Vampire Diaries' Nina Dobrev Says She and Paul Wesley 'Despised Each Other' at First

Although Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley played lovers on The Vampire Diaries, they initially felt very differently about each other off-camera.

“Paul and I didn’t get along at the beginning of the show,” Dobrev — who played Elena Gilbert on the CW series from 2009-17 — said on the Directionally Challenged podcast, according to E! News.

“I respected Paul Wesley, I didn’t like Paul Wesley,” she said.

The two played love interests Elena Gilbert and Stefan Salvatore until, ultimately, Dobrev’s character chose Stefan’s brother Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder). She left the series early in 2015, but their characters had a happy ending in the series finale in March 2017.

While their on-camera chemistry had many viewers convinced that there was real-life love blossoming behind the scenes, Dobrev, 30, set the record straight.

“I remember everyone would walk up to me after the show aired and they’d be like, ‘Are you and Paul dating in real life?’ ” Dobrev told friends and podcast hosts Candice King and Kayla Ewell, who also starred on TVD. “Because everyone thought that we had such good chemistry.”

“And we despised each other so much, that it read as love,” Dobrev said with a laugh. “We really just didn’t get along the first maybe five months of shooting.”

But in the decade since the pair shot the pilot, they’ve come a long way — and have left the drama far in the past.

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“Maybe we had a moment where we actually connected, and he looked at me and he was like, ‘Ten years from now, when we’re not on this show, you’re gonna really miss me. You’re gonna miss these times; you’re look back, and this is gonna be the good old days. Well appreciate each other in 10 years,’ ” Dobrev said Wesley, 36, told her while shooting the pilot, according to Us Weekly.

“He was so f—— right. We ended up getting to a good place and it was fine. Of everyone, I think I probably see him the most and hang out with him the most. We’re probably the closest,” she shared. “We hang out a lot. We’re really good friends. I love his wife. It’s so funny how time changes everything because I never thought he would be one of my best friends.”

Dobrev, of course, did connect with Somerhalder, whom she quietly dated from 2010-2013. Somerhalder, 40, now shares one child with wife Nikki Reed, 31.

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Last year, the Dobrev and Wesley reunited when they ran into each other in New York City.

The actress shared a black and white selfie of herself and actor on Instagram, writing, “Excuse me sir, you look familiar. I feel like we’ve met before. Maybe in a past life?“

Dobrev shared the same photo in color on her Instagram Story with a few heart emojis.