Taylor Swift Passed on a Role in a Legendary Supernatural Fantasy Series

Back in 2009, The Vampire Diaries became one of the CW’s biggest hits. Based on the book series by L. J. Smith, the supernatural teen drama ran for eight seasons, airing 171 episodes before ending in 2017.

The very first episode drew in the network’s largest audience at the time, and its first season pulled an average of 3.6 million viewers. The show was so popular that it won multiple Teen Choice Awards and People’s Choice Awards and even became the CW’s most-watched series until Arrow took that spot.

At FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention, Ian Somerhalder, who played Damon Salvatore, sat down for a panel moderated by Collider’s Maggie Lovitt.

He reflected on how huge the series had become and revealed some surprising behind-the-scenes stories about music and big names connected to the show.

Somerhalder shared that the soundtrack for the first season was a massive success. “The Season 1 soundtrack sold like 15 million copies,” he said. “The music moments were amazing. We had incredible music supervisors — Julie [Plec] and Kevin [Williamson] […] they knew what was gonna hit.”

But one of the most surprising details came when Somerhalder mentioned a major music star who almost joined the show. According to him, Taylor Swift was actually offered a role but turned it down. “I think Taylor Swift, we offered this role, and she was like, ‘No.’ [Laughs],” Somerhalder told the crowd.

Even though Swift never made it to Mystic Falls, another music icon was spotted on set more than once. Somerhalder recalled the days when Lady Gaga, who was dating actor Taylor Kinney at the time, visited while the show was filming in Georgia.

“Stef [Germanotta] — Lady Gaga — would come to Georgia to spend time on our set. This is in like 2010/11. She was literally the biggest thing since sliced bread. She would be on set, no bra, fishnets… hanging out, chewing gum, drinking coffee, watching her super handsome and awesome boyfriend on screen.”

“And all of a sudden every producer was all of a sudden there. Every actor who wasn’t working was all of a sudden there. It was just the funniest thing. So that was really special.”

Looking back, Somerhalder said the show’s music was one of the things that made it stand out. “We had incredible music. It really lifted and elevated these moments. We had some big artists and really awesome songs… Music is so important, and we are so fortunate — we had a teeny tiny music budget and sometimes when we needed it, they would spring for the songs that we needed. And it’s very special.”

The Vampire Diaries might not have had Taylor Swift in its cast and Lady Gaga never appeared on screen, but their names are now part of the show’s off-camera legacy. For a series that built so many unforgettable moments around music, it feels fitting that some of the biggest names in the industry almost became part of its story.

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