Will Stefan and Caroline Take a Bite Out of Love on ‘The Vampire Diaries’? Paul Wesley and Candice Accola on the Future of #Steroline

When Caroline finally scored some sexy time with Stefan, the experience wasn’t even close to the bliss the beautiful bloodsucker had hoped for. And now that the besties with benefits have turned their humanity back on, Caroline is suffering from some serious cold feet. Candice Accola and Paul Wesley share where the new couple is headed in Season 7.

Stefan and Caroline’s first time was far from romantic—it was more like a drunken hookup!
Accola: It’s certainly not how Caroline wanted to finally get together with Stefan and start a relationship. She wanted it to be genuine.
Wesley: Stefan took it better because he’s been alive for a very long time and he’s murdered many people. [Laughs]

Why did it take Stefan so long to acknowledge Caroline’s feelings for him as well as his feelings for her?
Accola: I should make a joke about boys just being unaware, but I have to cut him a break. He was dealing with what he thought was his brother Damon’s [Ian Somerhalder] death, so he was too distracted to think about how deep her feelings were.
Wesley: Look, Stefan was madly in love with Elena [Nina Dobrev]. I don’t think he thought for a moment that there would be another woman in his life. Ever.
Accola: Caroline is definitely intimidated by that. How can he truly love her after Elena? She’s in love with Stefan, but she feels like the odds are stacked against her.

So, Paul, can Stefan truly love Caroline after Elena?
Wesley: Stefan and Elena have an unrelenting passion, which has merit. But forming a bond and friendship that develops into a lifelong partnership—that pragmatic love has merit as well. And I think Stefan professes his love to Caroline—to a degree—when he says, “I’m here for you.”

Talk about trading places. Now Stefan is ready for a relationship, and Caroline isn’t so sure.
Wesley: Unless he’s in ripper mode, Stefan is a noble character, much more than I am in real life, and he’ll wait for her to feel ready. When you two work together, there’s a natural humor and plenty of steam, often at the same time. Do you agree?
Wesley: Yeah. There’s humor, there’s a sexiness, and there’s a friendship [that we bring to the characters].

Which one makes the other crack up?
Wesley: It’s me, 100 percent!
Accola: Paul is definitely the troublemaker. He has the bigger sense of humor. I’m so focused. If I’m trying to get ready for the next scene, I’m very focused on what’s next. And Paul is cracking jokes.

Sounds like Candice shares a type A personality with Caroline!
Accola: I’m very type A! Just ask my husband [The Fray guitarist Joe King]. There are many parallels between Caroline and me. It’s been very interesting playing her.

Caroline, does Paul make you laugh while filming your love scenes?
Accola: You’re in a room with 30 other people! Everyone’s cracking jokes! I find romantic scenes a hilarious endeavor. Because Caroline has had multiple romantic relationships over six years, it’s just another day at work for me. [Laughs]
Wesley: We’re such buddies in real life that when we have to do passionate scenes, we both can’t help but laugh. Plus, her husband is a really good friend of mine. It’s amusingly weird!

What’s your favorite shared scene so far?
Accola: The beginning of their friendship in Season 2, right after she turns and Stefan is teaching her how to be a vampire. She‘s stressing that she might have to eat bunnies. It was the first time you saw these characters—who are such polar opposites—work together.
Wesley: My favorite scene was also when Caroline was freaking out about being a vampire. She had gone on a rampage because she couldn’t control herself. She was in a public bathroom and I grabbed her face and told her it would be OK. I think the writers saw the connection during that scene and said, “Maybe this is something we can do in the future. Because if it’s only Stefan and Elena for six years, people may want to vomit.”

With Nina Dobrev’s departure ending the Elena/Damon pairing, will Steroline be the show’s must-watch couple?
Wesley: For all I know, they’ll bring in a new girl for Damon and they’ll have a very passionate romance. I think we’re going to be one of the main romances, but I’m not sure we’ll be the only one.

What do you want to happen?
Accola: I would like Caroline to have a relationship that works out. In the pilot, we saw a superficial Caroline, but really, she just wanted to be loved. That’s what she has always wanted. It would be a nice full-circle experience for her if she gets that in the end.
Wesley: I think Stefan—and the writers—want him and Caroline to be the endgame: the match.

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The Vampire Diaries, Season premiere, Thursday, October 8, 8/7c, The CW