The Vampire Diaries

 While we’ve known for awhile that a wicked new vampire was en route to The Vampire Diaries, we didn’t know Rebekah would be an Original! That little twist had everyone sitting up and taking notice of Stefan’s (Paul Wesley) ex. Claire Holt plays the sweet-faced vamp, but if Nina Dobrev has taught us anything, it’s that looks can be deceiving. Here’s what you need to know about Claire.

5. She comes from a land Down Under
Claire wasn’t affecting that Australian accent when she played Rebekah in Season 3, Episode 3, “The End of the Affair.” The 23-year-old actress is from Queensland.

4. Claire’s a “jock nerd”
In an interview for Mean Girls 2 — Claire played the ditzy Chastity — the blonde beauty claimed she was a “jock nerd” in high school. The jock part we believe (she was a competitive water polo player), but we’ll take her word for it on the “nerd” label.

3. She’s BFFs with Phoebe Tonkin
If you don’t know who Phoebe Tonkin is, start watching The Secret Circle immediately. The two Aussie girls met on the set of H2O: Just Add Water, which is a TV show about mermaids (just go with it). Between the she-fishes, a witch, and a vampire, these Aussie BFFs have put quite a dent in the supernatural checklist.

2. She’s a Pretty Little Liar
To American audiences, Claire is probably best known for her role as Emily’s older lady, Samara, in Pretty Little Liars. We’re loving Claire as Rebekah, but we’re kind of worried she won’t return to PLL. Emily and Samara are too cute together.

1. What she’s up to next
Claire recently wrapped Blue Like Jazz, a movie based on Donald Miller’s semi-autobiographical book about the author’s attempt to escape his religious upbringing at a liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. The movie also stars Marshall Allman (True Blood) and Tania Raymonde (Lost) — who, coincidentally, was one of our picks to play the role of Rebekah.

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