Can you believe it's been almost 14 years since the iconic vampire tale of love, friendship, and redemption — no, not you, Twilight! — The Vampire Diaries debuted? Following the series for eight long years, fans matured along with the cast and their characters, never pulling away from the screen even after Nina Dobrev's departure.
But alas, all things come to an end, and in 2017, The Vampire Diaries cast was finally able to move on. But where are the beloved actors now, in 2023?
Nina Dobrev
In TVD, Nina Dobrev played two roles, Elena and her doppelgänger Katherine Pierce, but decided to quit the project after the sixth season, reappearing only in the Season 8 finale. While her decision to leave was a huge blow to the show, the actress was keen to explore other career opportunities and has taken on a number of interesting roles since.
Some of Dobrev's prominent projects are Flatliners, a psychological sci-fi horror starring Elliott Page and Diego Luna, the sitcom Fam, and the third installment of XXX, which was a big commercial success. Today, the actress continues to star in movies and TV shows, with four projects listed as upcoming on her IMDb page.
5 Non-Canon Ships That Outshined Vampire Diaries' Original Couples As of 2023, Nina is in a relationship with professional snowboarder and skateboarder Shaun White.
Paul Wesley
TVD's main hottie who can only be compared to his on-screen brother Ian Somerhalder, Paul Wesley continued to act on television after the vampire saga ended and also directed a few episodes of various shows. From 2018 to 2020, the actor starred in the anthology series Tell Me a Story, and since 2022, he has been playing the iconic Captain James T. Kirk in the prequel Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
To fans' delight, Wesley maintains a close friendship with Ian Somerhalder. In 2020, the two launched their own whiskey brand, Brother's Bond Bourbon.
Ian Somerhalder
Ian Somerhalder, who played TVD's main antagonist turned protagonist, went on a career hiatus after the show ended in 2017. Two years later, another vampire project starring him was released: V Wars. He played the lead character and also served as an executive producer on the show.
Notably, the actor's fixation with vampires doesn't end with the TV series. After ending the relationship with Nina Dobrev in 2013, Somerhalder married actress Nikki Reed in 2015, who played Rosalie Hale in The Twilight Saga. The two have had two children since then. Like Paul Wesley, Ian is also an environmental activist.
Kat Graham
Although Kat Graham admittedly didn't enjoy her experience on TVD because of the show's overwhelmingly white cast and crew, the role of Elena's best friend and witch Bonnie Bennett effectively launched her acting career.
Post-TVD, the actress played Tupac Shakur's friend and Will Smith's wife Jada Pinkett in All Eyez on Me, starred opposite John Travolta and Morgan Freeman in The Poison Rose, and appeared alongside Tom Hopper in the rom-com Love in the Villa.
Graham is also a popular R&B singer known professionally as Toro Gato.
Candice King
After playing Caroline Forbes, Elena and Bonnie's friend who eventually became Stefan's wife (and sadly, widow), Candice King reprised the role in the spin-offs The Originals and Legacies. In 2020, she appeared in the romantic drama After We Collided, and in 2022, she played the title role in Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story, a dramatization of a brutal murder that took place in 2004.
From 2014 to 2022, King was married to Joe King, co-founder of the rock band The Fray.
Steven R. McQueen
Steven R. McQueen portrayed Elena's younger brother, vampire hunter Jeremy. In between filming for TVD, McQueen starred as Jimmy Borrelli in Seasons 4 and 5 of Chicago Fire, and after the main vampire series ended, he appeared in an episode of Legacies.
The actor participated in the documentary anthology series Medal of Honor, which also featured Paul Wesley, and the 2020 Western movie The Warrant.
Joseph Morgan
Ah, so it's time to talk about the franchise's most compelling original vampire. Joseph Morgan reprised his iconic role as Klaus Mikaelson in The Originals and also directed several episodes of the spin-off, and his character appeared in the finale of Legacies too.
In 2020, the actor played one of the lead roles in the film adaptation of Aldous Huxley's novel Brave New World and appeared in Titans Season 4 as supervillain Brother Blood. Morgan's new project, an adaptation of the Halo video game, is expected to hit the screens in 2024.
Since 2014, Joseph has been married to actress Persia White. The two met on the TVD set, as White played Bonnie's mother.