Dear Diary, can you believe we said goodbye to The Vampire Diaries more than six years ago? Yeah, us either.
It feels like just yesterday we were captivated by the love triangle between Elena ( Nina Dobrev ), Stefan ( Paul Wesley ) and Damon ( Ian Somerhalder ). In actuality, though, that was 13 years ago, with The CW hit—based on the book series byL.J. Smith and created byKevin Williamson and Julie Plec—first bringing us to Mystic Falls way back in September 2009.
And we didn't say goodbye for eight seasons (and thankfully there were two successful spinoffs,
Looking back, we can't believe Nina almost lost the role of Elena to a High School Musical star. Or that Ian was this close to starring in a totally different vampire show. Plus, can you imagine Paul as Damon Salvatore? There is so much that almost could have been...
And those are just some of the secrets we're unveiling in honor of Paul's birthday July 23. Want more? You'll need to keep reading...
A version of this story was first published on Friday, Sept. 10, 2021 at 3 a.m. PT.