The Vampire Diaries: Ian Somerhalder talks about being jealous of Chris Wood's Kai Parker

Ian Somerhalder, who played Damon Salvatore on TVD, recently talked about his character and why he was jealous of Chris Wood's Kai Parker. The Vampire Diaries may have concluded in 2017 but we have all learnt that a Vampire, and especially Damon Salvatore, doesn't die. The eight-season-long supernatural fantasy drama that churned out two other successful spinoffs, one of them (Legacies) still on the air, starred Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, and Ian Somerhalder in the lead roles. 

Ian Somerhalder on why he was jealous of Chris Wood's Kai Parker

Fans of The Vampire Diaries will never forget Kai Parker, widely considered as one of the most villainy villains of the show. The character may have only been introduced in season 6, but Chris Wood's Kai brought a significant change in the show, being the sociopathic magic siphoning witch (vampire-witch?) that he was. Speaking on episode 6 of EW's Binge podcast, Ian Somerhalder talked about his character Damon becoming a better person by season 3 of TVD, saying: 

I was so upset about the trajectory of Damon. So much so that at one point I was sitting across from [executive producer] Julie [Plec] in her office in Atlanta almost in tears so angry about this.

While EP and creator Julie Plec along with her co-creator Kevin Williamson explained to the actor that Damon was a more complex character, being the villain at times and being a good guy at other times. She explained how she didn't want Damon to be a "one trick pony" and only be a villain. However, Somerhalder explains how this was precisely what made him jealous of Chris Wood's Kai Parker, saying: 

That's why I was always so in love with what Chris Wood was doing on screen, because up until that moment, there was never a character in the show, other than Stefan in the Ripper age, that actually had the ability to not be so serious, to do horrific things but do it with a smile. 

Chris Wood, who was also a part of the podcast, also talked about his character and his inspiration for playing Kai Parker. He said: 

We talked about Ted Bundy if he was really funny. It was the worst person in the world who's also like maybe a good hang if you can get him to shut up for a second. That was sort of what I was always going for.

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