Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley might have played lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers-to-friends on the CW’s The Vampire Diaries, but are the former castmates friends IRL? Keep reading to uncover their friendship timeline!

Are Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley Friends IRL?

You probably would be shocked to hear that when Nina and Paul first met on the set TVD, they did not get along. Nina revealed this “fun little fact” in a June 2019 episode of the “Directionally Challenged” podcast. “Paul and I didn’t get along at the beginning of the show — I respected Paul Wesley, I didn’t like Paul Wesley,” she explained.

“And I remember everyone would walk up to me after the show aired and they’d be like, ‘Are you and Paul dating in real life?’ Because everyone thought that we had such good chemistry … I realize now that there’s a fine line between love and hate, and we despised each other so much that it read as love but … we really just didn’t get along for maybe the first five months of shooting.”

She continued, “Maybe we had a moment where we actually connected … and he looked at me and he was like, ‘Ten years from now, when we’re not on this show, you’re gonna really miss me. You’re gonna miss these times and you’re gonna look back, and this is gonna be the good old days. We’ll appreciate each other in 10 years,'” Nina said.

And don’t worry folks, that’s exacly what happened! After working with each other for eight seasons, the pair formed a tight-knit friendship. “We ended up getting to a good place and it was fine. But, of everyone [from the ‘Vampire Diaries’ cast], I think I probably see him the most and hang out with him the most.”

She added, “We are probably the closest. We hang out a lot. We’re really good friends. And I love his wife. It’s so funny how time changes everything because I never thought that he would be one of my best friends.”

Paul also had similar things to say in his interview with ET, “I think my best friendships always come from this evolution. And so now, I just adore her, she adores me and I talk to her more than most of the other cast members.”

Scroll through our gallery to see Nina and Paul’s complete friendship timeline!

Love J-14? Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for fun, exclusive videos with your favorite stars.