Casey Deidrick as Tommy.

Photo Credit: MTV Press

TV Tango: Tell me about your characters in EYE CANDY.

Casey Deidrick: I play Detective Tommy. He’s a young cop. He’s kind of a hard-ass. He’s very strong-minded and I’ve had the most fun I’ve ever had playing this character. He’s constantly trying to prove himself in this cyber-tech savvy world. Trying to get over the mistrust that he has for Lindy (Victoria Justice’s character) is predominant in the first part of the series. Then Tommy’s focus is cracking the serial killer case.

TV Tango: Does he crack it?

Casey Deidrick: I can say that we do end up finding the killer in the end. He or she.

Kiersey Clemons as Sophia.

Photo Credit: MTV Press

Kiersey Clemons: I play Sophia. I’m Lindy’s best friend, mother, sister, and whatever else she needs me to be. I think I’ve found myself and Lindy hasn’t quite figured it out yet, so even though I don’t necessarily agree with everything she’s doing, Sophia’s loyalty to Lindy comes first, even if that means putting herself in harm’s way. Sophia owns a nightclub, and many things transpire there; she’s putting her job and life at risk. They’re roommates, so she may not even feel comfortable in her own home. You’ll see that Sophia is very independent, very good with her words, and she always gets what she wants. I think that’s why she and Lindy are friends: because they’ll both do anything to get what they want.

Cast of EYE CANDY.

Photo Credit: MTV Press

TV Tango: What was it about EYE CANDY that attracted you to the show?

Casey Deidrick: I grew up with my dad reading me the “Goosebumps” books before bed, oddly enough. I was always a huge fan of R.L. Stine, but I had never heard of the book “Eye Candy” until I auditioned for this. I have since read the book and I like the similarities and differences between our script and the novel. Also, we have a really good cast and our producing team did a wonderful job. My character is super physical; I get into fights a lot, I get beat up.

TV Tango: You like that?

Casey Deidrick: Every day on set I got to do something new and fresh. I loved every second of it.

Kiersey Clemons: What was intriguing is that it has this balance of, “Their nightlife is so cool, the guys she’s dating are so hot, and her friends are so awesome.” Others want to be in her shoes, but is having all of that worth risking everything? I think it’s nice for viewers to be in the comfort of their own home living vicariously through all of us. And it’s in New York! When I was in high school, I watched GOSSIP GIRL and was like, “Ahhhhh I want to live that life!”

Casey Deidrick: There’s that grittiness, that sexiness [in New York].

Kiersey Clemons: New York is a character in the show. It sets a tone. And that’s why I wanted to be a part of it, because New York is distinctive and recognizable to everyone. New York has a vibe of its own that we were able to capture and incorporate into the show, and it drives the show a lot.

Casey Deidrick: There are a lot of shows that say they’re located in New York, but they shoot down the street from here [Pasadena, CA]. I can’t even tell you how many amazing set locations [in NYC] we got to shoot at. Places that were so real and you didn’t have to imagine them, you were there. We were shooting at abandoned shipyards in Brooklyn, and other really creepy, eerie places. I have an obsession with abandoned places.

Kiersey Clemons: At locations where killings happen, you’re there thinking, “This is crazy because you really could get locked down here, or somebody could get murdered down here and you would never find their body.”

Kiersey Clemons discusses her role on EYE CANDY.

Photo Credit: video capture, MTV.com

TV Tango: Have either of you ever dealt with an online stalking experience?

Casey Deidrick: No, I haven’t. I’ve been very fortunate.

Kiersey Clemons: There was this guy who would tweet me, and then I met him at a movie premiere. I had tweeted something about wanting flowers for my birthday, and then he started sending all these flowers to my manager’s office. It was so weird! I’m not into that. OH! I’ve also had people pretend to be me back in MySpace days. I actually had a girl go off on me, accusing me of taking her man. I was like, “I don’t know your man!” I was so confused until I realized that someone was pretending to be me. I said, “Girl, I’m sorry that happened to you, but that wasn’t me.”

Casey Deidrick as Tommy in a scene from EYE CANDY.

TV Tango: You’re both involved in the music industry as well, right? [Casey is in a band called And Still I Rise. Kiersey has worked in the recording studio with Pharrell Williams and was featured in Trey Songz’s music video for “Smart Phones.”)

Casey Deidrick: Yeah. I have a passion for heavy metal music and have a band with some of my friends. We made a music video last year. I love that style of music; I grew up on it. I know it’s crazy and people are like, “I don’t understand a word he’s saying – or screaming,” but I love it and I will always love it. Anytime someone can use music as an outlet, it’s a good thing.

TV Tango: If you had to choose between either doing music OR acting for the rest of your life, which would it be?

Kiersey Clemons: NO!! I would never choose [laughs]. I can’t imagine never acting again.

Casey Deidrick: I think I would become a tow truck driver or something. I would just cop out, haha. Personally, I can relate more to characters, so I wouldn’t want to give up acting. But I have so much respect for either side.

Kiersey Clemons: I find music therapeutic. I wouldn’t necessarily need it to be my career. I could just do it on my own, writing for myself as a person. I need music to not go crazy. But they’re two completely different things.

Casey Deidrick talks about playing Tommy.

TV Tango: Casey, you were actively involved in skateboarding until you experienced a severe concussion. If it weren’t for that accident, do you think you’d be pursuing a career in skateboarding instead?

Casey Deidrick: I don’t know. I grew up skateboarding. Especially coming from a small town, we would take my dad’s video camera and go skateboarding every day. It got to the point where I was getting hurt every time I went out. I ended up hitting my head really badly and woke up in the hospital. I realized that I better do something different. I still love it and skate for fun, but that incident drove me more into wanting to be an actor. I’ll always be a skateboarder at heart.

Kiersey Clemons as Sophia in a scene from EYE CANDY.

Photo Credit: MTV Press

TV Tango: Kiersey, what would your dream TV role be?

Kiersey Clemons: Maybe SCANDAL, but I’m the President. The first female president. Wouldn’t that be so cool?

Casey Deidrick: Yeah, you’d be so great at that! That would be awesome.

Kiersey Clemons: For some reason I’ve always wanted to play a witch. A superhero? I don’t know!