‘The Vampire Diaries’: Kat Graham Loved Working With Ian Somerhalder as a Director
There is no way to deny that acting in a television show takes great talent. The actor has to become someone else, adapting to a different personality altogether, and on the popular show, The Vampire Diaries, Ian Somerhalder was able to do just that in his role as Damon Salvatore.
It turns out that Somerhalder is pretty multitalented since he didn’t only act in the show but directed a few episodes as well. Now, we have learned that Kat Graham, who portrayed Bonnie Bennett on The Vampire Diaries, loved working with Somerhalder as a director.
What episodes of ‘The Vampire Diaries’ did Somerhalder direct?
Somerhalder is amazing onscreen; however, some may not know that he stepped behind the camera to direct a handful of episodes. Which ones were they? According to Looper, Somerhalder, who appeared in all eight seasons of the show, was the director of three episodes of TVD.
His first stint in the director’s chair was in Season 6’s “The Downward Spiral.” Somerhalder didn’t direct another episode until Season 7’s “Days of Future Past” and again in Season 8’s “We Have History Together.” After making his directorial debut, the actor expressed his gratitude, saying, “Thank you to all involved in the decision-making process for giving me the opportunity to do this. I am so grateful.”
It was in an interview with Collider that the handsome actor spoke even more about his directing experience. He mentioned that directing his fellow actors wasn’t easy, but he loved doing it. Said Somerhalder, “I’m really grateful that I get to be with my fellow actors who are like my family and really dig deep and try to find those moments in their characters that mean something to them.”
Kat Graham loved working with Somerhalder as a director
It looks like all of Somerhalder’s hard work paid off, and even his co-stars took notice. It was during the 2015 Comic Con Panel that Graham spoke up, saying that one of her favorite episodes of the show was one that Somerhalder directed in Season 6. According to Graham, “It was actually the first time that I’d ever been in a scene where the director is also the actor, so we had some really cool stuff.” The actor expressed her excitement that her co-star would be directing more episodes in the future.
In an interview with Life & Style, Graham spoke even more of the experience, making sure to let fans know that “It was so fun! We work in a very similar way because we have the same acting coach. We were already in tune with each other before we got on set.” Further speaking about how great it was, Graham added that “He just pulled a lot of stuff out of me that a lot of directors who don’t know me as well can’t. It was really exciting to work for him. He was a natural.”
What else has Somerhalder directed?
While Somerhalder undoubtedly did an amazing job directing three episodes of The Vampire Diaries, he has also been able to showcase his talents on other shows. According to IMDb, he has also directed an episode of the science fiction series V- Wars. It appears that the actor truly enjoys his time both in front of the camera and behind since he has spoken of wanting to do more directorial work.
According to Entertainment Tonight, Somerhalder expressed interest in directing an episode of the now-canceled show Legacies, part of TVD Universe, saying that “I would love to go and direct one of [the Legacies episodes]. Because I know Paul [Wesley] went to do it, and he called me, and he’s like, ‘Bro, this is f****** crazy.’ Because it’s all of our old sets, which is a time warp, 10 years ago.”
