Nina Dobrev Fought to Be Paid Fairly — But “Vampire Diaries” Studio Held Her Back

Despite leading the series and handling double-duty as Elena and Katherine, Dobrev’s quest for pay equality with Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley faced repeated studio resistance—only yielding grudging raises and a limited return for the finale.

In Samantha Highfill’s new oral history, I Was Feeling Epic: An Oral History of The Vampire Diaries, Nina Dobrev reveals a long-running struggle for fair compensation during her time on The Vampire Diaries.

From the very beginning, Dobrev carried the show on her shoulders, portraying both Elena Gilbert and her doppelgänger Katherine Pierce. This meant double the lines, longer hours, and twice the workload. Yet, her contract only paid her for one role. During the first two seasons, she, Candice King, and Kat Graham were the lowest-paid series regulars. When Season 3 negotiations began, Dobrev finally secured a raise — but her salary still remained below that of her male co-leads, Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley.

While fans loved Katherine’s presence, the studio resisted paying Dobrev extra for dual roles. Showrunner Julie Plec later admitted that executives discouraged the writers from bringing Katherine back, forcing the creative team to eventually write the character off.

By the end of Season 6, Dobrev chose to leave the show. She recalled the grueling 18-hour workdays and night shoots, saying she felt unappreciated and disheartened that her hard work wasn’t valued equally compared to her male counterparts.

When the show prepared for its final season, Dobrev was open to returning — narratively, it made sense to close the Elena–Salvatore storyline. But negotiations hit a wall once again. The studio’s initial offer was significantly lower than what she had earned when she left. Dobrev refused, insisting on equal pay with her co-stars.

She emphasized, “It wasn’t about the money — I didn’t care about the dollar amount. It was the principle. I wanted to be equal.” Eventually, Julie Plec intervened and convinced the studio to agree — but only for a single finale episode at parity pay.