'The Vampire Diaries' stars Kat Graham and Ian Somerhalder hated each other at first

Chelsea Huang
Updated ·2 min read



By CHELSEA HUANG

"The Vampire Diaries" is more about sucking blood, but according to star Kat Graham, during the first series of the hit CW show, there was actually some bad blood between her and another star.

"Ian and I used to not like each other at all. We hated each other first season," Graham shared in an exclusive interview with AOL. "Now he's my best friend in the cast. He's the person I can say in 30 years will be one of my closest friends."

As for the reason behind the personality clash, Graham explained it was all about maturity.

"We wanted to kill each other, but I was a kid and we were both very strong people. I was still finding myself, and throughout the years, he's helped me find myself and is now one of my greatest inspirations."

Perhaps her friendship with Somerhalder, who is currently dating actress Nikki Reed, has grown purely because they get more screen time together -- and the writing has in some cases hindered other relationships.

"One person I've actually known for 10 years is Michael Trevino, and he's someone I wish after six seasons I had more time with. But it's also how they're writing. If I'm doing more scenes with one person, I might be closer with them."

Graham's character Bonnie has certainly been a hot commodity this season, but that doesn't mean she's not reserving time for her other hobbies. Graham recently surprised visitors in small-town Bland, MO with Pizza Hut to support their new "Flavor of Now" initiative to bring healthy, affordable -- and pretty much endless -- pizza combinations to local communities.

The talented 25-year-old also has a successful music career underway, with a new single to be dropped this February. Despite all the hustle and bustle, there's one thread that ties it all together, and makes it all worth it.

"I'm learning about the balance, and I'm learning about the kind of person I want to be," Graham shared. "As long as I'm connecting with people with 'Vampire Diaries' or music -- that is the balance. Connecting to people is what creates that balance. "