The CWAs in life, there were pros and cons in last night episode of The Vampire Diaries. Pro: the Original siblings stopped their mother from killing them, ensuring Elijah's (Daniel Gillies) safety. Wheeee! Con: Elijah decided to leave Mystic Falls. Boo!
Luckily, fans of Mr. Gillies won't be without the well-coifed actor for long: Gillies' new show Saving Hope, a medical drama with a twist, has been picked up by NBC and he recently visited the E! News studio to tell us all about his new series. Spoiler Alert: he rides a lot of gurneys and has a boring Mc-label. (You know, like, Grey's Anatomy's McDreamy and McSteamy?)
Plus, he reveals his favorite TVD moment, which is one fans never got the chance to see, and reveals the secret to his friendship with co-star Joseph Morgan...
Gillies has had a lot of epic moments on TVD (including shattering windows with mere coins and surviving four deaths!), but his favorite was a much simpler scene that didn't make the final cut of a season two episode. "They cut this one moment out and it was my favorite moment," Gillies tells us. "It was the most beautiful piece of writing. I love scenes when they're very, very simple."
So what moment was it? Surprise, surprise: it was a moment between Elena (Nina Dobrev) and Elijah, which he describes as "succinct and pure." During a scene between the two characters, Elena does something and Elijah just stares at her. "She goes, 'What? What is it?' and Elijah says, 'It's nothing. You remind me of what I liked about being human.'" I liked it. I just thought it was one of the best things they ever wrote." Beautful writing, indeed!
Gillies admits he was (and continues to be) shocked by the overwhelming fan response to Elijah, but he's not complaining. "I don't get it," he says. "I feel really blessed. I did not think I would survive beyond two episodes. That's what he was supposed to live for in the beginning. I don't get why I'm still around to be honest. I just feel very lucky that the fans seem to like him so much."
As for his real-life bromance with Morgan, who plays his brother Klaus, Gillies says they bonded over something they both love: "Cocaine. We both do a lot of cocaine together, but his is much better than mine. It was just a natural ascension to a relationship. We both just really enjoy mountains and mountains of snow white blow." Don't worry, people, Gillies was clearly kidding. On a more serious note, he says, "He's just such a good guy. I just love Joseph. He's just very, very funny and he's only gotten funnier. It's weird, the cockier he's gotten, the more arrogant and everything, he's gotten funnier." Yeah, we're pretty sure he was joking about that whole arrogant thing, too!
Switching gears a bit, we had to ask Gillies about his new show Saving Hope and we're betting this one sentence will get all of you TVD fans to tune in: "I play a heart surgeon in it." Given Elijah's affinity for heart-snatching, it'll be like watching a spin-off show with the Original vamp as a doctor! Boom! Oh, you need a bit more information than that? "It's this very dreamy, hospital procedural. That makes it sound boring! It's actually really amazing. It's stunning and I never say that about anything that I'm in ever. Usually because I'm in it and I'm soiling it, but even this project was Daniel-proof! It's just beautiful." Daniel Gillies, just call him the master of modesty!
"One of the main protagonists played by Michael Shanks falls into a coma in the pilot and he basically becomes this phantom narrator of the show," Gillies explains of the series' premise. "My character comes in to essentially kind of replace him, athough I've already been brought on staff anyway." Gillies plays Joel, the ex-boyfriend of Erica Durance's character...who is engaged to the guy in a coma. So yes, expect a lot of "friction" between the two of them. (P.S. How awesome is it that Lois Lane and Elijah Mikaelson are going to be on the same show?!)
To hear more from Gillies, including why he thinks TVD fans have become so attached to Elijah and what his Saving Hope's character's Mc-moniker would be, watch our interview with him above and below!
What has been your favorite Elijah moment on TVD thus far? Were you bummed to see Elijah leave town so soon? Plus, will you be checking out Gillies' new show Saving Hope?