‘The Vampire Diaries’ Season 1 Blood Was Made From Hershey’s Chocolate: ‘It Was Horrible’
CW’s The Vampire Diaries ran from 2009 and 2017 More recently, the cast of the show talked about their experience filming. The fake blood in the series came a long way since the beginning, as season 1 of the series utilized Hershey’s chocolate for the blood. Here’s what the cast said about it.
Ian Somerhalder talked about the various types of fake blood in ‘The Vampire Diaries’
Ian Somerhalder played Damon Salvatore in The Vampire Diaries and talked extensively about his experience on the show. He and Paul Wesley, who played Stefan, infamously drank iced tea on set to make it look like they were drinking bourbon on the show.
“So, the first season I couldn’t sleep,” Wesley said about the iced tea. “I was jittery; I thought I was nervous. Turns out I was just consuming so much caffeine. So season 2 we switched it out to decaffeinated iced tea.”
As for the blood on the show, Somerhalder noted the special effects artists used five types of fake blood in total. During the “Welcome to Mystic Falls” Convention in Paris, he spoke to a crowd about the blood.
“For close-ups, there’s this stuff that’s pure — it’s organic — cherry extract juice,” he explained, according to a recording posted to YouTube. “You look like you actually like it because you’re so excited to be drinking it, when in all actuality, every cell in your body thrums in protest.” Somerhalder then noted production used dyed corn syrup for dripping blood. The special effects team also used smoothies.
The blood in ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Season 1 was made with Hershey’s chocolate
The Vampire Diaries cast discussed fake blood during a 2022 Comic Con panel. Kayla Ewell, who played Vicki Donovan, said the blood used during the blood bath in season 1 was made from Hershey’s chocolate.
“When Vicki turned into a vampire and all of that, it was half Hershey’s chocolate and half water, and it was just extremely sweet,” Ewell said. “And it was sweet, and you have to hold it in your mouth, and hold it and hold it until it’s supposed to come out. You would think chocolate would be amazing — it was terrible. It was horrible.”
“It was season 1 — they were still learning,” Ewell added.
Candice King, who played Caroline Forbes, also weighed in on the fake blood. She talked about when the fake blood was made from “raspberry Naked smoothie drink. That was blood for a little bit.”
The special effects artist talked about making ‘gallons’ of blood at a time
Conor McCullagh, the special effects and makeup artist who worked on The Vampire Diaries, also talked about creating the fake blood and teeth for the actors.
“The blood I use, I make myself,” McCullagh explained via Instagram. “It’s edible corn syrup-based blood,” he explained. “I add food coloring, some salt as a preservative, and some peppermint extract to make it a little more palatable. I usually make a few gallons at a time. And on a show like this, it last two to three months.”
For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.
