Regardless of being the one actor enjoying a number of characters throughout the early seasons of The Vampire Diaries, Nina Dobrev has revealed that she was paid lower than her fellow male co-stars Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley.
The actress opened up concerning the behind-the-scenes equal pay battle in Leisure Weekly editor Samantha Highfill’s new e book, I Was Feeling Epic: An Oral Historical past of The Vampire Diaries. Dobrev not solely performed Elena Gilbert within the hit CW sequence, but additionally her character’s evil doppelgänger, Katherine Pierce, beginning within the season one finale.
“Candice [King], Kat [Graham], and I had been the three lowest-paid sequence regulars within the first two seasons,” Dobrev stated. “It was a little bit of a difficult scenario as a result of my contract solely stated to play Elena, however I used to be enjoying a number of characters, which doubled my workload. I needed to be on set for double the period of time, I needed to memorize double the quantity of traces.”
Within the e book, Highfill wrote that actors are sometimes in a position to begin negotiating their contracts in season three, which suggests Dobrev was making lower than Somerhalder (Damon Salvatore) and Wesley (Stefan Salvatore) for the primary few seasons.
“I wished to play Katherine, however I wished to be compensated pretty for that, and I wished to be an equal to the boys,” Dobrev added. The actress finally received more cash, Highfill wrote, however she by no means obtained equal pay to her male co-leads.
She recalled being instructed that “out of precept” the studio “wouldn’t bump me as much as being equal to the boys, and in order that was in all probability essentially the most hurtful as a result of it felt like I used to be actually working onerous and we shot eighteen-hour days typically, and nights, and I used to be placing my absolute coronary heart and soul, blood, sweat, and tears into it.”
“I keep in mind feeling just like the studio didn’t admire what I used to be bringing to the present, and it felt like they had been saying that each one the onerous work I used to be placing into it didn’t matter to them and that I wasn’t an equal to my male counterparts, and in order that was upsetting to me,” Dobrev continued.
Vampire Diaries co-creator Julie Plec additionally shared within the e book that issues “received actually heated” with the studio once they instructed the present’s writers they couldn’t use Katherine anymore as a result of it meant the studio must pay Dobrev extra every time.
Nonetheless, Plec stated that “was not one thing that I felt was proper or honest,” main them to “beg the community to allow us to even write story for Katherine.”
Plec stated that the writers had been finally allowed to put in writing for Katherine however recalled, “I actually assume we needed to say, ‘We’ll kill Katherine,’ so as to get permission to make use of her.”
“Over time, between Nina being beneficiant and gracious and the strain simmering down a bit of bit, we had been granted a sure variety of episodes,” the co-creator stated. “[But] I actually assume we needed to say, ‘We’ll kill Katherine,’ so as to get permission to make use of her.”
Dobrev exited the present after season six, when her character Elena was put underneath a sleeping spell by villain Kai Parker (Chris Wooden), which linked Elena’s life to that of her greatest buddy Bonnie Bennett. However since Elena wasn’t killed off, this left the door open for her to return (which she did within the sequence finale, titled “I Was Feeling Epic.”)
Nonetheless, her return for the eighth and closing season sparked one other battle over pay, as revealed in Highfill’s e book. Plec and co-creator Kevin Williamson stated they initially supposed to have Dobrev return for all the closing season.
“I actually wished Elena and Stefan to finish up collectively,” Williamson admitted, “that will’ve been my desire, however we didn’t have Elena to convey that relationship again round. You couldn’t convey them again collectively in a single episode.”
However Dobrev stood her floor and was solely going to return if she was paid the identical as Wesley and Somerhalder, who had gotten a number of raises since her departure from the sequence.
“I used to be at all times open to coming again for the finale, and storyline-wise it made sense. I felt prefer it was essential and it wanted to occur for the present, it wanted to occur for the followers,” the actress defined. “It was simply actually essential to me that on the finish of the present, as a girl, I wished to be sure that I used to be compensated and that I used to be an equal to my male counterparts on the present, and so it got here all the way down to that.”
Dobrev shared that the studio’s supply for her to return for the present’s finale “was 5 instances much less” than what she made when she left on the finish of season six.
“That’s the one motive why at one level I virtually didn’t come again,” she added. “I wanted to be paid parity to the boys. I needed to put my foot down and say if it didn’t occur I wouldn’t be capable to come again,” she stated. “And it wasn’t concerning the cash — I didn’t give a shit concerning the cash in any respect — it was the precept.”
Plec defended Dobrev, saying within the e book, “She ought to’ve been making what these boys made all alongside, and no one ought to’ve blinked at that request, however on the time it was very surprising. To her credit score, she advocated for herself and he or she caught to her weapons.”
When Dobrev declined the studio’s less-than-equal supply, she stated that’s when Plec stepped in and “put her foot down and spoke to everybody.” Although the studio finally solely agreed to pay for one episode on the actress’s requested price.
“The rationale we couldn’t have her for greater than the one episode is as a result of they only wouldn’t pay,” the co-creator shared. “It took loads of work earlier than they lastly relented, nevertheless it got here again that it was one episode solely that they’d say sure for.”
Dobrev added, “For the followers I felt horrible and I wished the story to be instructed in one of the best ways potential, and it was heartbreaking that the artistry needed to endure as a result of elf this, that we didn’t get to possibly have the few episodes on the finish of the present that Julie wished. … I’m very pleased that we had been in a position to make it work and that I got here again, as a result of I wished to be a part of the goodbye.”
I Was Feeling Epic: An Oral Historical past of The Vampire Diaries is now obtainable for buy.