The Vampire Diaries has really cleaned house over the course of the last season and cut down to a core group of characters. With season six premiering this fall, the show will introduce several new characters as it attempts to do what executive producer Julie Plec calls an “organic reset.”
The CW has just announced that included in this new start will be Emily C. Chang (Days of Our Lives, Total Recall), who will play the quintessential girl next door, Ivy. Ivy is pegged as sweet and innocent on the surface, but with a wild side just waiting to come out. Her character will debut in the season premiere, and it’ll be interesting to see if she gets along with the other female characters who aren’t exactly known for playing well with others.
Along with Chang, The Vampire Diaries has also cast The Client List alum Marco James in a recurring role. James will portray Liam, an attractive and smart upperclassman at Whitmore College. Things haven’t gone particularly well in the past for students at Whitmore who come across our favorite vampires, so let’s hope it works out better for Liam than it did for Jesse or Aaron.
And if those two casting updates weren’t enough for one day, Jayson Warner Smith, star of Sundance’s Rectify, has come aboard in a minor role. There hasn’t been many details released about his part in the show, but we do know that he will be appearing for at least two episodes and plays the owner of a high-end hot rod shop. Fans know two vampires who love their classic cars, so maybe this plot tangent will tie into the Salvatore brothers somehow. When Damon (Ian Somerhalder) finally does return, he’ll probably be in the market for a new car – considering he blew his last one up.
The Vampire Diaries returns to the CW on October 2.