My interview with Todd Lasance took place at the Friday Night Bites Season 7 finale party in Covington Square. Fans know it as “Mystic Falls”. Want a tour of it? Check out Mystic Falls Tours.
Known for his villainous character as ‘Julian’ in season 7 of The Vampire Diaries, Todd spent his time in a very interesting role. In spite of his murderous tendencies towards the Salvatore brothers, Julian was an antagonist in love. Albeit equip with narcissistic tendencies, he truly loved Lily Salvatore (Damon and Stefan’s estranged mother) and wanted her all to himself. To this end, he would spare no effort in making sure he had things his way. I mean, I guess a century and a half long love affair will do that to you right?
In season 7 we watched him control Lily and her little brood of heretics after his resurrection from the Phoenix Stone. It was interesting to watch the conflict between Lily’s love for Julian and her love for her sons, as completely screwed up as that love was. There were moments where Julian’s dominating affection towards Lily was kinda hot. Maybe I’m just a little cray but I thought it was.
Still, lest we not forget that Julian was responsible for the death of Stefan’s unborn child and ultimately the loss of his first true love. You couldn’t help but to get pissed at the guy… but damn if he isn’t smoking hot right.
Good news…
Todd Lasance is the sweetest narcissistic villainous vamp you’ll ever meet. In fact, he’s downright charming and has a spectacular sense of humor.
Todd Lasance Interview
I had the pleasure of speaking with Todd this Friday and yes, he’s as handsome as personable. In my opinion, I think he looks even better in person.
He’s fit, tall with piercing baby blues and damn if his smile doesn’t light up a room. I have to say, he’s much hotter than most film stars are in real life. Male talent tends to be lanky and short… they have to keep up with their jaw line maybe? Not Todd! While I wasn’t exactly whipping out the tape measure, he must have stood at 6′ tall. And yeah, standing with him for a photo isn’t the worst thing I’ve done on a Friday night that is for sure.
He and Chris Brochu (Luke from season 5 and 6) were cool enough to hang with the entire town Covington before the premiere of the seasons finale.
Villains always intrigue me and they are my favorite characters to interview. I am always amazed at the incredible talent which goes into preparation and execution of a villainous role. You literally have to be a bit stretched to the ends to really nail it. Well, Todd totally nails it. And while I didn’t get a whole lot of time with him I was able to ask him one important question:
TFT: What was your favorite scene and why?
Todd let out a bit of a sigh, but not in a bad way. He was searching for the answer. It’s a tough question! I thought he was going to come back with this epic stunt scene and how it was cool because he got to defy human limits. Instead, he surprised me with an epic combination of sword fighting and drama!
Todd Lasance on Mommy Dearest: I loved the Enzo (Michael Malarkey) sword fighting scene. I just really like anything with swords.
My take: This was a pretty epic scene. Here we recall Enzo and Julian taking the fight outside because Julian promised no more blood shed in the house. Now mind you, Julian and Enzo are fighting man to man over Lily. What Enzo doesn’t know is Julian is linked to Lily, and anything that happens to him, happens to her.
Todd Lasance on Also the scene with the brothers in the kitchen was a really good one. There was a lot of emotion in this. There was a cool dynamic with Michael (Enzo) against the brothers. There was this power against them and Lily was very emotional.
My take: This was no doubt an emotional scene for everyone involved. The talent and the fans! I remember watching this scene for the first time and thinking, “This is heavy shit.” Everything leading to the death of Lily was pretty dramatic.
There’s a common denominator I hear time and time again from talent with regard to preparing for a role. It’s in the writing. Incredible writing lends so much in the way of playing the part. That may sound obvious, but really dissect that idea. Good talent and good writing is what really brings it all together.
In Closing
Meeting Todd was… easy. At the end of the day it’s work. When the talent you’re interviewing is down-to-earth and really nice (as in holds the door for you nice and just overall pleasant), it makes the job that much more easy. It was a long day, we were all tired, but smiles and eye contact go a long way. Thanks Todd for being a doll and good God for being I think at 5% body fat. (It does NOT suck giving this man a hug). I hope I get another chance to chat with him sooner than later.
