Ian Somerhalder Didn't Expect Vampire Diaries' Ending Twist
After eight thrilling seasons filled with romance, brotherhood, and vampires, The Vampire Diaries came to a dramatic conclusion, with Stefan Salvatore making the ultimate sacrifice.
And while it was undoubtedly an emotional ending to an unforgettable journey, one of the show's stars, Ian Somerhalder, who portrayed the devilishly handsome vampire Damon Salvatore, revealed what he thought would happen in the show's finale instead of this unexpected twist.
Just in case you need a quick reminder of what went down, in the show's final episode, Stefan gave up his life to save everyone, finally finding peace.
Meanwhile, Damon and Elena went on to enjoy a blissful human life together, free from the supernatural turmoil that had plagued their existence for so long.
As with any successful series, the cast members had their own speculations about how the show would end. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Somerhalder disclosed that he and his co-star Paul Wesley, who played Stefan Salvatore, actually had something in mind for the finale.
‘Well, it’s not the ending that Paul and I always thought we would get — just the two bros in some Speedos on the beach drinking some rum,’ he revealed.
That said, the actor also acknowledged that writing a satisfying ending for a show is a challenging task, as it involves meeting the expectations of the audience who have invested time in the show, as well as fulfilling the artistic vision of the writers.
But Somerhalder wasn't the only one who was taken by surprise upon learning about this turn of events. As it turns out, Wesley wasn't made aware of his character's death either until he had the finale script in his hands.
‘They totally teased me and said that he wouldn’t die, so they really taunted me for a couple months,’ he recalled. However, the ending made sense to him after everything his character had done. ‘I just felt like he’s been the hero of the story to a degree and it only made sense for him to die at the end,’ he explained.
There's no doubt that the vision of two brothers sipping on a drink by the beach at the end of it all does sound like a fun conclusion to this otherwise rather dark series. However, millions of fans agree that the ending they got was nothing short of epic.
In the end, it's impossible to please everyone, and this is what makes the discussions surrounding show endings that much more intriguing.