Nina Dobrev had to fight all kinds of vicious creatures in The Vampire Diaries, from vampires, werewolves, to witches. But, as it turns out, the biggest challenge she had to face was behind the scenes. In the new book, I Was Feeling Epic: An Oral History of The Vampire Diaries by Samantha Highfill, Highfill interviews the cast, creators, and producers to get the full story, top to bottom, of how the teen vampire series came to be, and the chokehold it had on audiences during the 2010s. The story that is making the most headlines out of the book is the revelation that Dobrev was not paid equal to her male co-stars, Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder. Playing the star of the series, Elena Gilbert, a teenager caught up in a love triangle between vampire brothers, Stefan and Damon Salvatore, she was the undeniable lead of the show. That is why it comes as such a blow that the studio didn’t pay her equally to the men on the series, and the secret battle Dobrev fought while delivering a performance that defined a decade of television.
When The Vampire Diaries premiered in 2009 on the CW, it became the most-watched premiere ever for the network. Booking the lead role on a network like the CW, which was quickly dominating every other network with its teen content, made Dobrev a star instantly. With her compassionate stares, unwavering bravery, and explosive chemistry with Wesley and Somerhalder, she carried the show on her back as an empowered, intelligent young woman. As the studio argued with her that they wouldn’t give her equal pay “on principle,” Dobrev left the series at the end of Season 6, and only returned for the series finale. Playing not one, not two, not three, but four roles in total, Dobrev didn’t just deserve equal pay; she deserved double.
Nina Dobrev Did Double The Work as Both Elena and Katherine in ‘The Vampire Diaries’
Oh Katherine, my Katherine. Turning from a doe-eyed teenager with a heart of gold to a conniving, centuries-old vampire with a thirst for vengeance is no easy feat. But, for Nina Dobrev, she made it look like a cakewalk. Not only is it unfair that Dobrev wasn’t paid equally to Wesley and Somerhalder as the show’s star, but she also had a more demanding filming process. That is in large part thanks to her turn as the malicious doppelgänger, Katherine Pierce, who arrives during the Season 1 finale in a shocking twist, and becomes a regular on the show until her untimely death in Season 3. Dobrev did double the work in playing two lead roles, and immersed herself in portraying both a hero and a villain. In I Was Feeling Epic, Dobrev revealed she often spent up to 18 hours a day on set and had longer shoots than any other cast member. She had many grueling scenes playing the dual roles, which required getting covered in blood, performing intense fighting sequences, and emotionally demanding breakdowns.
Dobrev showed off an arsenal of talent from the start, as she had steamy scenes of seduction as Katherine, beginning in Season 1, Episode 6, “Lost Girls,” which she has stated was her favorite episode of The Vampire Diaries. Playing a regal, 19th-century vampire required a whole new way of talking, moving, and flirting. Katherine often raised the stakes of the series, from stabbing Damon in the back both literally and figuratively, to manipulating everyone around her with a devilish smile and sexy walk that became a defining feature of the character. And then, Dobrev could switch on a dime as the tenderhearted Elena. It was not just about the personality of the two characters, it was extremely physical, and Dobrev nailed it.
Dobrev further revealed how she had to be on set double the time, memorize double the lines, and put her “blood, sweat, and tears,” into the project, and how “upsetting,” it was to not be paid equal to the men. By Season 3, Dobrev demanded the studio pay her for her time as Katherine in addition to Elena, and they agreed. Katherine is one of The Vampire Diaries greatest villains. She toys around with men’s emotions, is a weapon of both power and destruction, and never lets anyone tell her what to do. Dobrev feasted on the role, and that is why Katherine has become the iconic character she is, in her joyful performance of embracing the dark side.
She absolutely deserved to be paid for her time on set as both Elena and Katherine. But, the victory of finally getting paid for playing Katherine was short-lived. In a surprising decision, the studio told creators Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec that they would then have to kill her off during Season 3. The discovery that Dobrev had just been able to convince the studio to pay her appropriately for her time on set, just to have Katherine die, makes it all the more devastating.
Nina Dobrev Only Agreed to Return for the Series Finale If She Was Paid Equal
Every fan remembers the shock that came when Dobrev announced she was leaving The Vampire Diaries at the end of Season 6. Up to that point, Dobrev was playing up to three characters at a time, and still bringing new layers and intricacies to each doppelgänger, including the original woman behind all future reiterations, Amara. But, it was made clear to her from the studio that she would not receive equal pay, so she bid the series farewell.
What Dobrev contributed to The Vampire Diaries during her time on the show should be celebrated, and is the greatest part of the show’s legacy. She was its fearless leader, and mastered being an action star and melodramatic romantic lead all at once, sometimes even in the same episode. In the near-flawless Season 2 episode, “Masquerade,” she goes from trading blows with co-stars Wesley and Somerhalder as Katherine in an impressively choreographed fight, to crying a river of tears as Elena, bleeding out on the ball’s front steps. She was terrifying and devastating in the blink of an eye, and that was her superpower. So, when Dobrev was willing to return for Season 8, it should have been a cause for a celebration.
Dobrev would return to Mystic Falls under one, simple condition: equal pay. Yet again, the studio wouldn’t budge. It would have been impossible to end The Vampire Diaries without the woman who started it all, and Elena and Damon more than deserved their happy ending. Dobrev has made it clear throughout all her interviews with Highfill that she didn’t argue with the studio for equal pay because she wanted the money, but because she deserved to be paid just as much as Wesley and Somerhalder. Not only was Dobrev willing to return for the series finale, she was open to a multiple-episode arc, which would have been fantastic. But the studio was unwilling to pay her as much as Wesley and Somerhalder, even for just a few episodes.
So, series co-creator Plec had to step in, and in the end, they only agreed to pay her equally for one single episode. Dobrev returned for the dramatic series finale in a sweet, albeit, rushed, conclusion. For a series that featured so many strong-willed, empowered women, it’s hard to grapple with the fact that Dobrev faced all those barriers while making the show. But in the end, she didn’t back down, and her own final act was getting paid equal to her male co-stars. Dobrev never caved for what she deserved, and was the very definition of the word epic.
via Collider