Before Paul Wesley became the iconic Stefan Salvatore on The Vampire Diaries, Marvel star Sebastian Stan was a leading contender for the role. A newly released book, I Was Feeling Epic: An Oral History of The Vampire Diaries by Samantha Highfill, reveals previously unknown details about the intense casting journey for the show‘s male leads, Stefan and Damon. This book, published on September 9th, uncovers that Stan auditioned not only for Stefan but also for Damon’s character, highlighting the complexity and challenges involved in assembling the show‘s central cast.
The difficult search for Stefan and Damon brought many notable actors into consideration. Alongside Sebastian Stan, actors such as Steven Strait from The Expanse, Nathaniel Buzolic who later appeared as Kol Mikaelson, as well as Matt Czuchry from Gilmore Girls, Jesse Bradford of Bring It On, and Travis Van Winkle from The Last Ship were all evaluated during this process. Despite the immense talent pool, scheduling conflicts and network decisions shaped the final cast.
Initial Talks and Sebastian Stan’s Near Casting
Series co-creator Julie Plec described Stefan as a character difficult to cast due to his emotional depth, complexity, and the balance between heartthrob qualities and serious acting chops. Plec said,
“Stefan was the hardest to find. It’s the kind of role that you can’t just cast the smoldering pretty boy because there’s such depth and layers of loss and loneliness living in that character. So you really need a true actor. But you also can’t just hang your hat on a great theater-trained actor who doesn’t also make people’s hearts go pitter-patter.”
Sebastian Stan, already known for his role in the 2006 film The Covenant — referred to by Plec as
“that movie with all the hot boys”
— attended a meeting for Stefan’s role but was ultimately unable to join the show due to commitments on NBC’s drama Kings. Stan also auditioned for Damon, a role that eventually went to Ian Somerhalder, while Steven Strait was considered as another potential Stefan.
Lesli Gelles–Raymond, involved in casting, recalled,
“It was Sebastian Stan. He came over to meet, so we got to spend some time chatting with him. It was very cool. We were totally interested in him, and he was discussed at the studio the first time we tested Stefan, but we couldn’t do it because he was tied to another show when this happened, so it didn’t work out. He was tied to Kings.”
Gelles-Raymond added,
“For a while, their dream cast would’ve been Steven Strait [for Stefan] and Sebastian Stan [for Damon], because Sebastian also read for Damon. That was Stefan and Damon for a while. But Sebastian was on Kings, so that wasn’t going to work out.”
Other Contenders and the Search for Stefan
In pursuit of the ideal Stefan, several other names emerged during auditions. Nathaniel Buzolic, who later portrayed Kol Mikaelson in the related series The Originals, was considered very close to the mark. Both Buzolic and Paul Wesley came down to the final choice for Stefan, with casting directors frequently praising Buzolic’s charm and suitability.
Lesli Gelles–Raymond stated,
“Nathaniel Buzolic was the one that was the closest. He was so charming and lovely. We read a lot of guys for that, but it was really between him and Paul.”
The decision to cast Paul Wesley came late and with some hesitation. Julie Plec admitted that production was nearly pushed back due to difficulties finalizing the male lead.
“We pushed production at least once, and we were in danger of being less than a week away from shooting and having no male lead,”
Plec said.
“Ultimately—and quite famously—we were sort of pressured into casting Paul Wesley against our desires, which of course means everybody knew way better than us and that we almost missed out on the most perfect piece of casting.”
Paul Wesley remembered casting director Lesli Gelles–Raymond insisting,
“Just see him one more time!”
He recalled,
“They were like, ‘Okay, we’ll see Paul Wesley again, ugh, whatever. We’re over this kid.’”
Plec explained the complicated perception they had of Wesley at first:
“There just aren’t that many actors who can live in both worlds, the heartthrob world and the serious-actor world, and Paul had never been a heartthrob and neither Kevin nor I saw him as a heartthrob, which I think was sort of the problem.”
Greg Orson, another member of the casting team, added,
“He was the hardest role to cast. We sort of wanted to save Paul for Stefan because we knew Ian [Somerhalder] was our Damon.”
A Difficult Road to Finding the Right Damon Salvatore
Casting Damon Salvatore proved to be nearly as challenging as Stefan. Over 400 actors auditioned for the older brother with a darker and more intense personality. Prior to Ian Somerhalder‘s involvement, Matt Czuchry, known for Gilmore Girls, and Jesse Bradford had been tested. Though Czuchry was highly favored internally, his contract with The Good Wife prevented further negotiations.
“He was someone we wanted, but when we read him, unfortunately he had already tested for The Good Wife and they were holding him,”
Gelles-Raymond explained.
“During pilot season you can’t wait, you have to keep going, but they really wanted him for Damon, everybody was in love with him.”
Julie Plec recalled,
“Jesse Bradford read for Damon. I don’t know if he tested for Damon, but we read him a couple times. It’s wild.”
Ian Somerhalder’s Reluctance and Breakthrough
Ian Somerhalder initially balked at the prospect of playing Damon, associating the pilot with “Twilight on TV” and having reservations about returning to network television after Lost. Somerhalder narrated,
“I had come off of Lost, and I saw the whole network dog-and-pony show and I said, ‘I want to be edgier, have fun, and do really cool weird shit.’”
He initially ignored the script sent to him, but after reading it while on a family trip in Las Vegas, he found himself captivated.
“Cut to: I’m in Vegas with my family, I read it and I’m like, ‘Holy shit, this is an amazing piece of material, what the hell am I thinking?’”
he said. Somerhalder memorized his lines by taping them together, reading while driving through the desert at dawn for effect.
Despite a rough first in-person read, the team immediately recognized his potential. Gelles-Raymond recalled,
“When he came in to read for us it was a little rough, but it was so clearly going to be him. We all felt it in the room, even though he was a little raw, but he was so charming and ultimately so Damon in the way he carries himself.”
Greg Orson added,
“Lesli and I both take notes after each session, and one of the notes that we write all the time is it’s him or it’s her and there was no question when Ian came in, both of our notes were, It’s him.”
Network Skepticism and Multiple Auditions
Ian Somerhalder’s journey was far from smooth once the network executives reviewed his auditions. Despite strong studio tests, his first network screening was seen as disappointing. As Kevin Williamson recalled,
“He came in and you could see Damon, but his audition didn’t say Damon. I think he was nervous and his headspace was somewhere else, and he just didn’t really do a good job.”
Lesli Gelles–Raymond offered insight into the pressure,
“It was so hard to watch, and this is the first time that the network execs are seeing it, so they’re not seeing any of the magic that we saw prior to.”
There was also intense nervousness that affected Somerhalder’s performance. Jennifer Breslow remembered,
“I have such a specific memory of him pushing his sleeves up. It was so distracting, and his nerves were getting in the way.”
She advised,
“Don’t get in your head about it. Literally stop acting and just be yourself.”
Despite her guidance, the initial performances remained uneven.
Julie Plec confirmed that the network favored Travis Van Winkle for Damon at one point, but the creative team stood by Ian. Kevin Williamson was adamant,
“I just would not go down that road. I said, ‘Will you please take a breath, think this through, and just go in there and own it? This is your part, it really is.’”
Convincing the Network and Final Casting Decisions
Kevin Williamson ultimately had a crucial conversation with Somerhalder to encourage him to regain confidence. When the network expressed serious doubts, Williamson said to him, “Dude, you’re blowing it.” Somerhalder responded with honesty about his nerves,
“I know! I don’t know what’s going on!”
Williamson instructed him,
“Just do what you did in the studio test, have fun, be in control, you’re Damon, this is your role. You gotta do this.”
The network remained divided on Somerhalder‘s casting, and Dawn Ostroff, president of the CW network, asked Williamson to
“Go talk to him. I understand why you like him, but he’s not doing it.”
Jennifer Breslow later confronted Ostroff, stating firmly,
“Ian is our Damon, and I want you to consider trusting me on that decision.”
Ostroff replied, “It’s your neck, kid.”
Williamson recalled persuading the network leadership,
“I know the other guy gave a better audition, but this role is Ian, and I can write for him in a way in which I cannot write for this other guy. Please trust me on this. Because if you can’t see it, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to continue on with the show.”
Julie Plec supported him, and Peter Roth, president at Warner Bros. Television, backed the team’s choice: “Let’s go with Kevin.”
Ian Somerhalder humorously remembered the official call,
“I got a call from my management saying, ‘So you wanna be a vampire?’ And the rest is history.”
The Importance of Casting Choices for The Vampire Diaries
The casting process for Stefan and Damon Salvatore demonstrates the significant complexity behind assembling the iconic cast of The Vampire Diaries. The series’ success hinged on finding actors who could embody characters with multifaceted personalities—combining vulnerability, darkness, and charisma. Sebastian Stan’s near casting alongside Steven Strait reveals the early vision of the show, which evolved with Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder becoming household names through their portrayals.
The story also underscores how network pressures, scheduling conflicts, and multiple auditions shaped the final decisions in an intense competitive environment. The perseverance of casting directors like Lesli Gelles–Raymond and creatives such as Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec was vital in securing the actors who would ultimately define the supernatural drama and its cultural impact.
As fans revisit the series and its origins, this deep dive into the casting process highlights the delicate balance between creative vision and practical realities that determine who steps into legendary roles and how a beloved show comes to life.
