From Stefan To...........

Paul Wesley on How His Amira & Sam Character Is Different Than Stefan

 

 

We love Paul Wesley as the hero-haired Stefan Salvatore on The Vampire Diaries, but that doesn’t mean we’re not eager to see the actor exercise his acting muscles in other roles — like his role in indie film Sam & Amira. The TVDer recently chatted with MTV News about the project, including how his character in the film differs from good guy Stefan...

“This guy is definitely more human [than Stefan], and I mean that literally and figuratively,” Paul said of the morally-questionable cousin of main character Sam he plays in the film. “He’s very flawed. He eschews this enormous amount of confidence, but he’s really just falling apart; he’s this vulnerable, weak person who is doing all of these questionable things in terms of illegal activities on Wall Street. It was such a welcome change from what I do on a daily basis, where [Stefan] is all-knowing and confident, and he’s always doing the right thing. I really think it was a 180, and I hope audiences can see that.”
Sam & Amira tells the love story of Army veteran Sam (Martin Starr) and Iraqi immigrant Amira (Dina Shihabi) who strike up an unexpected relationship when Amira’s brother asks Sam to let Amira stay at his house to evade deportation. Paul plays Sam’s condescending Wall Street cousin who uses Sam’s veteran status as a way to garner clients.
The themes of the film are ones close to Paul’s heart as a first-generation American. He told MTV News: “What I love about it is America really is comprised of immigrants, including my own family. I’m first generation. I hope people see [the movie] and appreciate it. That’s what I loved about New York growing up — I was always around different cultures. It’s great to do this movie, because even people who aren’t exposed to different culture like I was will take something away from it.”
The Vampire Diaries airs Thursday nights at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.