Late last week, Ian Somerhalder, Paul Wesley and Nina Dobrev chatted with Access Hollywood about The Vampire Diaries.

The trio gave viewers insight into their characters, while also responding to the inevitable comparisons to Twilight. Watch and enjoy below:

[video url="http://www.tvfanatic.com/videos/access-hollywood-interview/" title="Access Hollywood Interview"] [/video]

Meanwhile, it's been confirmed that John Dahl will direct the second episode of the series. Considering that his previous credits include True Blood, Dexter and Battlestar Galactica, this backs up talk that the series is far darker than many may realize.

Having viewed the pilot episode - Vampire Diaries spoiler alert! - we can confirm this is definitely the case. You'll agree after watching just the opening scene.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.