Celebrities Who Were Almost Cast on 'The Vampire Diaries': Photos

Mystic Falls almost looked very different! Before Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder starred as Elena Gilbert, Stefan and Damon Salvatore, respectively, some other notable names could have been cast in The Vampire Diaries.

While fans don’t know YouTube star NikkieTutorials as an actress, the beauty guru — whose real name is Nikkie de Jager — did audition for a role on The CW show.

“I was almost cast as Meredith in The Vampire Diaries,” Nikki revealed in a July 2020 YouTube video. “That, people, is the truth. A couple of years ago, when I was really young and just did a couple of Vampire Diaries makeup tutorials, the casting agency behind The Vampire Diaries contacted me through email and they were like, ‘OK girl, we see that you’re a huge fan, we think you could be a perfect fit for Meredith.’”

Meredith — who was ultimately played by Torrey DeVitto — is a recurring character in season 3 and 4. She’s a doctor at Mystic Falls Hospital and a member of the town’s Founding Families.

“They basically sent me an entire scene. I had to film it, I had to reenact it. It was basically an audition tape. They loved what I did and they were talking about flying me out to Atlanta, GA, where they filmed the show,” Nikkie continued. “Basically everything was a go, we were looking at flights, we were looking at it all, and I told my mom, I was like, ‘Mom, I made it, I’m an actress, I’m flying to the U.S. to pursue this career, honey.’”

But things ended up not working out after the team “asked for a last couple of details.”

“As soon as I emailed them that I am 6-foot-2, maybe even 6-foot-3 at this point, never heard from them again,” Nikkie claimed. “I’m guessing that my height, because the men on the show were so tiny, I’m guessing that it was the height that was a problem. But, never heard from them again!”

The YouTube personality isn’t the only well-known name who almost had an appearance on the series. According to TVD star Nina, Taylor Swift was supposed to be a vampire!

“I remember at the very beginning, we heard that Taylor Swift was a fan of the show. And then the producers tried to write a role for her,” the actress shared during an interview with E! News in March 2020. “It didn’t work out schedule-wise, obviously, she wasn’t on the show.”

Similarly, cocreator Kevin Williamson also told the publication that he was “desperate to have [Swift] come play a vampire.”

Scroll through our gallery to see which other stars almost nabbed a role on The Vampire Diaries.

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Joshua Jackson

Julie fought to get the Dawson’s Creek star on the series.

“I think our show works so well because we don’t really stunt cast,” the producer told E! News. “That being said, if there’s some big hot TV star that’s available that we love, then … as I always joke, I have my Joshua Jackson fantasy: Pacey in Mystic Falls.”

Sarah Michelle Gellar

Kevin once told The New York Post that he wanted the Buffy the Vampire Slayer star to play Rose (who was ultimately portrayed by Lauren Cohan).

“Originally, me and my pipe dreams had us trying to get Sarah Michelle Gellar for Rose,” he said. “She was very appreciative but just said no. She was the only stunt casting we’d have ever agreed to.”

Grey Damon

Over the years, the actor starred in The Secret Circle, Friday Night Lights and Station 19, among others, but he initially auditioned for the role of Stefan.

“I’m not sure I would have been able to handle it at that time,” he admitted to Entertainment Weekly in 2012. “There was a lot about the industry that I didn’t understand and that character in particular — Stefan’s wise. Because he’s 100 years old, and when you play a vampire, I think it’s important to play that wise angle, and Paul definitely has that wisdom and that young look, so he can play both. Now, I could possibly do it, but then, I wouldn’t have been ready. I learned so much from that experience, just auditioning for that, more so than any job.”

Pedro Pascal

The role of Original vampire Marcel (played by Charles Michael Davis) almost went to the Disney+ star.

“One of the other people who read opposite Charles for that part was Pedro Pascal, who I loved,” Julie told Entertainment Weekly in August 2021. “I was obsessed with him, but he was just on the older side.”