Overview

• In Samantha Highfill’s I Was Feeling Epic, Dobrev says she left after six seasons because her pay never matched Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder.
• She recalls that her contract covered Elena only, even as she also played Katherine, which she says doubled her workload.
• Highfill reports Dobrev secured raises during the run yet did not reach pay parity with her male co-leads.
• Julie Plec says negotiations grew “really heated,” and writers were told not to include Katherine because paying for both roles would increase costs.
• Dobrev returned for the March 2017 finale after fresh negotiations, saying the initial offer was five times lower than her previous pay until Plec intervened.