The Vampire Diaries ended two years ago, and we're still feeling its loss. The hit CW show, that some of us grew up watching, was a staple in our week, but now it's all over. While most of the cast has moved on, started families, and pursued other roles besides vampires, witches and 1,000 year old originals, one of the cast members never left. You just can't see him.
Paul Wesley, who we all loved as the broody Stefan Salvatore on the show, made his directorial debut all the way back in season 5 of The Vampire Diaries. At the time Wesley told Buzzfeed, "It's an honor and the cast couldn't be any more supportive, which I feel truly grateful for," but this was just the first taste Wesley got of what it felt like being in the directors chair.
He went on to direct and star in Episode 18, Resident Evil, of season 5, but the first time directing and acting at the same time wasn't a struggle for Wesley at all. "A good friend of mine recently directed a film he also starred in, and I was on set the whole time, so I got to see firsthand what that experience looked like," Wesley continued.
It turns out Wesley had had the itch to direct for years before his debut, "I had expressed my interest to [executive producer] Julie Plec and the studio early on," Wesley explained. "They responded positively, but also made it clear I had to earn the position if they were to grant it to me. I spent a year shadowing directors, attending meetings, prepping, sitting in the editing room, etc. Even though I have been working in TV for years, it ended up being such a blessing because I learned invaluable information. They finally granted me an episode, which was met with a great deal of excitement and nervousness on my part."
"Directing is something that I've been passionate about for a long time [and] I've had many, many lessons over the last 15 years and many mentors," Wesley went on to say. "But the thing that I have most discovered over the last year is that it is entirely a team effort. Every single person on set, from props to focus puller to director of photography to the actors themselves, is crucial. And everyone is there to create something truly memorable that will be captured on film for eternity. You have to trust in your team entirely and do everything you can to incentivize everyone to be the best they can be."
Getting into the mindset of a director was the hardest part for Wesley, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Initially he felt awkward about directing his fellow cast mates, but he soon got the feel for it and learned a lot in the editing room. Wesley went on to direct four more TVD episodes, but now that the show has ended, he's still behind the scenes. On the set of TVD's spin-off series, and around other CW shows, in fact.
When the chance to direct an episode of his shows spin-off, Legacies, and reunite with this TVD co-star Matt Davis, who played Alaric, it was just too good to pass up for Wesley. The Boy Who Still Had a Lot of Good to Do, the episode Wesley directed last year for the spin-off, truly was a full circle moment for the actor. He even got to pass his wisdom on playing a vampire on to the younger generation of actors on the show.
"It was nice to have him, and the writer was laughing because it was an episode that had a lot of vamp feeding," Julie Plec, one of the creators of TVD and Legacies, told TV Guide, "and she said that Paul was able to express the tricks of the trade to the actors on how to do a proper vamp feed very well after years and years of experience."
"I had a great time," Wesley told TV Guide. "I think directing is a completely different ballgame. It's something that I truly love, that I have a true passion for. I certainly won't be stepping in front of the camera as anything vampire-related, but behind the camera... I had such a great time directing those kids and Matt Davis and being in my old stomping ground Atlanta. Every time I direct, it's an opportunity for me to brush up on my technical skills and learn how to talk to different actors and adapt to different tones. It's always a welcome opportunity for me."
After directing Legacies, Wesley has gone on to direct another CW show, Batwoman. Wesley has directed this Sunday's episode 17, A Narrow Escape, and it just might have been the most challenging thing he's ever done behind the scenes.
"What I really enjoyed about this episode is that it’s quite grounded in the sense that it is a 'race against time' main plot. So it’s quite fast paced and energetic but of course there is a lot of character development," Wesley told Entertainment Weekly.
The coming week's episode will be bloody and chaotic to say the least, as Alice goes through a sort of lobotomy imprisoned in the Arkham Asylum. Surprisingly, with all the horror expertise he has playing a vicious blood thirsty vampire for eight years, Wesley said filming the scene was uncomfortable as it has a One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest vibe to it.
So far Wesley has only directed a few episodes in various shows over the years, but we think we can expect bigger and better directing projects come from him in the future. It is nice to see him stick with the CW, though. Let's just hope he doesn't forget his Vampire Diaries days.
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