Tyler Lockwood | TV Recappers Anonymous

As most of you probably already know (especially, considering you are reading this post) The Vampire Diaries has just settled in for a LOOOOOOOONG winter hiatus . . .

And yet, tonight kick starts the CW’s airing of The Vampire Diaries Season 2 Marathon — which will showcase, not one, but TWO episodes of the show’s second season, each week day, starting at 8 p.m.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, I have decided to pay a little tribute to one of the stars of The Vampire Diaries. This actor is a heretofore unsung hero of the series, who has recently received a significant amount of recognition for the “hair-raising” transformation his character has undergone, during the show’s Second Season. Of course, I’m talking about Michael Trevino . . .

My Michael, what great big . . . acting skills you have! 😉

I’m going to kick off the post, by discussing the Michael Trevino you all KNOW, namely the Michael who has portrayed Tyler Lockwood, for almost two full seasons now. We’ll see how the character has evolved during the past couple of years, learn what Michael himself has to say about Tyler, and analyze where we think the character might be going. (Of course, you can expect to see plenty of animated GIFS and hot shirtless screencaps, along the way too . . . This is MY SITE, after all! ;))

Now, now, Michael! This is no time to get shy or cheeky!

After that, we will get to take a look at the Michael Trevino you might NOT know, by examining the actor’s life so far, through his past film and television roles . . .

[But before we begin, I must give some credit where credit is due. Most of the animated GIFS you will see here, come from the amazing Oh My Michael Trevino Tumblr. Photo stills and screencaps tend to come from my own personal collection, but I did get a bunch over at Fanpop and CWTV.com. I owe much of my inspiration for this post to Michael Trevino, himself (DUH!) but also to my fabulous blogging pal, Cherie, over at myspideysenseistingling. Be sure to check out her kickass recent post dedicated to Tyler Lockwood and his new Girl Friday, Caroline Forbes.]

Well, it looks like Michael is ready to get started. So, let’s not keep him waiting any longer. Shall we?

Michael Trevino as Tyler Lockwood . . .

When The Vampire Diaries kicked off its first groundbreaking season, we actually knew very little about Tyler Lockwood, save for the stereotypical labels he embodied. Tyler was an Alpha Male, in every sense of the word. He was an Athlete . . .

. . . a ~~Man Whore~~ Ladies’ Man . . .

. . . a Spoiled Rich Kid with Daddy Issues . . .

. . . a Bully . . .

. . . and a Hard-Partying Substance Abuser . . .

It wasn’t until the end of the first season, that we really began to scratch the surface of who Tyler REALLY was, beyond the aforementioned stereotypes. For example, we learned that Tyler was also a Tortured Artist, with a penchant for drawing supernatural creatures . . .

And in the Season 1 Finale, entitled Founder’s Day, we began to suspect that Tyler’s untenable rage, along with his obsession with werewolves, might very well have a genetic explanation . . .

Here’s what Michael Trevino himself had to say about the evolution of his character, throughout Season 1 of The Vampire Diaries:

Season 2 of The Vampire Diaries really tore down the walls of Tyler Lockwood’s character, allowing him to seem more raw, and vulnerable, and, therefore, significantly more empathetic than he was during Season 1 . . .

In the course of just a few episodes, Tyler had to grapple with the death of his girlfriend . . .

. . . and the death of his abusive father, about whom his feelings were both complicated and conflicting. Tyler then learned of his werewolf origins from his Uncle Mason Lockwood, who was, at the time, his one true mentor and confidant . . .

But before Tyler could truly receive the guidance he needed to make it through this difficult and confusing time, Mason seemingly abandoned him (well . . . actually . . . he was murdered . . . but Tyler doesn’t know that yet).

And yet, the poo didn’t really hit the fan, until Tyler’s actions, during one fateful Masquerade Ball unintentionally brought about the death of an ~~very slutty~~ innocent girl — thereby triggering the curse, which would force him to turn into a werewolf, during each full moon . . .

Fortunately, Tyler found a new ally in a friend / former acquaintence, who was also no stranger to the supernatural, Baby Vamp Caroline . . .

Having been through something sort of similar (though, admittedly, not nearly as awful), Caroline showed Tyler that he didn’t have to go through this terrible bone-crushing transformation alone. She stuck by him, while he watched with horror a video that captured Mason’s painful first werewolf transformation, knowing that the same thing would inevitably happen to him. She supported him, as he prepared to endure the worst night of his life . . .

And, most importantly, she stuck by him, when it mattered most — during his own first werewolf transformation. Caroline held him and calmed him down, by whispering in his ear encouragingly, stroking his hair, and rubbing his back, when he was in so much pain, he nearly couldn’t bear it . . .

And when it was all over, and he was crying out her name . . .

. . . Caroline was there to comfort him, and keep him strong . . .

Here’s what Candice Accola (who plays Caroline . . . obviously) and Michael Trevino had to say about their characters’ budding relationship, during Season 2 of The Vampire Diaries . . .

In addition to adding so many different and complex layers to Tyler Lockwood, the character, these past few episodes have really illustrated the range and skill Michael Trevino has as an actor. Through his role as Tyler, Trevino has seamlessly woven together strength, warmth, rage, intensity, masculinity, romance, and vulnerability, into one VERY SEXY package . . .

As for the second half of the season, I predict for Tyler Lockwood a fair amount of brooding . . .

. . . some angst . . . a little bit of romance . . .

. . . some more wolfishness . . .

. . . and, hopefully, a WHOLE LOTTA NAKED!

But enough of about Tyler Lockwood, and his ~~sexual~~ acting prowess, let’s get to know a bit more about the guy who plays him . . . Michael Trevino.

Michael Trevino – The Actor

Michael Trevino was born January 25, 1985 in Montebello, California. He is of Mexican-American descent. After nabbing guest starring roles in popular dramas like Charmed, and Summerland, Trevino nailed his first major role in the Disney film, Cow Belles, starring alongside Ally and Amanda Michalka . . .

In Cow Belles, Trevino played Jackson Meade, the love interest for Ally Michalka’s destined-to-be-reformed spoiled rich girl, Taylor Callum . . .

Though heir to a milk empire himself, Trevino’s character Jackson, was a down to earth guy, who loved animals, and wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty . . .

This is the only time in my life that I have EVER wanted to be a pig . . .

But, perhaps, more importantly, when he got his shirt dirty, he TOOK IT OFF!

My, my, Disney Channel, I didn’t know you had it in you . . .

Shortly thereafter, Michael starred in the short-lived presidential drama Commander in Chief. He also landed the starring role in an episode of CSI: Miami. The good news is, I found a very high quality video of that CSI episode. The bad news, is that it’s in Spanish. So, if you do speak fluent Spanish, you can find the episode by clicking here. And if you don’t, feel free to click there anyway, and watch Michael Trevino looking super hot, as an American soldier fighting in the Middle East. (So what, if you can’t understand a word he’s saying, right? :))

After that, Michael Trevino landed a role in the CBS television drama Cane, about a wealthy Cuban American family, running a sugar cane business in South Florida . . .

Trevino played Jaime Vega, son of Jimmy Smits’ character Alex . . .

Trevino’s wife on the show (that’s right . . . I said wife) was played by Alona Tal, who you may remember as Meg from Veronica Mars . . .

And yet . . . judging by this clip . . . it looks like Michael’s character may have had some issues with fidelity . . .

(Special thanks to my new friend, Gen, for this sexy little clip!)

Unfortunately, Cane was canceled after just one Season. But Michael kept busy, landing the role of Joshua in the Hallmark Channel romantic period drama, Love Finds a Home . . .

I didn’t actually become familiar with Michael’s work, myself, until around 2008, when he landed a role in the CW’s update of the classic 90’s teen drama, 90210 . . .

Trevino played Ozzie Cardoza during the new 90210‘s first season. Ozzie was a down-to-earth high school student and aspiring chef. He was also the unlikely love interest for Queen B*tch Naomi Clark, who is played by blonde bombshell AnnaLynne McCord (Geez! I guess Senor Trevino really likes blondes!) . . .

You can get a taste of the pair’s magnetic antagonism, and intense sexual chemistry, by watching the two clips below:

Trevino’s stint on 90210, and, consequently, his character’s romance with Naomi, ended after just four episodes. In protest, I stopped watching the show, shortly thereafter. (OK . . . that wasn’t really why I stopped watching. But, you have to admit, it’s an interesting coincidence.)

While Michael Trevino’s career has surely had its ups and downs (as have most actors his age), he truly does seem to have found his home on The Vampire Diaries, in the role of Tyler Lockwood. And for that, we are TRULY thankful . . .