Vampire Diaries’ Zach Roerig Wants To Become A Slayer

Zach Roerig plays Matt, Elena’s wholesome ex-boyfriend on CW’s new hit, The Vampire Diaries. In a recent interview, Roerig discussed Matt’s dysfunctional family, filming in Georgia and why he thinks Matt should kill a vampire.

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Why is Matt still so drawn to Elena?

I think it’s just one of those cases where he doesn’t know any different. Elena’s the only girlfriend he’s ever had. She’s his childhood best friend who was the first for everything.

Has playing a non-vampire given you vampire envy?

When it first started out I was totally content not playing a vampire just because there’s a lot of extra contacts and make-up involved. But now I think it would be kind of fun to play a vampire. Ian Somerhalder makes it look like a blast.

I liked that Matt and Stefan became friendly at the end of Friday NIght Bites. Are we going to see their relationship develop?

Matt doesn’t like Stefan right at the get-go because he’s going after his girl. As time goes on the natural good guy in Matt kicks in where he has to admit he’s a pretty nice guy. I can’t really hate him.

Where are Matt and Vickie’s parents? Matt seems to take care of Vickie almost like her father.

I don’t think that Matt or Vickie ever really had a father figure around. That’s why the Mom all through their childhood was bouncing around from guy to guy. So Vickie and Matt had to raise themselves.

Do you like taping in Georgia, far away from the Hollywood scene?

Yeah. We’ve got a great cast as far as the bond we’ve all got now. We’re all a big family. It’s kind of nice to be outside of Hollywood because it lets you stay focused.

Who are your closest friends on the set?

I really look up to Marcos Siega, our Supervising Producer and director of several episodes. He’s really a very cool guy and I’ve learned a lot from him. Same goes for Ian. He’s been through it. He’s been a guiding leader throughout this process. It’s a lot of our first experiences being on a show from an organic point. We shot the pilot, the pilot got picked up and now we’re still shooting. It’s crazy that I got to be a part of it from the start. It’s been a little overwhelming because the show is so popular.

Last season you played Cash on Friday Night Lights. What do you remember most from that experience?

It was the first time that I ever [worked with] a steadicam. I was so enamored with the steadicam. It’s like something out of Transformers. Plus, I’m a country boy from Ohio. I rode horses since I was a kid. When I booked the job they asked if I could ride. I got to go out there about two weeks before we started filming. I trained with cowboys on a ranch. It was really cool.

Which of the characters that you’ve played are most similar to you?

Matt and I are pretty similar actually. I’m very protective of my little sister and girl cousin. A movie I did a few years ago, Assassination of a High School President, just came out on DVD. My Mom rented it and she said, “You know what? This is the second time you’ve played an Irish kid named Matt.”

What would you like Matt’s character arc to be?

I think that every family [in Mystic Falls] is going to have some kind of secret. I think it would be cool if Matt killed a vampire. I think once Matt realizes that there are vampires he will definitely be involved in the killing of vampires.

What has been your favorite scene so far?

I’m a huge fan of the football stuff because I played in high school.

What’s it like working with Kevin Williamson?

I am honored to work with Kevin Williamson because I’ve been trying to work with him for years. I tried out for a few pilots in the past that he had written and the network thought other people were right and chose them. But Kevin kept bringing me in for stuff and we were finally able to work together.

When you’re not working, what television shows do you like to watch?

I like Flash Forward. My friend Peyton List is on that. I’m definitely an Entourage viewer.