Michael Trevino's TVD Memories

"God, he was such a dick," Michael Trevino says of Tyler in Season 1. "And I was always ending up in fight scenes with Steven R. McQueen, who I still call 'little brother,' even though he's not little anymore — he's a rugged giant. But I felt like I was always fighting someone; towards the middle of Season 1, I got a little frustrated and was like, 'Guys, am I just a dick on this show, or is there more to Tyler?' That's when [the producers] told me, 'He's going to be a werewolf, we're going to get to that.' So knowing that that was the game plan really calmed me down."

"That was my first real challenge on the show," Trevino says of Tyler's initial transformation into a werewolf. "We shot it separately from the episode with [former supervising director] Marcos Siega in two days — two grueling, 12-hour days. It was a new thing for all of us, so we figured it out as we went along, and luckily, it turned out great. I don't know if our budget changed since then, but when I turn into a werewolf now, they just put black dots on my eyes and call it a day. It's not as difficult as it was before."

Season 2 also witnessed the birth of 'Forwood,' which Trevino says he didn't see coming. "We were all still getting to know each other at that point," he recalls. "Candice [Accola] and I were buddies, almost like brother and sister. When we found out we were going to be a couple, it was so awkward because we knew we'd eventually have to kiss. We were like, 'Really? Us?' But I really enjoyed our time together and the journey those two went on."

If you thought Tyler hated being sired to Klaus in Season 3, wait until you hear how Trevino felt. "I definitely had a love-hate relationship with that storyline," he admits. "Working with Joseph [Morgan] was super great and fun, but having to be his bitch was a problem. It got old for me really, really quick. But being the first successful hybrid, being more powerful than a werewolf, was really fun for me."

Trevino found that getting to play Klaus in Season 4, on the other hand, was much more appealing. "I hoped they were going to go longer with that, but unfortunately, I only had about one episode to do it. [Joseph Morgan] has these very specific mannerisms — he has a certain walk, he likes to get in people's faces and breathe on them — so I remember tilting my head the way Joseph does and stuff like that. I remember acting opposite Kat Graham in the tomb; I had a great time with that scene."

Season 5 saw Tyler crossing over — albeit briefly — to The Originals, where Trevino says he really got to have to have some fun. "It was great to be the first one [to cross over]," he says. "I wish it had been a little bit longer, but it was fun. It was a great episode to work with Joseph [Morgan] on, because it was me really getting into his world. It was fun to attack him there."

"The season finale provides a nice little ending for Tyler," Trevino teases. "Well, it's not nice, but it is emotional. I can't say too much, but we'll see what happens when Kai tries to take out his evil plans on everyone. He doesn't seek revenge on one person; he attacks everybody. He's got some tricks up his sleeve that shatter everyone's worlds. It may be a bit of a tearjerker."