The Vampire Diaries almost looked very different.
In Entertainment Weekly editor Samantha Highfill’s new book, I Was Feeling Epic: An Oral History of The Vampire Diaries, the team behind The CW classic reveals which notable names auditioned to be citizens of Mystic Falls.
Rumors swirled for years about Taylor Swift’s possible connection to the show, but the book — published Tuesday, September 9 — details what really went down with the singer.
“Despite fan rumors, the role of Lexi [Arielle Kebbel] was never written for Taylor Swift,” Highfill wrote. “However, there was one Swift-related conversation in that first season.”
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The show’s cocreator, Julie Plec, recalled the network asking if they wanted Swift to cameo on the series.
“We said no. It didn’t feel grounded,” Plec explained, noting that it would have made the show “feel too contemporary” when they were focused on creating a “timeless little community” in the fictional Virginia town.
“If only I knew then what I know now about my love for Taylor,” Plec quipped.
The show, which aired for eight seasons from 2009 to 2017, ended up starring Nina Dobrev (Elena Gilbert), Paul Wesley (Stefan Salvatore) and Ian Somerhalder (Damon Salvatore) as the three leads. Candice King (Caroline Forbes), Kat Graham (Bonnie Bennett), Michael Trevino (Tyler Lockwood), Zach Roerig (Matt Donovan) and Steven R. McQueen (Jeremy Gilbert), were cast as supporting characters.
Keep scrolling to see which stars were almost cast in The Vampire Diaries:
The 1st Actor Cast
McQueen was the first person who signed on for the show. Plec said that he was “uncontested” when going up for the role of Jeremy.
A Different Tyler
Matt Lauria was nearly cast as Tyler, but “we could not make a deal,” casting director Lesli Gelles-Raymond said in the book. Lauria famously went on to play Luke Cafferty on Friday Night Lights.
Zach Roerig Wasn’t Interested in Matt
Gelles-Raymond recalled Roerig reading for nearly every other part before they knew he was Matt. The actor initially preferred the role of Tyler, but eventually got on board.
“There were other options but Matt seemed the most suitable fit,” Roerig said in the book. “I’m glad that I chose that.”
2 Actresses, 1 Bonnie
Casting Bonnie came down to Graham (who won the role) or Tessa Thompson.
“Kat had this kind of innocent quality about her, this wide-eyed innocent thing that ended up lending itself to Bonnie more than Tessa, who was so cool,” Gelles-Raymond explained. “Kat just was Bonnie.”
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Calling Ashlee Simpson
The CW wanted Simpson to star as Elena, but Plec was not into it.
“No offense to Ashlee Simpson, we were just reacting negatively to feeling like a piece of talent with a certain name was being forced on us before we were allowed to go through our own process, which is why we were pushing back against it,” she said in the book. “In a way she kind of didn’t have a chance, because we were feeling a little bullied into it.”
All the Damons Before Ian Somerhalder
Sebastian Stan and Matt Czuchry were nearly cast as the bad boy Salvatore brother. Czuchry was out of the running after he got a role on The Good Wife. Stan, meanwhile, was “discussed at the studio,” Gelles-Raymond recalled. But he also got another role.
The Vampire Hunter
Matthew Davis “was the first person to read” for history teacher and vampire hunter Alaric Saltzman, Gelles-Raymond recalled. While he eventually got the role, Jason Momoa was nearly cast. Joe Manganiello also read for the part.
The Infamous Klaus
Joseph Morgan was the big bad for most of the show’s run (before leaving Mystic Falls for New Orleans and getting his own show) but other stars almost played the part. Taylor Kitch was “on a short list” for potential stars. Billy Magnussen, Finn Wittrock, Chris Geere and Bill Skarsgard were also considered. Even Sebastian Roché (who was eventually cast as Klaus’ father, Mikael) went up for the part.
The Pedro Pascal of It All
Pascal fought hard for the role of Marcel Gerard on The Vampire Diaries spinoff series The Originals.
“I wanted Pedro Pascal on the show. I loved him so much,” Plec said in the book, recalling Pascal having “ a wicked fever” the day of his final audition. She explained that he was a little too old for The CW at the time. Charles Michael Davis ultimately got the part.
