It’s been nearly nine years since The Vampire Diaries ended, but the supernatural teen drama remains a favorite among fans. The cast of TVD still frequently discuss and pay homage to the series, whether it’s with small, personal reunions, fan convention appearances or personal reflections shared to social media. It’s hard to imagine anyone else playing the show’s characters. Still, I’m intriguing after learning Jason Momoa and Joe Manganiello read for one major character.
Samantha Highfill, Entertainment Weekly’s executive editor, published a book centering on The CW drama, I Was Feeling Epic: An Oral History of The Vampire Diaries. For her deep dive into the beloved series, Highfill took an introspective look at the successful series, which spawned two spinoffs and shared excellent behind-the-scenes details by way of exclusive interviews with the cast and crew. Highfill also shared some of the most surprising things she learned while writing the book, including the casting.
It’s known that Paul Wesley was nearly permanently cast as Damon Salvatore, a role that ultimately went to Ian Somerhalder before Wesley nabbed the role of Stefan. However, that’s not the surprising casting choice that Highfill discovered. While chatting with co-creator Julie Plec, Highfill found out that Momoa and Manganiello actually read for the role of history teacher and vampire hunter Alaric Saltzman. Of course, the role of Saltzman ended up being played by Matt Davis, who remained with the show for much of its eight-season run.
I honestly cannot imagine either of Manganiello or Momoa portraying Alaric, and I’m actually glad the castings didn’t pan out. A big reason for that is because had Momoa landed the part, there’s a chance he wouldn’t have gone on to play Khal Drogo in the first two seasons of Game of Thrones. For further context regarding his career around the time TVD was being developed in the late 2000s, Aquaman star was coming off his role as Ronon Dex in Stargate Atlantis. Vampire Diaries could’ve been a big gig for Momoa, though it could be argued that it might’ve shifted the trajectory of his career.
Meanwhile, years ago, Joe Manganiello was landing recurring roles in How I Met Your Mother, ‘Til Death and fellow CW drama One Tree Hill. I don’t know about you, but if I had to see Manganiello go from playing bartender and Brooke’s love interest, Owen Morello, on OTH to playing a vampire hunter on TVD, I would’ve felt some serious whiplash.
There’s also the fact that Manganiello had a starring role on True Blood beginning in 2010. Magnaniello played Alcide Herveaux and, if he had gotten Vampire Diaries, the HBO drama series would’ve been without a key star. I won’t lie, it is somewhat interesting to think about how Maganiello and Momoa would’ve approached Alaric performance-wise. Still, I’d like to think that everything ultimately worked out just fine for both actors, who’ve certainly had their share of success.
And, of course, Matt Davis ended up playing Alaric Saltzman quite well. Fans can watch his performance by streaming The Vampire Diaries with an HBO Max subscription. Coincidentally, the streamer also contains movies and TV shows that Momoa and Maganiello have starred in.
