As man-turned-beast Vincent on The CW’s Beauty and the Beast, Jay Ryan divides his time between kicking butt, solving mysteries, and romancing Kristin Kreuk‘s Catherine — all of which sounds much cushier than his last gig, running from giant Jurassic monsters on Terra Nova. Now, it’s his turn to play the monster.

“Vincent looks tame in pictures, but he does go into full beast-mode,” Vincent tells HollywoodLife.com in response to some fans thinking he’s too pretty to be considered beastly. “We explore a little bit of that in the pilot, but more moving forward. And fortunately for me, I only have to do that about one day a week. There’s a lot of makeup involved.”

Here’s the show’s story, in a nutshell: Years ago, Catherine Chandler witnessed her mother’s brutal shooting, but avoided the same fate thanks to a mysterious (and beastly) hero. She’s now an NYC homicide detective and finds herself face-to-face with the beast once again, this time as allies — or maybe more.

“Vincent and Catherine’s relationship is definitely complicated,” Jay admits. “He’s helping her to try and solve her mother’s death, but at the same time, he really is a killer himself. So she’s put in this very difficult position, where she has to play to both sides of the law. It’s intense.”

Jay is especially pumped for his big role because of his personal connection to the original 1987 series. He says he still has vivid memories of sitting with his grandmother, watching Ron Perlman (as Vincent) and Linda Hamilton (as Catherine) fall in love. In his words, “she loved that show!”

Of course, the original series came out years before Disney made Beauty and the Beast into a family-friendly musical, so Jay admits he had some explaining to do when he landed the title role.

“I told all of my friends I was doing the stage musical,” he says jokingly. (At least, I think he’s joking.)

And because Beauty and the Beast airs immediately following The Vampire Diaries, I couldn’t help but ask Jay how he thinks Vincent would fare in a fight against one of Mystic Falls’ beautiful bloodsuckers.

“They just have fangs, right?” he asks. “The Beast is a science experiment, so he’s pretty brutal. Maybe we can do a crossover episode and find out!”

Watch a preview of Beauty & The Beast below, then drop me a comment: Are planning to tune in?

— Andy Swift

Follow @AndySwift

More on Beauty & The Beast:

1. ‘Beauty & The Beast’ Premieres Oct. 11 — Go Inside TV’s Epic New Romance

We’re all about celebrating epic romances here at HollywoodLife.com, which is why we’re stoked for the Oct. 11 premiere of The CW’s Beauty & the Beast. It’s the story of Catherine (Kristin Kreuk), a hot NYC detective haunted by the death of her mother and the memory of a creature that saved her life that night. Little does she know, that “creature” is actually Vincent (Jay Ryan), a presumed-dead soldier who offers to help solve her mother’s murder — and steals her heart in the process.

But what would an epic romance be without a few obstacles? Not only is Cat tasked with helping Vincent keep his entire existence a secret, but their little arrangement begins to weigh heavily on Cat’s relationship with her boss Joe (Brian White) and partner Tess (Nina Lisandrello).

Oh, and did I mention that Vincent sort of transforms himself into an angry beast whenever he experiences a rush of emotions? That part’s pretty crucial.

Let’s recap: Hot guy, hot girl, hot chemistry. Do you really need any more reasons to tune in?

Watch a special extended preview of Beauty & The Beast below, then vote for the Hollywood couple whose epic romance rivals Cat and Vincent’s. For more information on the show, head over to The CW’s official Beauty & The Beast site.

— Andy Swift

Follow @AndySwift