‘The Vampire Diaries’: Julie Plec Thought Alaric Actor Matt Davis’ Fanfiction Was ‘Totally Inappropriate’
The Vampire Diaries star Matt Davis had some wild ideas about the show’s storyline. But when series creator Julie Plec read his fanfiction, she felt some of it was “totally inappropriate.” Here’s how it all unfolded.
Matt Davis imagined Alaric and Elena in a sexual relationship
Davis portrayed Alaric Saltzman on The Vampire Diaries until the series ended in 2017. Later, he reprised the role for Legacies. His character was like a father figure to Nina Dobrev’s Elena Gilbert. So in 2012, when Davis suggested Alaric and Elena should sleep together, many were confused.
“There’s a lot of sexual tension between Alaric and Elena,” the actor said in a chat with TVGuide.com. “You can’t deny it. I’m surprised he hasn’t snuck into her bed already.”
In 2016, Davis and the rest of The Vampire Diaries cast sat down with Plec to discuss the show with TV Line. When discussing the storyline, the actor casually suggested Alaric should have a “threesome” with Kat Graham’s Bonnie and Elena. He may have been joking, but he left his co-stars and Plec looking a little shocked.
‘The Vampire Diaries’ creator Julie Plec thought some of Matt Davis’ fanfiction was ‘inappropriate’
While The Vampire Diaries was still on the air, Davis wrote fanfiction on Twitter under the name Ernesto Riley. His stories centered on Alaric, Damon, Stefan, and Elena, and included sexual elements.
In a Paley Center discussion, Plec talked about Davis’ fanfiction, suggesting that some of it was too risqué.
“I do not advocate this whatsoever, but Matt Davis has taken to Twitter to begin the Alaric-Elena campaign, which is totally unacceptable,” Plec said, as the cast laughed alongside her. Then when asked to elaborate on his stories, the showrunner refused, noting it was “totally inappropriate.”
“If we’re being completely honest about it, there’s one I won’t mention because it’s actually R-rated,” she suggested.
But there was another one of Davis’ fanfiction stories that Plec did like. In it, Alaric tells Damon that he should let Elena grow up, mature, and learn about artists like John Lennon before jumping into a serious relationship with her. “Alaric gives Damon a little life lesson and philosophy and stuff,” Plec explained. “It’s nice.”
Ian Somerhalder joined in the discussion and revealed that he and Davis often discuss their characters’ storylines during production. The Lost star noted that the fanfiction about Alaric and Damon was based on some of their behind-the-scenes conversations.
Matt Davis was excited to see Alaric get the ‘attention he deserves’ in ‘The Vampire Diaries’ spinoff
The Vampire Diaries ended in 2017, but Davis was brought back into the franchise with the spinoff series Legacies. The show follows Alaric as the headmaster of the Salvatore School — a boarding school in Mystic Falls exclusively for supernatural students — and his relationship with his twin daughters Lizzy (Jenny Boyd) and Josie (Kaylee Bryant), and Hope Mikaelson (Danielle Rose Russell).
Davis was the only original cast member to reprise his character in a recurring role. And in 2018, he told Collider he was thrilled to see Alaric get some of the storylines he’d imagined.
“As I’ve grown personally, he’s grown with me,” Davis said. “It’s cool to come into my 40s with this character. How I’ve grown, how I’ve evolved, and how I see the world differently now will affect him.”
“I’m excited to finally give him the attention that I feel like he deserves,” he added. “And it will be a great getting to see his strengths, getting to see him at his best, and getting to see him unencumbered by things that I thought could have been character distractions.”
Davis appeared on Legacies from 2018 to 2022. The series was canceled after the fourth season.
