THE SECRET CIRCLE: Get an Inside Look at Love Triangles, Spells & Magic with Britt Robertson & Thomas Dekker

The cast and creative minds behind the new CW series The Secret Circle debuted their pilot episode at Comic Con in San Diego last month. Additionally, some of the cast members took time to sit down with the press, including NiceGirlsTV, to talk about their show. Actor Thomas Dekker (Terminator: The John Connor Chronicles) and actress Britt Robertson (Life Unexpected) joined us to share details on their characters.

Thomas Dekker as Adam

Thomas: I play Adam Conant. He’s a young guy in high school. He’s sort of a pillar of goodness and sanity in this group (of witches). He’s trying to control everyone’s egos and (control) everybody’s desire with their powers. I think the biggest thing (for him is that) he definitely would not have chosen to be a witch; he would have just been happy to work in his dad’s bar and ride motor bikes. He definitely wants to use (his power) for good at this point. We find out later that his element is water and that says a lot about him. He’s very interested in nature.

Britt: My character is Cassie Blake, and in the pilot she gets thrown into this new town (where) she knows no one (because) her mother has just died. She meets these new people who tell her that she is part of this group of witches. (She learns) her mother was in this coven and (that this coven is) her birthright. (She is) to be the new witch of (her) generation and she (is) faced with this power that could ultimately lead to scary things. She’s very unsure of who she is and what’s going on and you get to see her journey in this world.

Then they were both asked if they had read the books (written by L. J. Smith, who is also the author of The Vampire Diaries for which that series is based) or if either of them did research into witches and witchcraft in preparation for the show:

Thomas: No, I did not read the books but when I got the role, I asked Kevin (Williamson, the Executive Producer of the show): ‘Should I?’ (I wanted to know) how close (would) my role (be to what is in) the books. We sort of deduced, for the purpose of the show with the directions that it’s going to go, (that) it is more about (me) finding out (who I am) playing. We kind of had to come up with our own take (on the character) so we’re doing that for now.

Britt Robertson as Cassie

Britt: Yeah, when I first booked the show, I had such little time between booking it and shooting the pilot, so it was scrambling to read the books before the pilot. And then, of course, once the series (was) picked up, it’s (became) a great opportunity to get to know my character a little better. The books have been such a help to learn who (Cassie) is and how she relates to all these characters. At the same time, my character has no experience with magic so it would be silly for me to do all this research on magic when Cassie has no real knowledge of that so I’ll develop that (ability) as my character does. But, as far as prep for the series, I obviously did a lot of research on witches, but I wanted to stay sort of in the dark and make it more realistic.

It was then brought up by Thomas that he and Britt had worked on a horror film a few years ago that had eerie similarities to the storyline contained in the pilot episode of The Secret Circle:

Thomas: Brittany and I did a movie together – called “From Within” – where I was a witch and I teach a girl about witchcraft and we’re trapped in a burning car at one point so it was a weird sort of similarity. So when I got this (job) and I read it, I asked who’s playing Cassie and I learned it was Britt it was like “here we are again”.

Britt then shared how this character is very different from her other work; mostly notably her previous CW series Life Unexpected:

Britt: The biggest thing coming off Life Unexpected – that was such a great experience, I wanted to keep my character Lux and the show in my heart forever – but then to step outside of that world and show fans and audience members a different side of me as an actress, that has been a great opportunity, (allowing me) to play a character with all these really cool supernatural aspects.

In the books as well as in the series there will be a serious love triangle between Cassie, Adam and Adam’s girlfriend Diana Meade (played by actress Shelley Hennig).

Thomas: Cassie and Adam (are part) of each other’s fate and destiny but he has (a girlfriend: Diana) and it becomes a big moral struggle for him. It brings up the question of, well, Diana is a witch and how is she going to act to whatever goes down in this new situation (between Cassie and Adam).

To find out just what happens in this love triangle and have the whole circle of witches affect each other and the town, make sure to tune in to The Secret Circle staring on September 15 at 9/8c on the CW.