‘The Vampire Diaries’ Nearly Forged Marvel’s Sebastian Stan, New Guide Reveals

The Vampire Diaries helped outline the CW’s style days, and for a lot of followers, it’s additionally the second they found Star Trek: Strange New Worlds actor Paul Wesley. He was solid alongside costar Ian Somerhalder to play the vampire brothers Damon and Stefan Salvatore, however issues may have been very completely different: Marvel’s Sebastian Stan virtually bought the decision to play the character.

In an upcoming oral historical past titled I Was Feeling Epic by Samantha Highfill excerpted in EW, she reveals that Stan took a gathering to probably play both one of many Salvatores. On the time, the present’s co-creator and co-showrunner Julie Plec thought-about Stan as a result of he was in “that film with all the recent boys,” aka 2006’s The Covenant (aka “The Craft for boys”). The Covenant additionally starred Steven Strait, who was apparently additionally thought-about to play Stefan Salvatore.

It by no means labored out: Strait handed on the undertaking, whereas Stan needed to drop out after being solid in NBC’s Kings. Stan, after all, went on to hitch Marvel as Bucky Barnes.

With their “dream solid” slipping away, casting administrators Greg Orson and Lesli Gelles-Raymond pivoted to carry Wesley in to play Stefan, apparently feeling “very passionate” concerning the alternative. Present co-creators Plec and Kevin Williamson didn’t assume Wesley was heartthrob materials, however Plec admitted to being “useless fallacious.”

But when discovering the fitting man for Stefan was powerful, selecting an actor for Damon Salvatore was tougher: Orson and Gelles-Raymond auditioned some 400 folks for the function. In the meantime, Ian Somerhalder had simply left Misplaced and needed “edgier” materials.

Initially, Somerhalder wrote Vampire Diaries off as a form of “Twilight on TV,” however modified his thoughts after studying the script. The casting administrators and creators knew he can be their Damon, regardless of his admittedly tough first community take a look at. It was apparently so unhealthy, Williamson and Somerhalder keep in mind going into the hallway so the actor may settle down and get out of his personal head; Williamson later threatened to go away the present if the CW went with one other actor for Damon. Plec and then-Warner Bros. TV president Peter Roth additionally stood by him, and the remaining is historical past.

You’ll be able to learn the total casting excerpt here, which reveals different actors thought-about for the Salvatore brothers—and for those who’re a Vampire Diaries fan, Highfill’s guide I Was Feeling Epic releases September 9.

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