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The Vampire Diaries is a supernatural teen drama series that premiered on TV in 2009 and has since taken on a life of its own. The show rose from humble beginnings to dominate the supernatural genre. It spawned a massive media franchise, including other TV shows, a web series, books, comics, and merchandise, from coffee mugs to T-shirts. For fans, the stars of The Vampire Diaries made the show such a beloved part of pop culture. And Michael Malarkey, who played Enzo, is a big part of the series’ lore.

In a recent panel interview, Malarkey opened up about acting in The Vampire Diaries, recounting one incident where he got so frustrated he punched a hole through a set wall.

The actor played Enzo in ‘The Vampire Diaries’

The Vampire Diaries: Enzo actor Michael Malarkey
‘The Vampire Diaries’ actor Michael Malarkey | Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images

Michael Malarkey is a talented actor who joined the cast of The Vampire Diaries in 2013 when the fifth season was well underway. As Lorenzo “Enzo” St. John, Malarkey portrayed a vampire with a deep connection to Damon. By season 6, Malarkey had become a series regular, helping Caroline find a way to resurrect Damon and Bonnie. Enzo and Stefan eventually form a bitter rivalry complicated by Enzo’s friendship with Damon.

But Enzo’s relationship with Bonnie is one of the series’ most crucial attachments. According to Screen Rant, their romance helped establish Enzo as a fan favorite even though he wasn’t one of the show’s original characters. 

What did Michael Malarkey say about punching a wall on ‘The Vampire Diaries’ set?

In a recent panel interview at Comic Con Scotland, in which Malarkey participated with other cast members, he revealed that not every moment on the set of The Vampire Diaries went perfectly.

Asked whether any of the cast members had ever broken anything on set, Malarkey said, “I have. Um, there was one scene, and I can’t remember when it was, but something wasn’t connecting with me, and I was getting progressively frustrated, and I just couldn’t achieve what I had planned in the scene” (via Monopoly Events).

The actor added, “I just felt like I needed more energy, and so I would kind of jump up and down. There was one point where I was super-disappointed in the take and I punched a wall, and obviously, it was a set wall, so my hand just kind of blasted straight through and destroyed part of the set.”

Malarkey noted that he missed the crossbar portion of the wall, so he narrowly avoided breaking or seriously injuring his hand. 

What is Michael Malarkey doing now?

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Even if Malarkey got frustrated occasionally, he enjoyed his time in the series and continues to promote The Vampire Diaries with his former castmates, reminiscing about their time working on the supernatural drama. These days, Malarkey is still acting and has even branched out into singing.

According to IMDb, a few of Malarkey’s other projects include TV shows such as Project Blue Book, Big Sky, Westworld, and Quantum Leap. He has also appeared in movies, including Good Morning Rachel and Ghost in the Machine. 

Malarkey has a varied resumé and many roles to his credit, but fans still know and love him best as Enzo in The Vampire Diaries.

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