Despite being the sole actor to portray multiple characters during the early seasons of *The Vampire Diaries*, Nina Dobrev has come forward to reveal that she was paid less than her male co-stars, Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley. The actress delved into the behind-the-scenes struggle for equal pay in Samantha Highfill’s new book, *I Was Feeling Epic: An Oral History of The Vampire Diaries*, published by *Entertainment Weekly*'s editor. Dobrev not only took on the role of Elena Gilbert in the hit CW series but also embodied her character's malevolent doppelgänger, Katherine Pierce, starting from the season one finale.
“Candice [King], Kat [Graham], and I were the three lowest-paid series regulars in the first two seasons,” Dobrev disclosed. “It was a bit of a sticky wicket because my contract only stipulated playing Elena, yet I was juggling multiple characters, which essentially doubled my workload. I had to be on set for twice as long, and I had to memorize twice the amount of lines.”
In the book, Highfill noted that actors are generally eligible to begin renegotiating their contracts by season three, implying that Dobrev was earning less than Somerhalder (Damon Salvatore) and Wesley (Stefan Salvatore) during the initial seasons. “I was eager to play Katherine, but I also wanted to be fairly compensated for it, and I yearned to be on an equal footing with the boys,” Dobrev added. Although the actress eventually secured a pay raise, as documented by Highfill, she never attained parity with her male counterparts.
She recounted being informed that, “out of principle,” the studio “would not elevate my pay to match that of the boys, and that was probably the most disheartening because it felt like I was giving my all. We sometimes shot for eighteen-hour stretches, day and night, and I was pouring my heart, soul, blood, sweat, and tears into the show.”
“I recall feeling as though the studio didn’t value what I was contributing to the show, and it seemed like they were implying that all my arduous efforts were inconsequential to them and that I wasn’t on par with my male peers, which was deeply upsetting,” Dobrev continued.
*The Vampire Diaries* co-creator Julie Plec also shared in the book that tensions “escalated dramatically” with the studio when they informed the show’s writers that they couldn’t feature Katherine anymore, as it would necessitate paying Dobrev more each time she appeared.
However, Plec remarked that such an arrangement "didn't feel right or fair," prompting her and the team to "plead with the network to even let us craft a storyline for Katherine." Plec recounted that, eventually, the writers were granted permission to write for Katherine, but with a caveat. "I genuinely believe we had to declare, ‘We’ll kill Katherine off,’ just to secure the green light for her inclusion," she recalled.
"As time passed, and with Nina's remarkable generosity and grace, coupled with a slight easing of tensions, we were allocated a certain number of episodes," the co-creator elaborated. "[Yet] I honestly think we had to resort to saying, ‘We’ll kill Katherine,’ to gain the approval to feature her."
Dobrev departed from the show after its sixth season, leaving her character, Elena, in a perpetual sleep induced by the villain Kai Parker (Chris Wood), which intertwined Elena’s fate with that of her closest friend, Bonnie Bennett. Since Elena wasn't permanently killed off, the possibility for her return lingered—a prospect that materialized in the series finale, titled “I Was Feeling Epic.”
However, her comeback for the eighth and final season ignited another controversy, this time centered around compensation, as disclosed in Highfill’s book. Plec and co-creator Kevin Williamson revealed that their initial vision included Dobrev's return for the entire final season. “I truly wanted Elena and Stefan to reunite,” Williamson confessed, “that would have been my ideal ending, but without Elena, we couldn't revive that dynamic. You can't rekindle their relationship in just one episode.”
But Dobrev held her ground, insisting on equal pay to her male co-stars, Wesley and Somerhalder, who had received multiple pay raises since her exit. “I was always open to returning for the finale, and narratively, it made perfect sense. I believed it was crucial for the show and for the fans,” the actress explained. “It was vital to me that, as a woman, I was compensated equally to my male counterparts at the show's conclusion, and that became the crux of the matter.”
Dobrev disclosed that the studio's offer for her return in the finale was “five times less” than her salary at the end of season six. “That's why, at one juncture, I nearly didn't come back,” she admitted. “I needed parity with the boys. I had to stand firm and state that if it didn't happen, I couldn't return. And it wasn't about the money—I couldn't care less about the money—it was about the principle.”
Plec defended Dobrev in the book, stating, “She should have been earning what those boys earned all along, and no one should have batted an eye at that request. But at the time, it was quite astonishing. To her credit, she fought for herself and remained steadfast.”
When Dobrev declined the studio's unequal offer, she recounted that Plec intervened and “put her foot down, addressing everyone.” Ultimately, the studio conceded to pay for only one episode at the actress's requested rate. “The reason we couldn't have her for more than one episode is that they simply wouldn't pay,” the co-creator shared. “It took considerable effort before they finally caved, but it was only for one episode that they agreed.”
Dobrev added, “For the fans, I felt terrible. I wanted the story to be told in the best possible way, and it was heart-wrenching that the artistry had to be compromised because of this, preventing us from having those extra episodes at the show's end that Julie envisioned. … I’m thrilled that we managed to make it work and that I returned because I wanted to be part of the farewell.”
