Exclusive Interview: THE VAMPIRE DIARIES with Steven R. McQueen not to be confused with his Granddad

Written & Published January 29, 2010

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In the new hit CW drama The Vampire Diaries, Steven R. McQueen stars as Jeremy Gilbert, a troubled teen on a dangerous and self-destructive path since the death of his parents.

With an already impressive resume of television appearances, the 21-year-old grandson of actor Steve McQueen had a recurring role as a musical prodigy on the drama Everwood, a leading role in the Disney Channel movie Minutemen and guest-starring roles on such series as CSI: Miami, Without a Trace, Numbers and Threshold. On the big screen, he can be seen later this year in a leading role in the upcoming sci-fi action film Piranha 3-D, with Elizabeth Shue, Richard Dreyfuss and Jerry O’Connell.

In this exclusive interview with IESB, Steven R. McQueen talked about coming from an acting legacy, relocating from L.A. to Atlanta for his role in The Vampire Diaries and how much fun he had as Elizabeth Shue’s son, being attacked by killer fish in Pirahna 3-D.

IESB: When you come from an acting legacy, was it a given that you’d go into the family business, or do you feel it was something you decided you wanted to be a part of, totally on your own?

Steven: It was always something that was around. I think my mom wanted me to stay out of it, to be honest. So, I stayed out of it when I was younger, but then I got to about 16 years old and was like, “All right, I want to give this a try.” I went to a couple acting classes, for awhile before I auditioned. Then, I booked a show called Threshold and then, after that, a show called Everwood. I worked with some talented actors and got to understand the business a little more, but I still felt a little like I wanted to continue living life before I got fully into it. I took a little more time off, and then I decided to get back into it. I did a little Disney movie, called Minutemen, and now this show. So, it’s been a wild adventure, but it’s been something that I’ve grown to love, more and more, and I respect the craft and the art of it.

IESB: Once you did decide that this was something that you wanted to do, did your family give you any advice that helped you? Have you learned anything from them, in regard to the business, that you feel you really were able to use?

Steven: A little, here and there. I would always talk to my dad about it, and he just told me to stay out of trouble, for the most part. My mom still wasn’t fully for the acting thing, so she just told me to do my own thing. More than anything, I feel I’ve learned from certain actors that I’ve worked with that I really respect, like Treat Williams, who sat down and talked to me for a little bit, and James Gandolfini. They’re great actors. I feel like I’ve learned more from working and asking questions than what my family has taught me.

IESB: Do you feel like there’s a certain expectation of you, when you go in for an audition? How difficult has it been for you to establish a name for yourself in this business?

Steven: People definitely always bring it up. It’s something that’s always there. But, to separate myself from it, I’ve always tried to go for roles that I feel my grandpa probably wouldn’t. I’ve gone more for the loner, side characters than the bad-ass characters. Eventually, I’ll probably play something closer to home and do a role that’s like what everyone hopes to see me in, like an army person or something, but I’ve tried to separate myself from that, as much as I could.

IESB: How did you originally get involved with The Vampire Diaries?

Steven: It was an audition. I was auditioning for that and Melrose Place, and I was getting up to the testing for it. I enjoyed the script and I liked the idea of vampires as people who don’t follow the rules of humanity. My character was this self-destructive kid who’s lost his parents and is rebelling against the world. I got really excited about that and auditioned for it and landed it.

IESB: Had you been looking for a television series to do?

Steven: Not necessarily. I wasn’t looking for anything. I had gotten back into acting, at that point, after I’d taken a break, and this was something that I saw and I loved the character. It just came randomly and worked out great.

IESB: Was there any hesitation at all, in signing on to play a character that you could end up playing for a number of years?

Steven: Yeah, that was something that me and my agent talked about, but I thought it would be a good experience to learn and stick with a character for a long time, when previously I’ve only been a character for a short amount of time and then have to lose it. I wanted to learn to adapt a character over a long period of time, rather than keeping in the same place. Jeremy is constantly changing. In the beginning, he had all these drug issues and was rebelling against the world. All of a sudden, he had all of his pain and grief sucked out of him, and now he’s in a completely different mental place. It’s almost like I haven’t been playing the same character for a long amount of time, so I’ve enjoyed it.

IESB: With this being such a troubled character in the beginning, was it difficult for you to find a way to identify with him?

Steven: Being younger, we all go through our phrases. I’ve watched friends and had experiences myself, so I was able to draw on certain past experiences to certify that.

IESB: As an actor, do you enjoy doing the darker, more emotional stuff?

Steven: Yeah, I’ve always enjoyed playing the darker characters. It’s a little more freeing and therapeutic when you get to play someone far from yourself. You get to let out all that anger and rebelliousness that, in actual life, you’d probably have to keep in and control.

IESB: What has Nina Dobrev been like to work with?

Steven: Nina and I were actually both up for a movie called Percy Jackson & the Lightening Thief, so we met there. We were friends after that, and then saw each other at the test for The Vampire Diaries. She’s like an actual sister to me. I love Nina. In the beginning, when we were busting each other’s balls a little bit, we enjoyed that ‘cause normally we’re just nice to each other.

IESB: Had you been aware that this show was based on books, prior to being cast?

Steven: Yeah, I was aware of it. I was about to read it until I found out that, in the books, my character is a 4-year-old girl named Margaret. I didn’t need to read it, after I found that out. My little sister was a fan of the books, so she told me all about it.

IESB: Had you been a fan of the vampire genre before this, or is this just totally new to you? Can you understand the huge appeal of it?

Steven: I understand the huge appeal of it. I was more into the older vampire films than any of the modern ones that have come out. Though they’re all very good, I just haven’t watched them all that much. My favorite one is Gary Oldman’s Dracula. He’s probably one of my all-time favorite actors.

IESB: Earlier this season, there were some great moments between you and Kayla Ewell. Since you all started the series together, how difficult was it to lose her?

Steven: Honestly, that was awful. She’s a very talented actress, she’s beautiful and we all fell in love with her a little bit. It was really tough to see her go. It was purely for the storyline, which sucks. I think the way they did it was beautiful, but we were definitely very, very bummed to see her go.

IESB: What’s been the most enjoyable thing about working on this show?

Steven: The most enjoyable thing about it has been just how close we’ve all become. We all moved to Atlanta from either California or Vancouver, so none of us really knew anybody when we got here. We were all feeling each other out and we all soon found out that we all love to hang out and we’re all very serious about the work. We just became a family. I think we all have pretty good chemistry together on the screen, which is great.

IESB: What’s it been like for you to relocate to Atlanta, Georgia?

Steven: I enjoy moving somewhere new when I work. Sometimes, as an actor, we all take a little bit of the character home with us, which alters your personality and how you carry yourself, and unfortunately sometimes that gets to you, outside of work. So, when you have friendships and relationships in a certain place where you’ve been working, and you come home as somebody else, it can get annoying for other people, so I don’t mind relocating when filming.

IESB: Without giving anything away, what can you say about what’s in store for Jeremy, the rest of this season?

Steven: There’s a new love interest joining the show, played by the very talented actress Malese Jow. There are definitely a couple of twists and turns, in that whole thing. Because my character has had his pain and grief sucked out, he starts to achieve his full potential a little more. He starts paying attention in school and, all of a sudden, starts to become more aware of certain things going on in the town. He’s more aware of certain secrets and certain dark things that have been going on under his nose.

IESB: With the show being an ensemble, is there anyone that you haven’t gotten the chance to work with too much yet, that you’re hoping to have more scenes with?

Steven: I would enjoy working with everybody. As time goes on, our storylines will cross paths. But, everyone is very talented and I very much look forward to working with every one of them.

IESB: With this being the most high-profile project you’ve done so far, in your career, how valuable is it for you, as an actor, to constantly be working with different directors and actors, on a regular basis?

Steven: I think it’s great. Working every day is as much of a class as it is a day of work. Every time you work with a new actor, they carry themselves different. It’s like a game of catch, where you react to everything that’s thrown at you, and then you throw something that other people react to. Everyone does that differently, so it’s a blessing to work with new actors because you learn how to mesh with certain people, and you learn how to take orders and give orders in different ways. With different directors, you learn something new from everyone because everyone paints a picture in a different way.

IESB: Has it inspired you to want to get behind the camera yourself, at some point?

Steven: I would definitely like to. I feel I have a lot more to learn before I’m able to confidently do it, but I think eventually I will. That won’t be for a couple years.

IESB: How has the show affected your life? Have you adjust to getting recognized more often?

Steven: It happens more and more. I try to ignore it. That kind of stuff comes and goes. For now, I’m just focusing on the work and enjoying that aspect of it. We get recognized, here and there, and more than anything, I feel socially awkward when it happens. It’s very surreal. I was walking somewhere with a glass of water and some girl came running up, screaming and just started hugging me, and I dropped the water all over my body. It was very strange.

IESB: How did you get involved with Piranha 3-D and who do you play in the film?

Steven: We had just finished the pilot of The Vampire Diaries and, when I got back to L.A., I auditioned for it. I had read the script, and it was called Piranha 3-D, so I thought that was awesome. It had that Snakes on a Plane feel, but in 3-D.

IESB: Who are you playing?

Steven: I play Jake Forester, who’s a small town kid. His mom is the sheriff, played by Elisabeth Shue, and he’s hopelessly in love with this girl, played by Jessica Szohr who is a grade older than him. He’s a little bit of a social outcast, but he goes on this Wild Wild Girls boat with this girl and craziness erupts. It’s an amazing movie. It’s the funniest thing you’ll ever see. It’s so crazy and such a crazy situation that you can’t help but love it. We’ve also got Richard Dreyfuss, Ving Rhames and Jerry O’Connell, who plays the Joe Francis of the film. It’s hilarious.

IESB: What was it like to work with Elisabeth Shue?

Steven: She’s great. She worked with my dad in Karate Kid, so we talked about that a little bit. It’s a little strange when you’ve got a little crush on your mom. What do you do?

IESB: How was the experience of making a 3-D film?

Steven: That was just the most fun experience. We just played up the natural craziness of the situation and the whole sci-fi aspect of it. We shot the film just like a regular film, but they would shoot the scenes with the actors with the actors in them and then again without the actors in them. I was a little confused by the whole process, but we tried to shoot it as much like a regular film as we could. There are times when things will be flying at the screen.

IESB: Was that sort of process fun for you, as an actor?

Steven: Sometimes. I want to have full control over what I’m doing sometimes, so it was definitely different. It was enjoyable, though.

IESB: How was Alexandre Aja to work with, as a director?

Steven: He is awesome. He’s the nicest dude. He knows what he wants and he paints a picture for you before you shoot. He’s a hard-worker. He set things up to be so much fun, and we always got stuff moving.

IESB: Have you thought about what you’d like to see happen with your career, in the future?

Steven: Yeah, definitely. Because of my name and because of my family, they always try to get me to go for the leading roles that are the main good-hearted character, and I’m definitely more interested in playing the side, weird characters. More than anything, I want to play people that are very separate from the character before. I think it’s very important to try to play as many different things as possible. That’s where I’m at, right now.