‘The Vampire Diaries’: Paul Wesley’s Face is Being Used Illegally
Paul Wesley became an international sensation while playing the role of the brooding vampire, Stefan Salvatore on The Vampire Diaries. The show aired on The CW for 171 episodes over eight seasons, with Wesley in one of the co-leading roles. The actor stopped by The Kelly Clarkson Show to talk about his current project, Tell Me a Story, which fans can find on CBS All Access. While on Clarkson’s couch, the actor dropped a few other fascinating tidbits.
Paul Wesley cries foul
Wesley’s distinctive jawline caught the attention of a costume company, which decided to use his image for marketing purposes. In his interview with Clarkson, the star revealed that his face was being used without his permission to sell costumes. The particular online retailer utilized photo editing software to place the actor’s head on the bodies of various costume models.
Wesley shared the photos, which included a clown costume, a warrior costume, and a doctor costume, with The Kelly Clarkson Show. Undoubtedly the company aimed to leverage Wesley’s worldwide fame to boost sales.
“Somebody took my face, and they put them — illegally — on Halloween costumes, and they’re selling them all over the world, okay, without my knowledge or consent,” Wesley stated.
“I’m just saying, you are way cooler than us,” Clarkson joked, “because nobody’s ever tried that with us!”
Wesley noted that his lawyer contacted the company about the illegal use of the actor’s image. The company acknowledged a “similarity between the face and Paul Wesley,” to which Wesley retorted, “That’s my face!”
Wesley dishes on ‘Tell Me a Story’
Wesley went on to talk about his new project, Tell Me a Story, which puts a modern spin on fairytales. This season, the series adds a thrilling twist to the classic tale of ‘Sleeping Beauty.’
Danielle Campbell of The Originals, the first spin-off series of The Vampire Diaries, also stars in the show. The series creator, Kevin Williamson, who is the famed writer of Scream, brings his unique brand of spookiness to Tell Me a Story
While Wesley’s new series takes cues from fairytales, the actor shares that he was raised with little influence from popular children’s stories.
“I didn’t — like — grow up with the classic American fairytales because I was raised in a very Polish household.” Wesley said.
He recalled that his grandparents would make up their own original scary stories. He went on to explain, “They made up a fairytale about a kid who only ate pierogi and turned into a pierogi.”
With that in mind, the actor attempted to teach Clarkson and her other guest, Lilly Singh, a Polish phrase. In the spirit of his newest storyline, he taught them how to say “Sleeping Beauty.” Singh took to the language naturally, and Clarkson made a few attempts before nailing it as well.
Wesley leaves fans wanting more
On a previous episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, Wesley’s friend and former The Vampire Diaries co-star Ian Somerhalder teased a new venture between the on-screen brothers. Somerhalder shared that the duo is developing a brand of bourbon for whiskey-lovers and The Vampire Diaries fans alike. Alas, Wesley, kept mum about the project during his interview with Clarkson. With any luck, Wesley and Somerhalder will announce the details of their new spirit soon.
Read more: ‘The Vampire Diaries’: Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley have teamed up again
