The Vampire Diaries stars Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder share their candid thoughts on the Stefan and Caroline pairing. Over the course of eight seasons and close to 200 episodes, the cast of The Vampire Diaries went through their share of changes. That’s true in terms of character development, albeit also in terms of romantic partners that the main characters were expected to end up with. That’s exemplified by Stefan Salvatore (Wesley) and Caroline Forbes (Candice King), who began the series as friends but steadily evolved.
While appearing on an episode of Hot Ones Versus, the co-stars and friends asked each other some personal questions. Somerhalder, who played Damon Salvatore, went first and asked Wesley to name a storyline that he thinks should have never made it out of the writers’ room. Wesley points to the Stefan and Caroline wedding, reflecting on why it happened. Somerhalder also chimes in the exchange below:
Wesley: “After Nina [Dobrev] left the show, they were like, ‘We need to pair [my character] Stefan with some romantic partner, and then Stefan and Caroline ended up having a wedding and getting married.”
Somerhalder: “It was a little forced, but it was cute. She’s pretty, you’re pretty.”
He’s Been Even More Candid In The Past
According to Swoon, Wesley has been open about his mixed feelings on the Caroline and Stefan romance. At a fan convention in 2024, the actor mentioned that he preferred the platonic friendship between the characters from the earlier seasons. He said in part: “It was okay, but I really liked them being friends, so, I don’t know. It’s okay. But I think I prefer the original storylines.” He echoes the thoughts of a segment of the fanbase that enjoyed the friendship and mentorship between Stefan and newbie vamp Caroline without necessarily championing the romance ramp-up.
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Wesley and Somerhalder are still in close contact, as they co-own Brothers’ Bond Bourbon. It gives them a chance to revisit their seminal supernatural drama roles in conversation more than they otherwise would. It also allows old debates to resurface, including about shifting Stefan to Caroline once Nina Dobrev’s Elena Gilbert was out of the picture and no longer an endgame option because of her relationship with Damon.
Our Take On Caroline & Stefan
The Friendship Was Rare
Being that it was a teen drama for most of its run, a bevy of competing relationships is part of The CW hit’s success story. But at least with Caroline and Stefan, the writers could have waited for longer to put Stefan and Caroline together closer to the end of The Vampire Diaries rather than rush into it and use the friendship as a mere prelude to a romance.
Source: Hot Ones Versus, Swoon
The Vampire Diaries
- Release Date
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2009 – 2016
- Showrunner
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Julie Plec
- Directors
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John Dahl
- Writers
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Julie Plec, Kevin Williamson, L.J. Smith