Teen drama followers are properly conscious that Nina Dobrev left her position as Elena Gilbert on The Vampire Diaries after six seasons, however a brand new guide reveals particulars of her early exit.
In Leisure Weekly editor Samantha Highfill’s, I Was Feeling Epic: An Oral Historical past of The Vampire Diaries, Dobrev, 36, spoke candidly about how a pay disparity in the end sealed the deal on her resolution to depart. In response to Dobrev, she Candice King and Kat Graham have been the “lowest-paid collection regulars” for the present’s first two seasons.
“It was a little bit of a tough scenario as a result of my contract solely mentioned to play Elena, however I used to be enjoying a number of characters, which doubled my work-load,” Dobrev defined, referring to her character’s doppelgänger, Katherine Pierce. “I needed to be on set for double the period of time, I needed to memorize double the quantity of traces.”
Dobrev defined that she “needed to be compensated pretty” for the 2 roles — which, in her thoughts, included being paid the identical as male leads Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder. (Rumors of a pay dispute between the three leads have been swirling for years. Former CW President Mark Pedowitz was interviewed for the guide, however didn’t touch upon Dobrev’s pay. On the time, he confirmed there have been closed-door contract negotiations occurring.)
Highfill wrote that “Dobrev was profitable in getting more cash” however she was by no means paid the identical as Wesley and Somerhalder. The studio allegedly advised writers to cease placing Katherine in scenes as a result of they “needed to pay” Dobrev for each roles.
The present’s creator Julie Plec recalled issues getting “actually heated” on the time.
“It principally acquired phoned down again to us writers that we weren’t allowed to put in writing Katherine in in any respect ever,” Plec claimed. “Which in fact was not one thing that I felt was proper or truthful.”
Dobrev felt like her work wasn’t appreciated.
“It felt like they have been saying that each one the exhausting 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,” she recalled.
Dobrev didn’t renew her contract after season 6 and followers mentioned goodbye to Elena in Could 2015. Dobrev did in the end returned for the present’s March 2017 collection finale — but it surely wasn’t straightforward.
“It was simply actually vital to me that on the finish of the present, as a lady, I needed to guarantee that I used to be compensated and that I used to be an equal to my male counterparts on the present,” Dobrev mentioned within the guide, alleging that their supply for the one episode was “5 instances much less” than what the actress made when she was on the present.
“That’s the one purpose why at one level I nearly didn’t come again. I wanted to be paid parity to the boys,” she continued. “I needed to put my foot down and say if it didn’t occur I wouldn’t have the ability to come again. And it wasn’t concerning the cash — I didn’t give a s*** concerning the cash in any respect — it was all principal.”
I Was Feeling Epic: An Oral Historical past of The Vampire Diaries is out now.
