Danielle Campbell Talks The Originals, Davina’s New Confidence, and more

During this exclusive phone interview with Collider, actress Danielle Campbell talked about how much Davina has grown up since Season 1, her desire to protect the people she cares about, never knowing what’s going to happen, how much fun she’s had playing Davina’s newfound confidence and strength , the relationship between Davina and Kol, how cool she thinks it would be to see her character explore more of the dark side, and why Davina is working with Klaus and not currently trying to kill him. Check out what she had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers.

Collider: Looking back on Season 1, how do you feel about the journey that Davina took, and how do you feel that compares to Season 2?

How closely did her arc play out, compared to what you were told, in the beginning, and where did it most veer off from what you thought might happen?

CAMPBELL: We never know what’s gonna happen. When the writers tell us their future plans, they’re always subject to change, so I’ve never really had a clear idea of what Davina was going to be like. I think a lot of it depends on how it plays out when we’re filming certain episodes. It can lead to something else, depending on how you play it. I think it’s been really cool to watch how all of the female characters on our show are so strong, and it’s been really cool to see how much of an impact they have and how much of a role they play.

It seemed like everyone who made it out of Season 1 alive had moments where things could have gone a very different direction for them. Did you ever have any moments where you were truly worried that she might not make it to the end of the first season?

CAMPBELL: Well, Davina did die in the first season, so absolutely. I hadn’t expected that, so it was very interesting to watch how it played out, and to watch her come back. It was quite an experience to play that. It was really fun. You’re never safe on this show.

When you found out that this would be the season of the return of the Original family, did you worry about how Davina might fare against them, or do you have more faith in her power now?

In the first season, she was this girl in hiding who was just trying to survive. But in Season 2, she’s really coming into her and learning just how far she can push her own power. What have you most enjoyed about playing who she’s evolving into and the newfound self-confidence that she seems to have?

CAMPBELL: To be honest, I’ve been loving it. She’s such a strong character this season. She’s really suffered, and she knows exactly what she wants. She always has a plan, and she’s very direct with her approach. She does have this newfound confidence and strength about her that is making her really intriguing. That’s been a lot of fun to play. You see a lot of sarcastic quirkiness with her and Kol, and even with Mikael, earlier in the season.

We only really got to see a glimpse of what romance might look like for Davina, in Season 1, but this season, there’s been a definite attraction with Kaleb/Kol to explore. How has that dynamic been to play, and what’s it been like to work with Daniel Sharman?

CAMPBELL: It’s been so much fun. The relationship between Kol and Davina has been very interesting. It’s very fun because they always banter with each other. No matter how hard she tries to not let him get to her, he totally does. It’s fun to watch them flirt together. And Daniel has been such an amazing person to have there. He’s just so talented, and he’s a lot of fun to have on set. We’ve been having a blast, acting together. It’s been a very fun experience. I’ve been really lucky.

Are you surprised that Davina still talks to Kol, after he lied to her, too?

Things seem to be at a really pivotal moment for Davina. If she keeps letting her emotions get the better of her, she could end up spiraling down further than she’s prepared for. Would you, personally, like to see just how far she’ll go?

CAMPBELL: I think she’s always going to be cautious about who she puts her trust in because she doesn’t want to be in a position that will hurt her friends and the people that she cares about. But having Kol introduce her to dark magic is actually very cool to me. I think it would be a lot of fun to watch Davina explore more of the dark side. As a personal thing, I think it would be cool to see Davina do that.

Obviously, you can’t give anything away, but what can fans expect from the mid-season finale, and what Davina’s place is in it?

CAMPBELL: All of the characters have had their own storylines and their own issues that they’re dealing with, but in the mid-season finale, you see all of their plans play out. It makes for a very exciting episode. Davina and Kol are working together on trying to get that stake. The things that people have been hoping for and waiting for, in the last few episodes, will play out in this episode, and that will be very fun to watch.

After learning just what the rest of the Original family is like, has Davina’s opinion of Klaus changed, at all? Do you think she understands him any better, or do you think she would kill him in a second, if there were no consequences to that action?

Are you, personally, proud of Davina for holding her grudge against Klaus, and not just forgiving him and hugging it out, like might have happened on another show?

CAMPBELL: Yeah! On these shows, everyone is so used to vampires feeding and killing really easily. Her best friend, Josh, is a vampire, so she knows that they need to feed. It’s not like she doesn’t understand. But I don’t think she can take the killing as something that should be allowed, as easily and as thoughtless as Klaus does. So, I am proud of her for being strong about it. All of her actions are always geared towards helping people, and I think that’s really sweet.

The Originals airs on Monday nights on The CW.