10 Secrets About "The Vampire Diaries" Spinoff, "The Originals"

Showrunner Julie Plec dished out exclusive details about the pilot, which airs this Thursday on the CW. You'll never guess who Klaus's real-life poker buddy is!

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Do you like bad boys? How about if that bad boy's actually a vampire with dimples? Would you let him bite you?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then we should be friends. We should also watch The Originals, a Vampire Diaries spinoff pilot, together this Thursday, April 25 at 8 p.m. ET on the CW.

And if you're still not on the Klaus (played by the delicious Joseph Morgan) train, then this interview with showrunner Julie Plec should change your mind. (You're welcome, in advance.)

1. "We shot 75% of the show in the French Quarter of New Orleans and took almost our entire Vampire Diaries crew on location so they wouldn't miss out on the experience."

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2. "Three exterior scenes were shot in Conyers, Georgia. Can you tell which ones?"

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3. "The tour guide who appears after the title card is the actual tour guide, Jonathan Weiss, who gave me and Mike Narducci our tour on our first research trip. We loved him so much that we cast him. He's wearing his own real clothes, hair and makeup."

4. "The drummer in the scene where Klaus talks to Cami, Julian Addison, was a musician that Paul Wesley, Torrey Devitto and I saw play when we were in town for the Super Bowl."

"We were so impressed with him that I wrote a scene with street musicians into the episode," Plec said. "Turns out he was already a big fan of The Vampire Diaries."

5. "The painter we featured has his own gallery on Royal Street in New Orleans. He sells paintings that size for $80,000. (!!!!)"

6. "The location where Klaus and Elijah have their argument is Pirate's Alley—where I sat with friends having a beer and dreaming up ideas for the Marcel character on our research trip."

"Most of the new characters in The Originals were 'conceived' outside that bar."

7. "We shot the (very loud) vampire party at the Hotel Royal on St. Patrick's Day weekend, much to the chagrin of the hotel's partying patrons. Daniel Gillies almost took a punch from an angry hotel guest. Sorry, Hotel Guests!"

8. "The brass band in the parade sequence is the world-famous band REBIRTH and their fabulous high-steppers, one of New Orleans' oldest musical traditions."

9. "Joseph Morgan and Charles Michael Davis were former poker-buddies well before Charles was cast as Marcel."

10. "The unaired 'presentation' version of The Originals has an entirely different ending sequence that hopefully one day everyone will get to see."

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The Originals is set to air as a backdoor pilot in The Vampire Diaries series, and we won't know if it's officially picked up until mid-May, when the CW announces its fall slate.

So...what time are you coming to my place, and would you mind bringing some vampy snacks?!