‘The Vampire Diaries’ Star Paul Wesley Doesn’t Miss Playing Stefan, Won’t Play Another Vampire

Paul Wesley has slain of any hope of him returning to the world of The Vampire Diaries. The actor, who played Stefan Salvatore on the CW drama, says he’d “hard pass” on any sort of reboot.

“I would never do another vampire anything, period, let alone Vampire Diaries,” the actor tells InStyle in an interview published online on Thursday, July 6. “I don’t really miss anything about playing him, and I don’t mean that in a [negative way]. Eight years is a long time, and I’m so glad to put that to rest. Eight seasons.”

That’s not to say Wesley didn’t enjoy his time on the show and didn’t enjoy playing the century-plus-old vampire. “I loved how dynamic he was,” he says. “Because the show ran for such a long time, in order for it to not become monotonous, every season, he sort of had a different arc. At one point he was pure evil, and he started out as the good guy and then he ended as the good guy. But I liked the challenge of trying to keep the character fresh.”

Annette Brown/The CW

Plus, the 40-year-old is still good friends with costars Ian Somerhalder — with whom he has a bourbon brand, Brother’s Bond — and Nina Dobrev — with whom he has talked about doing a comedy together. He’s also attached to an undisclosed project with TVD executive producer Julie Plec, InStyle reports.

“When I get recognized, it’s because of Stefan,” Wesley tells the magazine. “It’s the biggest thing I’ve ever done, as far as popularity. I’ve done a bunch of roles since The Vampire Diaries, but nothing has been nearly as popular, so I think you have to get that next thing that puts you into a conversation that involves you and not the character that you’re known for playing.”

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That “next thing” may be his recurring role as Captain Kirk in the Paramount+ series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

“One of the things that excited me about the role of Captain Kirk was the fact that it’s such a popular, arguably one of the most, influential characters in the history of television,” Wesley says. “I jumped at this role because it allows me to be something other than Stefan in a big way.”