Sebastian Stan could have acted in The Vampire Diaries, but he preferred to decline the offer for a very specific reason. Today his name carries substantial weight, thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe which cast him as Bucky Barnes, one of the longest-running characters in this superhero universe. Yet, even before playing the Winter Soldier, the actor could have ventured into an eight-season fantasy TV Series. It’s a pity that at the time he had no idea how successful The Vampire Diaries would become…
The Vampire Diaries and the time Sebastian Stan said no to Stefan Salvatore
In an interview with Happy Sad Confused, Sebastian Stan recalled a particularly favorable period in his career: it was 2006 and he had just teamed up with Taylor Kitsch and Chace Crawford for The Covenant, a fantasy film that paved the way for them. After that moment, Crawford, for example, landed the role of Nate Archibald in Gossip Girl and Sebastian Stan had been offered the opportunity to act in The Vampire Diaries to portray Stefan Salvatore.
We know that role was later given to Paul Wesley but, before reaching that point, other stars were considered, including Stan who nevertheless chose to decline. The reason traces back to a similar experience: he had just finished Kings, a TV series loosely inspired by the tale of King David but set in a modern context, lasting only one season. The premature cancellation pushed Sebastian Stan to distance himself from The Vampire Diaries>: “I had just finished Kings and I think I was really exhausted because that show hadn’t worked. When The Vampire Diaries was offered to me I thought: ‘Now I will take part in something new that probably won’t make it to a second season’.”
And the genre didn’t help either, since The Covenant was also set in a supernatural universe, and at that point in his career he was seeking something different: “I didn’t do it. And then the show went on to become a tremendous success.” The Vampire Diaries took off in 2009 and ran for eight seasons until 2017, launching in parallel also other spin-offs like The Originals and Legacies. Even today it is a title still greatly loved by fans, who hope for a revival.
Reflecting on the missed opportunity, the actor admitted he does not regret the decision: “In a sense I feel grateful, because to be honest I don’t think I was truly ready for that kind of exposure at that period of my life. I wasn’t that focused. Maybe it’s just because things went the way they did and this is a bit my story, but I almost feel like I’m at a moment where I would not change anything at all.” In 2011, after all, Sebastian Stan had his big break when he was cast in Captain America: The First Avenger. “I consider myself very lucky. So I can’t look back and regret something. That’s why timing is so important. Things really happen in a certain way when you think you’re ready,” he concluded.
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