Fans of The Vampire Diaries likely can't imagine anyone other than Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore, but several actors almost played the role. The Vampire Diaries, based on the book series by L. J Smith, was co-created by Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson. The series aired on The CW from 2009-2017, with The Vampire Diaries ending after season 8. The supernatural series developed a rabid fan base due largely to its attractive and talented ensemble cast, spawning two spin-offs: The Originals, and Legacies.
The cast consisted of mostly unknown actors, except for Somerhalder, who appeared as Boone Carlyle on the ABC series Lost. After Nina Dobrev was cast in the lead role of Elena Gilbert, the show's creators still had to fill the roles of her love interests, brothers Damon and Stefan Salvatore. According to a 2019 article in EW, Williamson could see Somerhalder playing the role of Damon, but the actor failed to deliver audition after audition. The network was leaning heavily towards another actor (who Williamson refused to name), but Williamson continued to push Somerhalder for the role, even threatening to leave the show if he didn't get the part. Eventually, the network decided to trust Williamson's instincts. Damon became an anti-hero who, after taking the Cure, lived out his days with Elena in Mystic Falls.
Many actors auditioned for the role of Damon, including cast members Michael Trevino (Tyler Lockwood), Zach Roerig (Matt Donovan), and Nathaniel Buzolic (Kol Mikaelson). David Gallagher, who played Simon Camden on the long-running series 7th Heaven, was an early favorite. "He impressed us so much originally...but the whole 7th Heaven thing, I wondered if he'd ever be able to get past that," Julie Plec told E!. Another contender was Paul Wesley, who originally read for the part of Stefan but was rejected because he was considered too old, so he wound up auditioning for the role of Damon. Julie Plec told THR, "We read Paul Wesley for Damon on day one. He was a favorite of our casting directors. We said, 'He's not ready for Damon, not enough humor there."
Once Somerhalder was cast (he was 30 at the time), Wesley was reconsidered for the role of Stefan. When it came time to test the chemistry between Dobrev, Wesley told THR, "I knew I wanted to go in the room with Nina and have our first scene be literally the first time we spoke, which is exactly what the scene called for."
When Michael Trevino exited The Vampires Diaries after season 6 (along with Nina Dobrev), the actor spoke to EW about his experience auditioning for the role of Damon. "I remember going in for Damon. That didn’t work out so well. Then I went in for Stefan, and I got the no on that." It was Plec who encouraged Trevino to try out for the role of Tyler Lockwood.
Other actors almost played several other characters on The Vampire Diaries. According to E!, The CW had Jessica Simpson's sister Ashlee in mind for Elena. Ashley Tisdale was offered the role but turned it down to star in another CW show, Hellcats. Two hundred actors turned out to audition for the part of Klaus Mikaelson, and it was Plec's dream to bring Joshua Jackson (who played Pacey Witter on Dawson's Creek) to Mystic Falls as the Original vampire. Another Dawson's Creek alum James Van Der Beek, was considered for the role of Alaric Saltzman, but the part went to Matthew Davis, who appeared on The Originals and currently stars in Legacies (one of five characters who appeared on The Vampire Diaries and both spin-offs).