‘The Vampire Diaries’: Paul Wesley Accidentally Burned Part of His Face Off
On The Vampire Diaries, actor Paul Wesley became famous for playing the 162-year-old vampire and one-half of the Salvatore brothers. Since then, the fan-favorite has appeared in several other shows and movies. Wesley recently revealed that he accidentally burned part of his face off while filming The Vampire Diaries.
Paul Wesley cost ‘TVD’ millions after an accident
Paul Wesley joined The Vampire Diaries in 2009, playing a centuries-old vampire who falls in love with a high school teen in the fictional Mystic Falls. The actor earned two People’s Choice Award nominations for his role as Stefan Salvatore.
His good looks have been the subject of many fans’ desires and fueled a lot of fan love for him and his character. However, a small incident while on set almost cost him his looks. In a recent cast reunion, Wesley reminisced about the time he accidentally burnt part of his face off.
Wesley recalled the set being extremely cold, “like 20 degrees,” to which his friend and co-star Ian Somerhalder corrected him, saying, “It was 14 degrees.” The actor continued saying he felt cold while on set and decided to seek heat.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God! A heater’ and I ran to the heater, and I put my face by the heater to warm it up, and then I burned my entire face off.” When the crowd erupted in laughter and shock, Wesley clarified, “I’m not kidding; the whole face.”
Somerhalder backed Wesley, saying, “The whole dermal layer of his face. He burned off,” equating the actor’s face to Tom Cruise’s mask in Vanilla Sky. Wesley said that the accident cost the special effects team “a million dollars” in VFX reconstruction of his face because of the severity of the burns.
Paul Wesley’s face was once used illegally
Wesley’s brooding looks can be attributed to his distinctive jawline. This unique feature caught the attention of a costume company that, instead of hiring actual models to advertise their products, decided to steal Wesley’s face for marketing purposes.
In a 2020 interview with Kelly Clarkson on her self-titled show, the actor revealed that the company used photo editing software to place his head on the bodies of other costume models. Wesley shared the photos with Clarkson revealing his head in a doctor’s costume, a clown costume, and a warrior costume.
“Somebody took my face, and they put them — illegally — on Halloween costumes, and they’re selling them all over the world, OK, without my knowledge or consent,” the TVD star said. Clarkson joked that Wesley was cooler than her because no one had ever tried to steal her face.
Wesley stated that he got his lawyer involved, and when confronted, the company refused to acknowledge that they were using his face but said they could see a “similarity between the face and Paul Wesley.” The star is a huge name in the industry, so it’s easy to assume that the online retailer wanted to use Wesley’s fame to boost sales.
What is Paul Wesley up to today?
Wesley remained busy even during his time on TVD. He appeared in Before I Disappear, Amira and Sam, The Late Bloomer, Shot In The Heart, Peaceful Warrior, and The Baytown Outlaws. In 2016, the actor signed a deal with Warner Bros. Television to produce four TV shows, including Pecos and Finding Natalie, through his production company, Citizen Media.
After TVD‘s conclusion in 2017, Wesley appeared in Tell Me a Story, Roswell, New Mexico, and Medal of Honor. He is set to star in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds as James T. Kirk. He also has a whiskey brand with Somerhalder called Brother’s Bond Bourbon.
