‘Vampire Diaries’: Paul Wesley on the series finale scene that made him ‘strangely emotional’

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You know a script is impactful when it makes Paul Wesley cry.

The Vampire Diaries star, known for playing Stefan Salvatore on the CW show, is the first to admit that he’s not overly sentimental when it comes to the show. But sitting on a plane, Wesley read the series finale script for the first time and teared up. He then took a photo of said tear and sent it to show creators Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson (a photo he says should never see the light of day). “I wanted them to see that Paul Wesley could actually formulate tears in his personal life and not just on screen,” Wesley tells EW before adding, “I thought how it ended was powerful.”

And when it came time to actually film the show’s final hour, the actor once again found himself getting emotional. “It’s this very interesting melancholy,” Wesley says of the vibe on set during the finale. “I did Stefan’s final scene with Elena. It was strangely emotional for me. You’re saying goodbye to this time and this moment. The two of us are never going to be playing these characters ever again, and these were really important characters in television for eight years. That’s emotional.”

The Vampire Diaries airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.