Vampire Diaries' Interview: Michael Malarkey on Enzo's 'Cold & Calculated' Quest to Kill Damon

Our favorite Mystic Falls residents are in for a rude awakening on tonight’s all-new episode of The Vampire Diaries.

JJJ caught up with Michael Malarkey, the man behind Damon’s (Ian Somerhalder) longtime frenemy and former cell mate Enzo, who just found out his BFF killed the love of his life, Maggie.

In retaliation, he forced Stefan (Paul Wesley) to rip his heart out just so that he could witness the fallout of the Salvatore brother bond.

Stefan and Elena (Nina Dobrev) are keeping Enzo’s death a secret from Damon, which is sure to blow up in their face sooner rather than later. Not to mention, Enzo’s on the Other Side, which is deteriorating by the day, and is hellbent on exacting his revenge.

Michael gave us the scoop on what to expect leading up to the “intense” finale. Is there a chance Enzo will be sticking around next season? Check it!

The Vampire Diaries airs TONIGHT @ 8PM on The CW!

JustJaredJr: First of all, we have to ask about Enzo’s death because that was unlike one we’ve ever see on this show before. What was your reaction to reading that script.

Michael Malarkey: When I got the episode, I was like, “Wow. Thanks guys.” And I mean thank you in a genuine way because actors like to get a script where they have so much room to explore a character. It’s a peach of a script. I think Enzo is basically at his wit’s end with the whole situation that happened in the bar. He could not deal with it, so he was like, “Screw it all. What can I do to screw these people’s lives up because mine is screwed up?” It’s a very selfish act in a sense. He’s hurt and doesn’t know what else to do, so he does that as his last act of retribution. However, we quickly find out that he has more in store for the friendly neighborhood duo of Damon and Stefan Salvatore.

Click inside to read the rest of our interview with Michael Malarkey…

JustJaredJr.com Interview – Michael Malarkey

JJJ: Enzo and Damon’s friendship has had its share of ups and downs, you might say. Now that Enzo’s out for blood, is there any way Damon could talk him down? What is Enzo’s main goal right now?

MM: I think he wants to see or prove that something is in action or in place. I think it will take a lot of convince Enzo he’s still his mate after all the stuff that’s happened. He’s not very trusting of Damon at the moment. And actually, he wants to kill Damon. It’s reverse to episode 10 when he tried to kill him. It’s come back to there. Though, he’s more cold and calculated then he was then because his humanity is off.

JJJ: Because the Other Side is falling apart, and our favorite Mystic Falls residents seemingly have a lot of enemies over there, is it possible we may see Enzo team up with someone?

MM: Anything’s possible. Basically, what happens is that Enzo quickly discovers as well that the other side is in a very strange place and it does not feel good to be there. So he begins to try to get the hell out, so to speak. He doesn’t team up with people, but he does meet a few people who are strangers to him, but maybe not so ouch to you guys, that he may or may not be able to use to his advantage to get what he wants, which is to escape.

JJJ: After finding out Damon killed Maggie and everything that happened, do you think Enzo has any regrets about compelling Maggie to forget about him?

MM: That’s a good question actually. I think when Enzo makes a decision he makes it and that’s his final decision, and he deals with the repercussions and the consequences. I don’t think Enzo’s the kind of guy who really holds too much regret. He kind of just moves forward. He’s forward-thinking. He thinks about the present and about the future, and what he can do to better his situation. So no, I don’t think he does. He’s obviously devastated by how it’s all played out. It’s not what he thought was going to happen, but I don’t think in any way he has regret.

JJJ: Stefan has always kind of seen Enzo as a bad influence on Damon, which is ironic. Do you think he was a bad influence?

MM: I don’t think Enzo thinks about whether he’s influencing people, or how he’s influencing people really. I just think he thinks, “Well, Damon was my mate.” You know how you have that one friends who’s a little but noisy in the pub and you’re always like, “Oh, God. Can you just shut up dude?” But at the end of the day, you’re like, “Oh well that’s just Phil.” Or “It’s just Dan.” You know? You kind of forgive a lot of your mates and I think it’s that kind of situation. “Oh well, that’s just Enzo. That’s the way he is.” I don’t know if that quite answered the question (laughs).

JJJ: No, we totally get that. And agree! What about jealousy? Do you think Stefan was a little bit jealous of his brother’s friendship with Enzo?

MM: Yes, I do actually. Just like you are with any mates, if you had another friend and they were doing everything together – they were going wakeboarding or paintballing – and you weren’t invited, you think, “Oh, well, cool man. Maybe I’ll see you never week or something.” So I think there’s probably an element of that.

JJJ: Definitely. Fans love yours and Ian’s on-screen chemistry. Did you guys click instantly?

MM: It was pretty instant. Ian and I have a similar energy. Although, he’s slightly different in that he’s far more charismatic than me, darling. But we have a great rapport and relationship. And immediately from that first episode, we were having laughs with each other on set and I felt completely relaxed, and able to work opposite him. He cares so much about the work and the show. The fact that I brought a lot to the table, I think they saw that I cared a lot for the work as well, and that made for a good partnership.

JJJ: Even though a lot of fans adore Enzo, he’s on a warpath now. Is he going to stay dark or is there a chance he’ll redeem himself by the finale?

MM: I think any character has a chance for redemption. I think at the moment, he’s definitely a force to be reckoned with and he’s going to scare the crap out of everybody. Like seriously, it’s going to be freaky (laughs). But pretty soon after that, he realizes the Other Side is a really place to be and he tries to get out of there. You’ll see him try to work with different people and try to help to situation. That’s not necessarily in a chivalrous way, in a selfish way. But he’s not a strictly a bad guy through and through to the end. There’s a lot of bad forces to be reckoned with leading up to the finale, which is intense. Such a good lead-up. It’s a great cliffhanger as well to prepare you guys door the beginning of next season. People are going to be desperate to see what happens next.

JJJ: Speaking of season six, if Enzo sticks around somehow, would you be willing to come back?

MM: If they give me an Xbox.

JJJ: Big into video games?

MM: No, I hate video games, but my little brother would love it (laughs).

JJJ: We’re pretty positive the TVD fans could make that happen.