The Vampire Diaries: Paul Wesley Confirms That Yes, Stefan and Caroline Are a Thing

Changes are coming to The Vampire Diaries. The show's seventh season won't feature Elena Gilbert, and since basically everyone dies on the finale, it's a good time to start fresh. We spoke to Ian Somerhalder at Comic-Con, but we (along with a table full of reporters) also got to sit down with his onscreen brother, Paul Wesley, who told us what to expect from Stefan this season. Get excited for more "Steroline" action (that's the name for Stefan and Caroline's relationship) as well as a renewed kinship between the Salvatore boys! Make sure you're up to date on all the season seven spoilers, and if you've been going into Stefan withdrawals this Summer, check out his hottest GIFs.

So what's going on with Stefan next season?

Paul Wesley: Stefan is always wild about a girl, so this time it's Caroline. He's also kind of hoping his mom is a good mom who can take care of him, because he has abandonment issues, and his mom is a big psycho, manipulative wench. Should I speak about my mother that way? It's terrible.

It feels like he's always got a special place in his heart for his mom.

PW: I know! He's so naive.

Is he going to get to the point where he realizes she's crazy?

PW: I don't know! I think Stefan's drinking the Kool-Aid. He thinks she's redeemable or whatever.

Right. He thinks that about everybody.

PW: He really does. He's such an optimist — he's the opposite of me; I think everyone sucks.

How was it directing the episode last season, "Woke Up with a Monster"? Did you have any favorite scenes that were really fun to do?

PW: I loved directing the episode last season. It was interesting. I shot all interiors, and when you're doing a TV series, you're prone to weather changes, and you're losing daylight, you're losing nighttime. I just literally shot on stages, so I had all this play room, and it was so fun. I'm doing a couple more this year, and I can't wait. It reinvigorated this sense of pleasure. Obviously I'm excited to be on the show, but I'd been doing it for so long that it can be a little bit like you sort of know what you're getting yourself into, but with the directing you just discover something new every time. You're always trying to get better, and it's been great.

Julie Plec said that season seven is going to have a new focus on the Damon-Stefan brother relationship. Are you looking forward to working more with Ian again?

PW: People really seem to love the brothers together. They love that dynamic and people always talk about how that's their favorite relationship. So in that capacity, yeah. Their relationship is the most interesting one on the show, I think. I hope. They start out as these enemies, there's so much history, and I love doing the flashbacks.

What can you say about the flash-forwards on this season?

PW: I know that someone is after Damon and Stefan, and there's imminent danger and threat. They're running from this thing, but I don't know what it is. It's ambiguous, but obviously on purpose.

What was your favorite scene to film this past season?

PW: Remember when Stefan is in the bar with Elena, and she's like, "Are you OK?" And he's like, "I'm totally cool, everything is fine." Then he goes in and he gets his ass kicked by that guy because he wants that feel? I like that scene, because he like needed to be beat up, he needed to feel.