Two Biggest Vampire Diaries Stars Bombed Their First Auditions
Would The Vampire Diaries be as successful if two of the three leads were different?
The Vampire Diaries was The CW's answer to the Twilight mania and HBO's True Blood. And it has been an extremely successful answer. Diaries has become one of The CW's highest-rated shows and has gained a huge following.
In addition to the supernatural aspect, the show attracted viewers with its compelling love triangle storyline featuring undeniable chemistry between the three main cast members, Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, and Ian Somerhalder.
Today, it is hard to imagine anyone but this trio portraying the Salvatore brothers and their ultimate love interest, Elena Gilbert. However, the beloved show could have been very different with a whole new dynamic if the creators were casting based on first impressions. As it turns out, at least two of the show's leads have bombed their auditions.
Nina Dobrev told The Hollywood Reporter that since the role of Elena was one of her first and she had just flown in from Canada, where she starred in the teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation, the audition didn't go too well. In fact, she had to re-audition.
"It was one of my first auditions, and the first time, I did it sick and I didn't really do that well. When I went back to Canada, I retaped for it."
Co-creator Julie Plec told THR that producer Peter Roth was beyond excited after watching Nina's tape.
"Peter Roth jumped up and down and flipped out: 'That's our girl'," Plec described.
But the showrunners couldn't officially cast Dobrev until they had male leads. And if it was clear from Wesley's first audition that he was a perfect fit for Stefan, casting Somerhalder proved to be a challenge.
At first, the actor was not into the whole vampire craze. But The Vampire Diaries script changed his mind.
"I realized Damon could be one of the coolest characters on television ever. I got to the network test and I bombed it," Somerhalder told THR.
Apparently, all of Somerhalder's auditions for Diaries were unsuccessful and The CW wanted to cast someone else. But co-writer Kevin Williamson thought Somerhalder was perfect and even had to give the network an ultimatum.
"It's the only time in my career where if he didn't get the part, I'm walking," Williamson said.
Fortunately, The CW backed down and cast Somerhalder as the character that millions of fans would come to love.