THE INSIDER: PHEOBE TONKIN

Vampires? Werewolves? They're so last season. Just ask Australian actress Phoebe Tonkin, who plays the bad witch Faye on the new CW series The Secret Circle.The show, which revolves around, yes, a secret circle of witchery, is based upon the bestselling book by Vampire Diaries' author L.J. Smith and is guaranteed to inject a double dose of the supernatural into your Thursday nights. We chatted with the 22-year-old about perfecting an American accent, her favorite recipes, and the best parts about playing a (kind of) villian.

Hi Phoebe! Where are you calling from right now?

I'm in Vancouver, where we're filming the show. I have a day off, so I just got back from pilates class, which I'm trying to do when I have free time!

Let's talk about your character on the series, Faye. How would you describe her to a total stranger? I think Faye is really unpredictable. You see, she was quite misguided by her mother, had a few bad boyfriends, which led her to become sort of a destructive person to herself and to others. Now that she's come into these huge powers, she doesn't necessarily want to use them for terrible things, but she just doesn't know her boundaries.

Do you like playing the villain? Yes! I've always played the good girl, so it's a nice change. I feel like I've been repressed for years and now I'm pulling it all out now [laughing]. 

How did you perfect your American accent?  Before the pilot I'd worked with an accent coach and just practiced a lot, but to be honest, I grew up watching The OC and Friends so I've picked it up a lot from there. I joke that I had the Seth Cohen guide to the America accent.

What's the hardest word to pull of? Ironically, the word "power." It's the most used word in the show!

What do you do when you're not working? At the moment we're filming a lot, but I'm also taking a course in nutrition that i really enjoy. I come from a family of suburban hippies, so this holistic way of life is always something I've been interested in [laughing].

Do you cook as well? Um... I'm really good at throwing things in a pan, but not so much where you have to measure out ingredients. I make a really great salmon salad. Baking...not so much!

What bands are you listening to right now? I'm a huge Radiohead fan, like, huge. I also like Cat Power and I'm into this band called The Swell Season who I caught at Coachella. On set I've started listening to Smashing Pumpkins, just to get into the realm of Faye's head, because it's a little bit dark.

Watch The Secret Circle when it premieres on The CW September 15.