The Vampire Diaries actress Candice King explained exactly what it took to get her to appear in the series finale of the spinoff show Legacies. King was a member of the main cast of The Vampire Diaries, playing Caroline Forbes across all 8 seasons from 2009 through 2017. Starting off as one of the best friends of Nina Dobrev's character Elena Gilbert, Caroline became a vampire in season 2, at which point the character really came into her own. Although she was briefly married to the show's vampire heartthrob Stefan Salvatore, at the end of the series she had twins with the vampire hunter Alaric Saltzman (Matt Davis).
Legacies is the second spinoff to The Vampire Diaries, following up on the story of Hope Mikaelson, whose father Klaus (Joseph Morgan) was one of the main characters of the first spinoff The Originals (a series in which Caroline appeared over 4 episodes). Alaric is one of the main characters of the series, as he is the headmaster of the school for the supernaturally gifted that is attended by the main characters. His presence in the series led to speculation that Caroline would be appearing sooner than later, though it took until the season 4 finale, which was revealed to be the series' final episode after The CW abruptly canceled Legacies in the middle of its run, for her to appear.
While speaking with EW, King broke down exactly what it took to get her to reprise her role in the Legacies finale. She explains that, as a new mom, she needed time after her appearances in The Vampire Diaries and The Originals in order to be with her family. However, when showrunner Brett Matthews asked her to appear in the series finale, she said yes without hesitation, though she had one condition: "a featured guest role for a precocious six-year-old." That's how her daughter was able to be an extra in the final scene of the series. Read her full quote below:
[Legacies creator] Julie [Plec] and I have talked about having Caroline head over to Legacies for a while now. It's just always been timing. I did need some time after The Vampire Diaries and The Originals. I was still a relatively new mom to my youngest and I needed to be with my family for a little bit because I had been working through my pregnancy and our whole first year so by the time we were like, we're ready, it's time, let's do this, all of a sudden the pandemic hit and I was pregnant again. So this really has been a long time coming.
A few months ago [showrunner] Brett Matthews called me up and inquired about my interest and I said, "Of course, I will be there in a heartbeat." And then my one ask — because I have, like, one very serious, weighted condition about my return — I said, "I just want to ask you about potentially a featured guest role for a precocious six-year-old," which got him laughing. So not only was I able to return for the series finale, but Brett was so kind and Julie was so kind to invite me to bring my six-year-old daughter to be able to be a featured extra in the final scene of the episode.
King certainly stuck to her guns during the period that she was a new mom, only appearing in one project per year after 2018. This includes the torrid romance sequel After We Collided in 2020 and the Reba McEntire movie Christmas in Tune in 2021. However, her appearance in Legacies may mark the beginning of her return to more consistent acting, as she had another project come out this year: the TV movie Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story.
Although Legacies has now ended, the Vampire Diaries universe may be returning to the screen soon. Julie Plec, who created both spinoffs after co-creating TVD with Kevin Williamson, says they are already in talks for more series from the Vampire Diaries universe. If King is well and truly back in action, fans may be able to expect even more Caroline in the future.
Source: EW