changed a little bit. As has Elena's character, many last names, the ethnicity, the hair color, and The Eye color.

PopStar: You mention that many details have changed from the book, do the main story arch at all change throughout the series?
Katerina Graham: Yea, certain episodes are very similar to the book and certain episodes are completely different. It is important that the fans know that it is based on L.J.'s novel, but it is not word for word, line for line, or character for character. I think initially some people were like, "Wow, how can you change it?" But I think now that they are seeing the show they are loving it, maybe some even more than they could have pictured it. We have some great fans. When we were shooting the pilot we had fans blogging about the show and I have never had that before. I talk to the fans online all the time and keep them updated. I want them to know they can always reach me.

PopStar: Where are you guys filming Vampire Diaries?
Katerina Graham: We shoot the pilot in Vancouver and we are out here in Atlanta, Georgia shooting for the season.

PopStar: Message to the fans.
Katerina Graham: I like to meet fans; I am a total fan-o-holic. I invite them to everything; I think that more actors should talk to their fans. Even you if you are on a big show and you are busy, the fans are the ones that make everything happen. I want them to know how much they mean to me.