Sebastian Stan Explains Why He Turned Down ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Lead Role

Sebastian Stan was offered the lead role of Stefan Salvatore in the CW series "The Vampire Diaries," but he declined. He made this revelation in an interview on the "Happy, Sad, Confused" podcast with Joshua Horowitz. "I didn't do it. And then the show went on to be super, super successful," Stan said. He added that he didn't regret his decision, citing his past show "Kings" as the reason for his burnout.

"I felt really burnt out. The idea of thinking 'Oh, I'm just going to sign up again for something that probably is not going to get to the second season,'" Stan explained. Stan thinks he was offered the role due to his involvement in "The Covenant," a film also set in a supernatural world. "I feel grateful in a way because I don't know if I was really ready for that kind of exposure when I was younger," he said.

Stan's focus was scattered during that period, emotionally and mentally. "The Vampire Diaries" ran for eight seasons from 2009 to 2017, with Wesley playing the role of Stefan Salvatore. Stan did appear in another CW show, "Gossip Girl," playing Carter Baizen in 11 episodes.