The Vampire Diaries has welcomed a mysterious vampire hunter and an old Gilbert family friend already this season. This week in "The Rager," The CW drama will introduce a woman with complicated ties to Tyler's past.
Described as a "ballsy," "strong-willed" and "independent" tomboy, Mystic Falls newcomer Hayley, the werewolf responsible for breaking Tyler's sire bond to Klaus, comes into the town's tangled web. As Phoebe Tonkin, formerly of The Secret Circle, reveals to The Hollywood Reporter, her presence isn't exactly met with rainbows and butterflies -- and rightly so.
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"She has a history with Tyler, and [because of that] Caroline is a little bit suspicious of the relationship Hayley and Tyler had," Tonkin says.
Going through something as intense as a sire bond won't be addressed lightly, with Tonkin calling the early stages of the pair's connection "innocent." "They obviously went through something strong and emotional when Tyler broke his sire bond," she explains. As expected, Hayley's re-appearance will cause rifts between Tyler and Caroline, so much so that as Tonkin teases, "Caroline's a little threatened maybe."
The initial meeting between the three will cause confusion, especially for the blonde vampire. "Tyler probably didn't explain [his situation] very well to Caroline, so she jumps to conclusions a little bit when she sees Hayley chilling out with Tyler," Tonkin says. And because of her tomboy ways, Hayley "doesn't really see she's doing anything wrong. She thinks she's hanging out with her friend."
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But not all is as it seems. Tonkin revealed that her Mystic Falls visit isn't just to get Tyler back: Hayley has another agenda in mind.
"You think it's a simple reason, to see an old friend," she teases of her alter-ego's ulterior motives "but Hayley has a few secrets that we're going to find out. You'll see what kind of information she's trying to gather and what's she's trying to find out." Most likely relating to Hayley's family history.
A stand-out moment that gave Tonkin the giggles? "We go to Miss Mystic Falls, which Hayley finds hilarious," she shares. "She never grew up around a lot of girls and here are these girls fighting over a tiara. It's totally ridiculous to her."
Though many of her scenes have been with Tyler and Caroline, Tonkin raved about Vampire Diaries' Claire Holt, with whom she starred in Australia's H2O: Just Add Water.
"Rebekah is one of the best characters," she admits. "She's so funny and awesome and cool and sexy, and I love her -- as you can tell. It's a crazy coincidence that we're on the same show on the other side of the world again."
The Vampire Diaries airs 8 p.m. Thursdays on The CW.
E-mail: Philiana.Ng@thr.com
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