The young woman who plays Caroline on The CW’s ”Vampire Diaries” is familiar to many Central Floridians. Candice Accola, 22, is an Orlando native who graduated from Lake Highland Prep. She also toured with Miley Cyrus, made a brief appearance in “Juno” and acted on “How I Met Your Mother.”

Landing the role of Caroline was a big step in her career. Production concludes this week on the first season. Caroline has carried on an affair with vampire Damon (Ian Somerhalder) that she can’t remember. She seems to have found the right boyfriend in very human Matt (Zach Roerig) but worries that he still has feelings for old flame Elena (Nina Dobrev). (Accola is pictured in this CW photo by Bob Mahoney.)

Accola will be featured in this week’s episode, which stages the Miss Mystic Falls pageant, at 8 p.m. Thursday on WKCF-Channel 18.  I talked to her last week.

Q. Tell me about this Thursday’s episode.

A. “It’s another Founders’ Day event, the Miss Mystic Falls competition, for girls from founding families. It’s not your average competition. There’s no baton twirling, no world peace questions. It’s ‘What have you done to improve Mystic Falls?’ I’m definitely a contestant. This means the whole world to Caroline.”

Q. What’s the appeal of playing Caroline?

A. “I loved Caroline from day one of auditioning for the pilot. I loved her vulnerability and her brutal honesty and that’s relatable. She’s trying to make everyone happy and make herself happy and make everything perfect the same way it’s playing out in her head. I think a lot of girls in high school have these thoughts and scenarios in their mind. They hope it works out in the real world, and it never does. As the season has gone on, her perspective is growing. Viewers will see a lot of growth in Caroline.”

Q. What will viewers see the rest of this season?

A. “There are four new episodes. The last is May 13. Everyone has a lot to do in the finale. Everyone’s in it. The whole finale is one giant cliffhanger. The only thing I can say is there’s a parade. Anything more I say gives something away.”

Q. How hard is it being a human in a town of vampires?

A. “Caroline doesn’t know vampires exist, even though she and Damon had a relationship. She’s still in the dark. As an actor, it’s very interesting. There are legitimate life-and-death situations. There’s always anticipation to get a script and see, ‘Did I make it? Is everyone still on the ship?’ We really don’t know. We’re only a couple of weeks ahead of the viewers.”

Q. You could go at any time?

A. ”We’re on a vampire show. Anyone can die. It’s the reality of what it is. It keeps it all exciting. It keeps the viewers on their toes and us as well.”

Q. Tell me about shooting in Georgia.

A. ”We’re in Atlanta. I love it. It’s a beautiful city. It’s set a specific tone to the show. Mystic Falls is shot in Covington. It’s this small town we take over. It’s been a welcoming city. It has created an opportunity for cast and crew to really bond, become a family. A lot of the crew is from Los Angeles. I lived in L.A. five and a half years before moving to Atlanta.”

Q. You had a few TV credits before you landed “‘Vampire Diaries.”

A. “I moved to L.A. when I was 16. I initially went out there for music; I was signed for a production deal. I went on road as a backup singer for Miley Cyrus. That was a life-changing experience. I didn’t start auditioning until I was 18. The couple of years I’ve been acting, I’m still with same manager. I was very thrilled to take part in a scene in ‘Juno.’ That was cloud nine. I am a huge ‘How I Met Your Mother’ fan. It was the first time I booked anything on TV. I had two lines.”

Q. Do you have something lined up when “The Vampire Diaries” is on hiatus?

A. ”I want to jam out and write some music. Hiatus is just two months. I want to spend my two months creating.”

Q. What has “The Vampire Diaries” meant to you?

A. “I was grateful to audition for ‘Vampire Diaries.’ It’s definitely been very surreal, and I could not be more grateful. It’s such a great show, but I’m grateful for the people I’ve met, the cast. We do get along, and we’ve become a family and the crew, too. On weekends, we spend time with each other. We never stop hanging out.”

Q. Caroline seems to have found happiness with Matt.

A. “You’ll see Matt and Caroline together for the rest of the season. I don’t know what’s coming up for season two. It’s a beautiful relationship where they’re figuring things out.”

Q. You will be back?

A. “I’ll be back in season two.”

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Tonight’s episode of “The Vampire Diaries” is called “Under Control,” but after what Stefan did last week, I’m pretty sure the title may be slightly misleading. Mystic Falls has been completely turned on its head. Stefan is out for human blood again, making Damon look like the safe bet, because at least Damon is the devil we know. There’s no telling how Stefan is going to handle these changes.

Of course, the Donovan family just discovered that when Vicki disappeared on Halloween, she wasn’t just running away; she was dead. They don’t know yet that her cause of death was being turned into a vampire and getting a stake to the heart, but now that Jeremy knows vampires exist, I doubt those secrets will stay secret for long.

8:01 – Apparently, drinking blood turned Stefan into a compulsive exerciser. Not that I’m complaining. With the music blasting and the manic behavior, Stefan has already started to act more like Damon. It’s interesting that last time Stefan quit drinking blood, he weaned himself off of it slowly.

8:03 – No one in the Gilbert household seems very happy to see their uncle John… least of all Aunt Jenna. I, however, am thrilled to see guest star David Anders make his first appearance.