The Vampire Diariesco-creator Julie Plec reflects on casting the show’s three most crucial roles, fifteen years after the show’s premiere. One of the most popular teen dramas in recent history, the L.J. Smith adaptation helped launch and reinvigorate the careers of its lead actors Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, and Ian Somerhalder. With their respective performances as Elena Gilbert and the Salvatore brothers, Stefan and Damon, the trio anchored The CW series for most of its run. But with a few changes toThe Vampire Diaries' castcould have gone very differently.
In an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, to mark the 15th anniversary of the show’s premiere, as it debuted in September 2009, Plec reflected on the drama’s legacy and went into detail about the many twists and turns that led to casting Dobrev, Somerhalder, and Wesley. Plec, who created the show withScreamandDawson’s Creekwriter Kevin Williamson, got candid abouthow the casting process could have gone wrong and shared some alternate choices for the characters. Read the quote below:
The roller coaster of casting the leads was sort of hilariously well-documented because we really struggled with all three roles. Nina came in early in the process and was sick, and so we kind of didn’t look twice at her and she had to fight to be seen again and put herself on tape so that we would take a second look at her when she felt better. And it came perfectly, right at the time when we were sort of throwing our hands up in the air. And we were instantly interested in Ian because I had actually been a fan of Young Americans … anyway, so he tanked [his audition] and he knows he tanked and everyone knows he tanked and it’s cannon at this point.
But we had a moment where we were like, well, if he’s not our Damon, then who is? And then Paul Wesley came in amidst a sea of 10 other possible Stefans. And Kevin and I — we’ve also said so I don’t feel like I’m talking sh*t — just thought he [Paul] was too old, and so we said, “No, we don’t want him. He’s too old.” And then the network said, “Well make him Damon instead of Ian.” And we were like, “Oh, no, we can’t do that. A terrible idea.”
So Kevin and I were like the last two people to be on board the Paul Wesley train, and it wasn’t really until his first day shooting when he was shooting in the cemetery with Nina Dobrev in a scene where they run into each other for the first time in the cemetery where we were like, “Oh my God, we were so wrong. How embarrassing because he’s perfect.” I know we were chasing, in one way or another,all the possibilities with the covenants, you know, Steven Strait, Sebastian Stan, Taylor Kitsch, but it really turned out to be, I don’t think we could have done a better job.
Two of the most notable alternate casting choices forElena included pop star Ashlee Simpson andHigh School Musical’s Ashley Tisdale. In the case of Tisdale, she reportedly passed on the role and went on to star in the short-lived CW seriesHellcats. There have also been potentially game-changing choices for the ensemble outside of the main trio, such asSarah Michelle Gellar as Rose. The recurring role, of a vampire that shared a past with the Salvatores, ultimately went to Lauren Cohan ofThe Walking DeadandSupernatural.
The core decisions made for Elena, Stefan, and Damon prove the importance of sometimes favoring relative unknowns and actors not in the spotlight.
Williamson, who worked with Gellar onScream 2in 1997, said that the actor politely turned down the offer to play Rose. Williamson later confessed that this would have been stunt-casting, given Gellar’s game-changing role inBuffy the Vampire Slayer.Still,TVDreportedly leaned on another 1990s actor,Dawson’s Creekalum James Van Der Beek, for a role in the series. He was considered to play Alaric, a role that went to Matthew Davis.
Pedro Pascal Auditioned For The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries executive producer Julie Plec reveals Pedro Pascal auditioned to play Marcel, who would become a lead character on The Originals.
Williamson and Dobrev also noted that there werehopes that Taylor Swift could play a vampire, but that didn’t materialize. Pedro Pascal, years before breaking out inThe MandalorianandThe Last of Us, could have played Marcel but the part went to Charles Michael Davis. Though those choices may have been interesting, the core decisions made for Elena, Stefan, and Damon prove the importance of sometimes favoring relative unknowns and actors not in the spotlight. It helped turnThe Vampire Diariesinto what it’s remembered as today.
The Vampire Diaries
Cast
Based on the novels by L.J. Smith, The Vampire Diaries is a story about the developing love triangle between Elena Gilbert and two vampiric brothers, Stefan and Damon Salvatore. Set in the town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, the show follows the trio from high school through college as they battle for one another’s affection.
