Since its initial release on the CW channel in 2009, The Vampire Diaries has been a sensational TV show that still lingers in fans’ minds and hearts. The show cut across several genres, from drama and romance to fantasy, mystery, and, other times, horror. TVD centered around a love triangle between the vampire Salvatore brothers, Stefan and Damon, and a teenage girl, Elena Gilbert, a human.
Through the many plots, twists, and other romantic entanglements in the show, the Salvatore brotherly bond is one that still has fans in awe of TVD. Even better, it turns out that the cast who portrayed the Salvatore brothers, Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder, are like brothers in real life.
The Salvatore Brothers’ actors have a real-life brother-like bond
Throughout the eight seasons of TVD, viewers were taken through different eras and timelines, from how Damon and Stefan became vampires to their 48-year-long separation and reunion. In between, the brothers went through rough patches, but at the end of the day, they always stuck together and were willing to risk their lives for each other. The relationship between Stefan and Damon, while sometimes toxic, is a seemingly unbreakable bond and an embodiment of true familial love.
After eight consecutive years of filming together, it’s no surprise that Somerhalder and Wesley grew close and formed a brother-like bond. While there are many cast members who refuse to work together after a great start or some who encounter actors who are just difficult to work with, the Salvatore pair said they hit it off almost immediately.
In a video interview with Entertainment Weekly, Somerhalder and Wesley shared a memory of their first encounter, saying they arrived at the airport wearing almost the same outfit; a white t-shirt, same jeans, same boots, same glasses, and even the same backpack.
The pair have since remained close, and speaking of their new venture after TVD in their “creative space,” Wesley joked, “In this new creative space, should we get a bunk bed and just have sleepovers and talk bourbon,” to which Somerhalder responded, “Big brother takes the top bunk,” and both burst out in laughter. The pair share a beautiful, almost enviable brotherly bond.
Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley wanted to live near each other while filming ‘TVD’
Filming a TV show, especially one with several episodes, requires a ton of rehearsal time for cast members. Somerhalder and Wesley had multiple scenes together and thought it wise to get apartments near each other so that they could rehearse together.
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The infamous Salvatore brothers’ portrayers flew out to Atlanta, where the show was being filmed, and went apartment hunting. Speaking of the incident, Somerhalder said they spent a lot of time rehearsing;
“That’s why we wanted our apartments next to each other. We knew that we needed to be brothers … we wanted to rehearse everything together.”
Given how much time actors spend with fellow cast members when filming, they try to form bonds with their cast. For this dynamic duo, however, they said their bonding came pretty easily, which Wesley attributed to their very different personalities, saying that the two are very, which allows their “synergy to coexist.”
Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley founded a bourbon brand together
The Salvatore brothers were portrayed as a pair that really loved bourbon, seeing as each of them almost always had a glass in hand or reached for a bottle any chance they could get. Both actors admitted to their shared love for bourbon in real life and even talked about how they continued the Salvatore ritual (drinking bourbon) both on-screen and off-screen well after the show.
After the show’s conclusion, while brainstorming new ventures, Somerhalder and Wesley embarked on a shared venture that saw the birth of their bourbon brand, Brother’s Bond, which was launched in 2020. The brand was named in honor of the Salvatore brotherly bond and the respective actors’ brotherhood and shared love for bourbon.
According to The Spirit Business, Brother’s Bond takes four years to produce, and the brand is doing so well that it’s selling out in America. The two actors have plans to expand their brand to Europe and South America and open a distillery in Kentucky. There’s no better culmination of a brotherly bond than creating a successful business and brand from it, and with that, fans can only wish them the very best.
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