Nina Dobrev was arguably the lead character on The CW’s The Vampire Diaries, but she was never able to reach pay parity with her male co-stars and she’s opening up about that fight in some surprising new comments.

Keep reading to find out more…

The 36-year-old actress was interviewed for the new book I Was Feeling Epic: An Oral History of The Vampire Diaries, which is out now.

Nina played Elena Gilbert, as well as doppelgänger Katherine Pierce, throughout the first six seasons of the show. She left the show and later returned for the series finale in season eight.

In the book, Nina revealed that show’s three female leads – herself, Kat Graham, and Candice King – were the lowest paid for the first two seasons.

“Candice, Kat, and I were the three lowest-paid series regulars in the first two seasons,” Nina said in the book (via People). “It was a bit of a tricky situation because my contract only said to play Elena, but I was playing multiple characters, which doubled my workload. I had to be on set for double the amount of time, I had to memorize double the amount of lines. I wanted to play Katherine, but I wanted to be compensated fairly for that, and I wanted to be an equal to the boys.”

Nina claims that the studio eventually told the writers to stop writing for Katherine because they “had to pay” Nina whenever the character was used.

Showrunner Julie Plec confirmed this.

“It got really heated, and so it basically got phoned down back to us writers that we were not allowed to write Katherine in at all ever, which of course was not something that I felt was right or fair,” Julie said.

Nina eventually got more money from the studio, but she never reached pay parity with co-stars Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley.

“They just said out of principle they wouldn’t bump me up to being equal to the boys,” Nina said. “So that was probably the most hurtful because it felt like I was really working hard and we shot eighteen-hour days sometimes, and nights, and I was putting my absolute heart and soul, blood, sweat, and tears into it. I remember feeling like the studio didn’t appreciate what I was bringing to the show, and it felt like they were saying that all the hard work I was putting into it didn’t matter to them and that I wasn’t an equal to my male counterparts, and so that was upsetting to me.”

When Nina returned for the final season, she only appeared in the series finale because the studio only agreed to give her equal pay for one episode, even though she was willing to do more.

Nina said, “I was always open to coming back for the finale, and storyline-wise it made sense. I felt like it was important and it needed to happen for the show, it needed to happen for the fans. It was just really important to me that at the end of the show, as a woman, I wanted to make sure that I was compensated and that I was an equal to my male counterparts on the show, and so it came down to that.”

“I needed to be paid parity to the boys. I had to put my foot down and say if it didn’t happen I wouldn’t be able to come back,” she said. “And it wasn’t about the money — I didn’t give a s— about the money at all — it was the principle.”

“It was my second time trying to make this point. It wasn’t about the actual dollar amount, it was about being an equal. They really didn’t want to give it to me, and I politely declined the offer,” Nina said.

Julie had to step in and Nina only was brought on for the one episode.

“I’m very happy that we were able to make it work and that I came back, because I wanted to be part of the goodbye,” she said.

Nina also gave a rare quote about dating one of her co-stars while filming the show.

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Ian Somerhalder is opening up about a difficult moment he experienced while filming The Vampire Diaries.

In an excerpt from the upcoming book I Was Feeling Epic: An Oral History of the Vampire Diaries, the actor revealed that during Season 3, he was so unhappy with the direction of his character (Damon Salvatore) that he nearly quit the CW show.

Ian explained that he didn’t want Damon to become a romantic lead as the character of Stefan (Paul Wesley) got to explore a dark villain arc.

Keep reading to find out more…

“I was so upset about the trajectory of Damon, so much so that at one point I was sitting across from Julie [Plec, co-creator] in her office in Atlanta almost in tears—actually, my eyes were quite misty—and asked out of the show,” he admitted.

“I was so angry about it. I wanted off. Because I saw the writing on the wall. Damon was heading toward the love-interest role. I was like, ‘S–t, I’m in my early thirties, I’ve got a lot of this heat because of this show, I’m sure I could go find something that’s really cool and dark and edgy.’”

Julie convinced him to stay, reminding him of the six-year contract he signed, and assured him that there would be a balance in his storyline.

“I was like, ‘They’re going to turn me into a sappy character.’ Julie was like, ‘You’re not leaving the show. First of all, you’re one of the stars and one of the parts of the beating heart of the show; and two, you signed a six-year contract, so that’s not happening; and three, don’t worry, there has to be layers,’” he explained.

Julie added in the book: “I said, ‘If one’s going dark, the other has to go light, there’s a balance in the narrative that we want to be playing around with these characters and giving you all exciting and interesting things to do, and this is Paul’s time. Let Paul have his time.’”

He would continue on with the show, which ran from September 2009 through March 2017 on The CW.

Read the full book excerpt at Variety.com.

Find out which Vampire Diaries co-stars have dated over the years!

Candice King has been cast in a brand new show!

The 36-year-old actress is set to join Mamie Gummer and Caitlin Fitzgerald in the TV adaptation of E Lockhart‘s novel We Were Liars, according to Deadline, which is set for Prime Video.

This will reunite Candice with The Vampire Diaries co-creator Julie Plec, who is developing the new series with The Originals and Roswell, New Mexico writer Carina Adly MacKenzie.

Find out more details inside…

It was first revealed that Julie and Carina were developing the new show in January 2023, with Julie writing the first episode and Carina the second. They will also executive produce, along with author E Lockhart and Emily Cummins.

According to Deadline, the series is “a tragic love story and an amnesia thriller set on a privately owned island off the coast of Massachusetts. It centers on the wealthy, seemingly perfect Sinclair family, who spend every summer on their private island.”

Candice, Mamie and Caitlin will be starring as the Sinclair sisters, Bess, Carrie and Penny. Learn more about the characters below…

Bess Sinclair (Candice King) – Bess, the youngest sister, “never has a hair out of place, and if she gets her way (which she usually does) her three children wouldn’t, either. She sits on five philanthropic boards, never misses a PTA meeting, and is happily married to a man her father deems worthy of the family dynasty. At least, they seem happy, posing together in the Boston society pages. This summer, her perfect family image is dangerously close to shattering… and it may be all her fault.”

Penny Sinclair (Caitlin Fitzgerald) – Penny is the “cool and polished” sister “whose favorite snack is exactly six unsalted almonds, and her expensive athletic wear always matches. She breeds golden retrievers and finds it much easier to connect to dogs than to people — undoubtedly a contributing factor in the messy divorce she’s currently navigating. Her sense of self-worth is a house of cards built on her family’s wealth and power — and she will seemingly do anything to maintain it.

Carrie Sinclair (Mamie Gummer) – Carrie is “the eldest daughter of a wealthy media mogul. Carrie thinks of herself as free-spirited, but her bohemian sweaters are the finest cashmere, her funky jewelry made of ancient jade. She was once the most rebellious of her sisters, but her wild days are seemingly over. She loves her two sons ferociously, but during a turbulent summer on her parents’ private island, her sobriety, and her ability to be a stable force in her boys’ lives is threatened.”

In case you missed it, Candice is dating one of her former The Originals co-stars…

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The first teaser trailer for the upcoming Vampire Academy television series was unveiled during a panel at Comic-Con!

The Peacock show’s stars Sisi Stringer and Daniela Nieves were on hand to premiere the footage on Thursday (July 21) at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, Calif.

Also in attendance were co-stars Kieron Moore and Andre Dae Kim, as well as series creators and executive producers Julie Plec and Marguerite MacIntyre.

Vampire Academy will premiere on Peacock on September 15.

Click inside to read the synopsis and to watch the teaser trailer…

Here’s the synopsis: “Lissa, a Royal vampire, and her best friend and protector, Rose, navigate romance, class politics, and ancient magic at their boarding school for vampires. When a mysterious bond develops between the two friends, they must work together to decipher it, all while facing threats inside the gates and out, including the bloodthirsty and undead Strigoi. Based on the international best-selling series from Richelle Mead.”

Click through the gallery for 15+ photos of the cast at Comic-Con…

Julie Plec still loves vampires.

After success with Vampire Diaries, The Originals and currently, Legacies, on the CW, Julie is now looking to bring another supernatural series to life – Vampire Academy.

THR reports that she and longtime collaborator Marguerite MacIntyre will serve as co-showrunners on an upcoming drama series set for Peacock.

Click inside to learn more about the upcoming series…

Julie opened up about her love for the book series, and made it a point to explore the project when she signed her overall deal with Universal Television.

“When I signed my new deal with Universal Television, they asked what project I had always been dying to make and my immediate answer was Vampire Academy,” she said.

The Vampire Academy series will center on two young women’s friendship that transcends their strikingly different classes as they prepare to complete their education and enter royal vampire society. This serialized and sexy drama combines the elegance of aristocratic romance and the supernatural thrills of the vampire genre.

The series will have 10 episodes, although a premiere date has not yet been determined.

The books, by author Richelle Mead, are a series of six young-adult paranormal romance novels that were first published in 2007.

It was made into a movie in 2014, starring Zoey Deutch, Sarah Hyland and Dominic Sherwood.

Exciting news for Roswell fans – Jason Behr, who played Max Evans on the 1999 series Roswell, has joined the cast of the reboot series Roswell, New Mexico!

The casting news was announced during the show’s New York Comic Con panel on Sunday (October 6) at the Javits Center in New York City.

Cast members Jeanine Mason, Nathan Parsons, Tyler Blackburn, Michael Vlamis, and Lily Cowles, and executive producers Julie Plec, Carina Adly MacKenzie, and Chris Hollier were all in attendance at the event. See photos in the gallery!

“We’re very excited that Jason will be joining us for a multi-episode arc. It’s only fitting that he’s playing a (currently top secret) character with deep ties to Roswell, New Mexico’s history. Working with him has already been such a special experience for all of us –– particularly when [Roswell co-star] Shiri Appleby was on set to direct him. I was such a huge fan of Roswell as a kid, so having their stamp of approval –– not to mention their expertise and advice –– has really meant the world to me, the cast and the crew,” Carina said in a statement.

It was also announced that Friday Night Lights‘ Gaius Charles will play Bronson, a local farmer with a strong moral compass that leads him to see the good in people –– and aliens –– in a time of great prejudice. Ultimately, his quest to protect those he loves pits him against forces far more powerful than he is.

The Vampire Diaries just aired its series finale and The Originals is heading into its fourth season, but it looks like there could be another spinoff in the future!

The series finale episode alluded to a new story for one of the characters and executive producer Julie Plec has been hinting that there’s more to come for the beloved cast.

“I see…a future for either The Originals or another piece of the franchise to launch off of the end of The Originals. So I look forward to being able to play around in that sandbox and see if I can make something of it,” Julie told THR.

She added, “There’s a lot of different things floating around in my head and the first thing I’m going to do is not write and take a vacation. And then when I come back on the other side of that I’m going to go back to work.”

The Originals‘ fourth season is set to air on March 17 on the CW.

The Vampire Diaries will claim – at least – one last victim in its series finale tomorrow night.

It has been confirmed that one of the core characters will die during the final hour.

This likely includes Stefan (Paul Wesley), Dmaon (Ian Somerhalder), Caroline (Candice King), Bonnie (Kat Graham), Matt (Zach Roerig), and Alaric (Matt Davis).

We recently caught up with executive producer Julie Plec about what went into that decision.

“It just sort of felt that when you’re dealing with life and death things – in this case, will Mystic Falls burn? Will it survive? – someone is going to have to be murdered in the fight against the bad guy,” Julie told us. “So there were a lot of discussions about who that should be. And the choice of who it was, was made entirely out of character, bringing a character full circle to its proper conclusion.”

The Vampire Diaries series finale airs Friday, March 10 @ 8PM on The CW.

To read more of our interview with Julie, head over to

The bosses behind The Vampire Diaries are just as happy as we are to have Nina Dobrev return for the series finale.

Executive producers Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson both released statements about Nina coming back for the final episode.

“I’m thrilled to bring this show to an end the way we always intended – with Nina back to help us say goodbye,” Julie said (via TVLine.com).

Kevin added, “I’m so excited to have Nina back to ensure our farewell episode is truly epic!”

In case you missed it, find out the official title for the finale episode!

The Vampire Diaries series finale airs Friday, March 10 @ 8PM on The CW

Rami Malek poses alongside his co-star Christian Slater as they attend a dinner hosted by Entertainment Weekly celebrating their hit show Mr. Robot at the Spotify House during the 2016 SXSW Festival on Saturday (March 12) in Austin, Texas.

The guys were joined inside by actresses Alia Shawkat and Gaby Hoffman, as well as Containment executive producer Julie Plec.

It looks like filming for Mr. Robot season two is getting underway!

“Hello friend #mrrobot,” Christian captioned a Twitter photo of his character’s hat.

20+ pictures inside of Rami Malek, Christian Slater, and more at the Mr. Robot event…

Ian Somerhalder waves to fans while taking the stage for The Vampire Diaries panel held during 2015 San Diego Comic-Con at the San Diego Convention Center on Sunday (July 12) in San Diego, Calif.

The 36-year-old actor was joined by his co-stars Paul Wesley, Candice Accola, Kat Graham, Michael Malarkey, and executive producers Julie Plec and Caroline Dries.

During the panel, they showed a sizzle reel for fans, and at the end, Ian is seen kissing his former co-star Chris Wood in a reenactment of Damon and Elena’s (Nina Dobrev) epic rain kiss!

“Promise me this is forever,” Kai (Wood) says. Damon (Somerhalder) responds, “I promise.”

And then they make out! Watch below!

Fun fact: Chris is up for Choice TV Villain for his role as Kai at the 2015 Teen Choice Awards!

FYI: Paul is wearing a John Varvatos shirt. Ian is wearing an Alternative t-shirt.

20+ pictures inside of The Vampire Diaries cast at 2015 Comic-Con…

The Vampire Diaries co-creator Julie Plec is speaking out about Nina Dobrev‘s decision to leave the long-running CW series after this season ends.

“She was just looking forward to moving on with no hard feelings and no drama,” Julie said on the KCRW podcast last week. “This is taking the personal out of it completely, from a storytelling point of view it’s a great challenge. As writers in the room we’re finding it very rejuvenating. Just on a strictly creative exercise level.”

“Nina had said earlier this year that she wanted to be done and we spent a little bit of time trying to talk her out of it. [We'd say,] ‘Oh, look at all these great plans of how you can stay!’” she explained. “And she finally was like, ‘No, I signed up for six years. I’ve done my six years. I’m ready to move on and spread my wings.’”

Julie explained why she decided to have fans learn the news before the episode airs, unlike the time Josh Charles was killed off The Good Wife.

“A lot of people had a hard time with that. It was a beautiful shock, but there’s grief attached to that. And I’m looking at Vampire Diaries, which is now six years deep, and it’s the main character,” she said. “A lot of our audience — they’re still teenagers — and there is a profound attachment to this character and to this show. I started looking at it from a fan point of view and being like, ‘We need to tell them that it’s happening before it happens. You can’t just end the season and do what we’re going to do to this character.”

ARE YOU SAD that Nina Dobrev is leaving The Vampire Diaries?

With The Vampire Diaries losing its leading lady Nina Dobrev at the end of this season, many fans are worried about the future of the show.

But Executive Producer Julie Plec actually approached the topic of losing one of the main trio (Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder being the other two) last summer during 2014 San Diego Comic-Con.

“I think the show will go as long as the actors want the show to go,” Julie told E! News. “You know, look, everybody’s under contract. I know that we’ve got plans for season six, we’ve got plans for season seven. I know that our bosses have plans for seasons eight, nine, and 10. I said I want to be part of it as long as I know I could keep telling good stories and as long as the ensemble people that I work with want to be there and are committed and dedicated. So, so far so good, you know. We’ll see how long we can stay, doing it well. We’ll make sure that we don’t start sucking.”

POLL: How will Elena’s story end?

DO YOU THINK The Vampire Diaries can survive without Nina Dobrev? Take our poll below!

Nina Dobrev is saying goodbye to The Vampire Diaries after six years on the show and now Executive Producer Julie Plec is opening up about her surprising exit.

“Saying goodbye to Nina is both bittersweet and beautiful. After six-plus years together, the entire cast and crew of The Vampire Diaries has reached a level of closeness that I don’t think any of us ever expected,” Julie said in a statement. “Nina is excited to spread her wings, get some rest, travel the world and also take it by storm, and we support her a thousand-fold.”

She continued, “We will miss Nina and the four hundred characters she played, but we look forward to the insane and exciting challenge of continuing to tell stories of our Salvatore Brothers and our much-loved and gifted ensemble.”

Julie also opened up about Michael Trevino‘s future on the show. (He has been cast in the ABC pilot Kingmakers.)

“Michael has been a beloved member of the Vampire Diaries family since day one. Even though he’s also going to be out in the world exploring new opportunities, we look forward to finding creative ways to make sure he and his character Tyler Lockwood always remain a part of the show.”

WILL YOU STILL WATCH The Vampire Diaries without Nina Dobrev and Michael Trevino?