Vampire Diaries' Newest Character Is All About "Conflict"—and Maybe Sexytime, Too

Courtney Ford, Trinity Killer's murderous daughter on Dexter, shares deets on her supersecret guest stint

Courtney Ford isn't afraid of blood.

Ford spilled plenty of the red stuff this past season on Dexter as the Trinity Killer's murderous daughter, now she's joining the bloodsuckers on The Vampire Diaries as a vampire scholar.

Here's what Courtney dished to us at Showtime's Emmy nominee reception about her hot new TVD character, including the true nature of her "research" into the vampires of Fell's Church. (Hint: Her character might have more on her mind than just books!)

"I play Vanessa Monroe, a Duke University grad student who's helping Alaric (Matt Davis), Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Elena (Nina Dobrev) with Isobel's research. It's a really nice arc."

Isobel, Elena's birth mom and Alaric's wife, was so obsessed with vampires that she persuaded Damon to turn her into one. Is Vanessa going to ask the same favor of the sexy Salvatore brother?

Not a chance, Courtney dished. "Vanessa has a conflict, because she studies all this wonderful mythology and folklore, but half of her is a complete skeptic. Half of her is a believer, and half of her is a skeptic, and she goes back and forth. It's a big conflict for her."

When we asked Courtney whether Vanessa would see any action in the romance department, her reaction revealed that she's obviously hooking up with someone...but Courtney's lips are sealed: "I want to tell you so much, but I can't," she said, laughing. "They'll kill me if I reveal too much!"

Courtney was escorted to Showtime's pre-Emmys bash by her gorgeous husband, Brandon Routh, so we asked him whether he'd be returning to Chuck this season as Special Agent Daniel Shaw. "Not as far as I know," he said, "but I'd love to come back!"