The Vampire Diaries: When Paul Wesley Wanted To Play Ian Somerhalder’s Damon Salvatore & Not Stefan

Read on to know what the producer had to say about the audition process.

By
Koimoi.com Team
- March 12, 2021 | 9:42 PM IST
• Follow Us
• Join Us

The Vampire Diaries premiered on The CW in September 2009 and concluded in March 2017. Even though the supernatural show wrapped up 4 years ago, the characters – especially Elena Gilbert, Damon Salvatore and Stefan Salvatore – still hold a special place in our heart. Today, we bring you a piece of trivia – did you know Paul Wesley didn’t want to initially play Stefan?

As per the admission of the show’s producer, Julie Plec, many actors, including a couple who finally got their names mentioned in the credits of TVD, auditioned for Damon Salvatore’s role. Michael Trevino (Tyler Lockwood), Zach Roerig (Matt Donovan), Nathaniel Buzolic (Kol Mikaelson and Paul (Stefan) were a few names. Read on to know what the producer had to say about the audition process.

During a past interview with Entertainment Weekly, Julie Plec, who developed The Vampire Diaries with Kevin Williamson, revealed that Paul Wesley – who played one of the three leads, Stefan Salvatore for eight seasons – initially wasn’t keep on playing the younger brother. The television producer revealed that Paul auditioned for the role of the sarcastic and devilishly handsome elder bro, Damon Salvatore, first.

View Quiz

Shedding light on the audition process for The Vampire Diaries, Julie Plec revealed that Paul Wesley read the lines of Ian Somerhalder’s character, Damon, first. She said, “Paul and Ian kind of came in late in the process. Paul auditioned like 15 times, and Ian kind of appeared out of the blue. The only one who wasn’t trying too hard, that didn’t speak to me at any point unless we were filming, was Paul Wesley—so it’s funny to think that he did the right thing.”

While Paul Wesley tried nailing Damon Salvatore’s role in his first audition, Ian, who finally landed the role, bombed him. It was said to be so bad that he feared he would have lost the part of the elder Salvatore brother. During a media interaction (in 2012), Ian revealed that his first audition was disastrous.

In this an interesting throwback story? Stay tuned to Koimoi to know more such tit-bits.

Must Read: Kylie Minogue & Victoria Beckham Win Glamour Magazine’s 2021 Gamechangers Awards

Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube