Vampire Diaries: Malese Jow looks back on her favorite scenes as Anna

With one season left in The Vampire Diaries’ run, we decided it was time to start collecting everyone’s final diary entries. Every week during the final season, EW is asking those involved with the show to look back on one of their favorite moments from the series. So grab your tissues and join us on this trip down a vampire-filled memory lane.

This week, Malese Jow remembers Anna…

My whole experience on Vampire Diaries was a crazy rollercoaster because I initially started the show and was only supposed to be a small recurring character, so any time it would go into a different place for Anna and once she got a mom and all of that, I was blown away. She had so many facets: She got to be a badass, she got to be vulnerable, she got to have some family around. The character evolved and I didn’t know where she was going.

I definitely loved the relationship that she had with Jeremy. I feel like even though we found out she was hundreds of years old — she was this vampire who’s seen a lot of life and has gone through a lot of stuff — there was an innocence that he brought out of her that she thrived in and he did too, so their dynamic was so beautiful to me. I loved working with Steven (McQueen). We were best friends on and off set.

Something that really sticks out to me was doing the flashback episodes to 1864. That was super cool. I got to work closely with Kelly Hu (Pearl) which was amazing. We got to work on plantations and wear authentic period clothes. I also loved working with Ian (Somerhalder), too. I learned a lot from him, so any time I had scenes with him, I would be very excited about that. Ian and Paul (Wesley) and Nina (Dobrev) were definitely the captains of the ship. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to work too much with Paul and Nina so by default it was Ian, but he just has this charisma — it did something to the show, so I’m always in awe of him as an actor and as a human being in general.

When I found out Anna was going to die, it was heartbreaking. Since I was a recurring character, it was just episode to episode, so I was always on the edge of my seat. Through that I became so close with the cast and crew, so once I found out, of course everyone found out, and they were heartbroken. There was a Team Anna video that we put together. Everyone was a part of it; the fans got involved. That was a very emotional day. The crew was wrecked after the death scene, as was I. It was hard but everyone was rooting for me and for the character and it paid off! I got to see season 3.

The season 3 goodbye episode was so emotional. Anna and Jeremy had their final goodbyes and Anna finally found peace, so for that character, it was just a huge episode and it was emotionally draining, but the writing is so good so it made my job so easy. She really did get a happy ending, and I’m so glad that they brought me back and let me live her out a little bit more. I know after the initial death in the first season, there was so much backlash on Twitter from fans. I think that’s what’s so cool about this show is the writers and everyone behind the scenes were so in tune with what the fans wanted that Anna was able to have a second chance on the show and wrap things up in a nicer, happier way. I’m very thankful for that. I don’t quite know where she went, but hopefully she’s somewhere nice and very far away from Mystic Falls.

The show totally rerouted my career as an actor. I was a child actor and I was kind of at a crossroads. I was 18 at that time and I wanted to be taken more seriously and I wanted to book the right role, but those things just kind of have to be in the stars and fortunately, it was for me. It was a rollercoaster auditioning process and thankfully Kevin (Williamson) and Julie (Plec) believed in me and one thing led to another. It was supposed to be two to four episodes, and it turned out being two seasons. I met friends for life in the cast and crew and I have so much love for everyone. I’m sad that the show is ending but I’m also happy and honored to be able to say that I was a part of it.

The Vampire Diaries airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.