The Secret Circle will be paired with The CW's hit show, The Vampire Diaries, beginning in the fall and the new show will premiere on the same night as The Vampire Diaries' third season: Thursday, September 15.
At Comic-Con, we sat down with EPs Kevin Williamson, Andrew Miller and Richard Hatem, as well as stars Britt Robertson, Thomas Dekker, Phoebe Tonkin and Natasha Henstridge to discuss their new series, their characters and what's in store for these witches.
In case you're unfamiliar with the show - or the book series by L.J. Smith of the same name - The Secret Circle centers around a young girl named Cassie whose mother is killed early in the pilot. With no other family, Cassie heads to live with her grandmother Jane in the small town of Chance Harbor, Washington. Shortly after arriving in town Cassie has some encounters with a few of her fellow mysterious high school students. They not only admit to being witches, but tell Cassie that she's the missing person in their circle. With her, they can accomplish great magic.
Williamson – who also runs The Vampire Diaries – told us that creating mythology shows are often difficult, but he fortunately has some help through the source material of the books and the talented writers on staff.
The Show and Its Focus
The show will focus on three different generations: (1) the young, new circle comprised of characters like Cassie, Adam and Diana, (2) the parents of the young circle like Dawn and Charles (played by Gale Harold), and (3) the elder circle like Cassie's grandmother, Jane. Williamson hopes to show viewers about what kinds of powers these witches have and what they can do with them, as well as what the laws are of being a witch. He said that the elder generation don’t really believe there is a place for witches in the modern world, but other people obviously feel differently.
Williamson pointed out a few of the differences between The Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle. He believes that The Vampire Diaries is a more masculine show (even with the love story), because there are werewolves and vampires, which are evil creatures that kill, shed blood and rip hearts out. The Secret Circle, by contrast, will not be as “in-your-face violent”, because the witchcraft won’t have those sort of effects. “It’s a different type of menace.”
For those Vampire Diaries fans who hope to see a crossover, I have a bit of bad news for you. While the shows are certainly companionable in terms of subject matter, Williamson said “Chance Harbor does not live in the universe that Mystic Falls does”. That’s not to say, of course, that a crossover will never happen, but the possibility seems more remote at this time.
Britt Robertson and Cassie
Williamson knew about Robertson because he has a history with Liz Tigelaar (who created Life Unexpected) dating back to Dawson’s Creek. It was that relationship that put Robertson into his sphere and made him want to work with her (and give her a small part in Scream 4). When The Secret Circle came around, both Williamson and the studio were eager to cast Robertson in the role of Cassie.
Robertson told us a bit about her character, who is thrown into a new town while trying to work through her grief after losing her mother. She's shocked to be told that she's also a witch (and that her mother was one as well). In the pilot she's very unsure about what's going on, but you'll get to experience Cassie's journey along with her. The dilemma to choose between good and evil is very human and one that Cassie herself will struggle with. Cassie will face some "scary magical situations" on an episode to episode basis. Unfortunately, even though she's one of the lead characters, she doesn't really know exactly where the show is going.
Thomas Dekker and Adam
Dekker revealed a secret childhood love for The Craft (me too!), which prompted his love of witchcraft and helped attract him to The Secret Circle. He thinks that Adam is a really sane, grounded person, and that Adam has a grace and connection to nature through his role as a witch. He plays the “piller of goodness and sanity” in the circle and “he’s trying to control everybody’s ego and desire with their powers”. As the show progresses, they’ll be dealing more with spellbooks and candles, instead of just using magic by “staring at someone”. Expect the second episode to be much “edgier than the pilot”. There will be more sex, more violence and more evil in the adult world. He thinks the pilot sets up a “mood and tone that everything’s a bit off in the town”.
This is a bit of a spoiler (yes, more so than the rest of this article) for people who have not read the books, but Cassie is really attracted to Adam in the books, even though he is dating Diana when they first meet. Dekker says that the show will explore the attraction between these two characters (which is recognizable even in the pilot). The backstory of Adam and Diana will also be explored very early in season 1. Adam will be torn between the two girls and will also be concerned about how Diana will react to a potential Adam-Cassie relationship since she is a witch.
Adam’s father (a struggling alcoholic) appears in addition to Henstridge and Harold’s characters. I’m sure there’s some backstory there as to how he fits in with the next generation’s story and Dekker hopes the character will be sticking around.
Phoebe Tonkin and Faye
When she chatted with us, Tokin described Faye as “very unpredictable. She’s hungry for power. I don’t necessarily think she wants to hurt anyone. She just doesn’t really think about things. Magic is her vice.” While other teenagers want to lash out and party, Faye turns to her magic to cause trouble.
But lest you think that Faye is just another one-dimensional bad girl, know that you will be seeing her interact with her mother Dawn (played by Henstridge). We’ll “learn why she is the way she is”. Tonkin thinks a lot of the reasons for Faye’s behavior come from her relationship with her mother and her lack of a father and hopefully this is something they’ll explore as the series progresses.
Tonkin explained that before Cassie arrived in town, the circle was really only able to do minimal magic, but her arrival means that they now have the potential for unlimited power. While Faye resents Diana for being the circle’s leader, Tonkin believes that her character might actually like Cassie’s spunk. She’s really looking forward to playing the different sides of Faye – from the normal girl to the powerful witch.
Natasha Henstridge and Dawn
Henstridge plays Dawn, Faye's mother and the principal of the high school attended by the kids in the circle. She said "I guess some people could say [I am] 'the villain'. Although, like anyone who's playing a character, there's always a reason in your heard [why] you're doing the things that you're doing. In her case I think she genuinely believes that she's bringing these kids together and getting this full circle together because her generation has lost the power because of deaths. In some ways she's even using her own daughter to get the circle together, to get power for something really big and huge that I'm not sure of yet. I think, in her head, it's for the greater good, but [she] does a lot of horrible things to get there".
We should get to see more about Dawn and her generation's backstory. She thinks that Dawn isn't void of any morality because there are some lines she doesn't want to cross. "Getting power is her biggest motivation. [Although], I think she definitely doesn't want to hurt her daughter and definitely loves her daughter".
A lot of CW shows have a tendency to cast parents as secondary characters and focus on the younger generation, but The Secret Circle pilot puts the next generation (played by Henstridge and Gale Harold) front and center. EPs Miller and Hatem said that both Henstridge and Harold are such great actors (and they really are in these parts) that it would be crazy not to use them as much as they can. As well “the multi-generational aspect is so endemic to our story that you can’t avoid it. We’re going use them a ton. We’re going to get the grandparents in there on some level [as well].”
The Secret Circle will premiere on Thursday, September 15 at 9:00 p.m. ET on The CW.
I can't wait to see Gale Harold in this role! Everything I've read says he is really great as the evil witch. I'm so looking forward to the Secret Circle.
Amen! He's the reason I'll be there.
the cw is smart to jump on with the supernatural trends. vampires are so over done, werewolves are fun but… Witches are where its at. you get it all with witches, sexy, smart, stylish, fun, entertaining, appeals to all ages and genders. with the growing occult trend its a sure fire way to make a hit. now if it stays away from being overly fantastical and is more realistically believable its going to a show that makes it big.
It sounds like it's really been thought out and adapted to make it a fuller story than the books. I am so looking forward to watching this series and seeing what happens