It’s hard not to be in love with Jeremy Gilbert. Steven R. McQueen’s character on The Vampire Diaries is a kid whose had a lot of loss and is just trying to find his way through the world. Whether its his relationship with Uncle John, Damon or Bonnie, Jeremy is looking for something to help him.
We spoke to McQueen about his characters upcoming relationships, his daddy issues with Damon and what he does for fun in Atlanta.
What’s your interpretation of the Damon-Jeremy relationship?
Steven R. McQueen: Jeremy lost his father at a young age, so in a sense he’s always looking for a father figure. At a point it was Uncle John. But Damon is always the antagonist in their relationship. When Jeremy sees him, he’s kind of like “OK, this guy is involved in this whole world that I know nothing about,” and I think he becomes that father figure for a while. Until he scratches my neck and I realize he’s not all that great of a guy. For a while I looked up to him as a mentor. Though Damon sometimes has good intentions he usually goes about it in the wrong way and Jeremy realizes he’s not the greatest role model to have.
What’s your take on the Jeremy-Bonnie romance? Do you think it has potential to go the distance?
Steven R. McQueen: It’s tough to say. I think Jeremy cares about Bonnie in a great way. I think Jeremy’s whole love life has been a hell of a complicated one. He loses both his parents, he’s in this spot of extreme repression of emotions and gets involved in drugs and alcohol and all that fun stuff and that relates to the character’s issues. He becomes a little calloused, hard headed, but he’s always got good intentions.
From our fans on Twitter, @mus1c_ wants to know: Which other character from the show would you like to see Jeremy share more scenes with?
Steven R. McQueen: Any of them! I would love to see Jeremy start training in the vampire hunting ways a little more, maybe with Alaric, possibly with Uncle John. Even though that’s a bit of a complicated relationship, just to start accepting his family responsibility and start getting involved with the whole vampire hunting thing.
@snowballx is wondering: Will there be more Jeremy and Tyler scenes before the end of the season?
Steven R. McQueen: Possibly. They do have a friendship. I think right now Tyler’s character is more concentrated on figuring out what the responsibilities of being a werewolf is all about.
@msannie wants to know: Do you have any upcoming projects outside of The Vampire Diaries?
Steven R. McQueen: No, not really. Nothing right now!
What is your favorite part about working on The Vampire Diaries?
Steven R. McQueen: I love playing Jeremy as a character. He’s very complex. He struggled with addiction and has worked on becoming his own self. That parallels a little bit with my life, I’ve been in AA for a while now, so the role has been therapeutic as well as fun to portray.
What other similarities do you share with Jeremy?
Steven R. McQueen: I’ve got a couple of loose screws upstairs myself [laughs]. Jeremy’s at times are more lost than anyone’s ever have been. Jeremy’s lost his parents, two girls he’s loved; he’s seen people die all around him. He’s a much darker version of myself. Not that I’m all that light [laughs].
Are you enjoying Atlanta (where The Vampire Diaries is filmed)? What do you do for fun?
Steven R. McQueen: I like it. I’m looking forward to summer, I’m not a big winter guy. I’ve got my dog out here; I’ve got my little neighborhood. I’m starting to miss California, but it’s fun. I go to see concerts, play a lot of video games [laughs’. Yesterday I went ice-skating. I’m a hockey player and I’m trying to find a league that goes on the weekends, I haven’t been as dedicated as I probably should be.
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(Image courtesy of the CW)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
