About this episodePaul Wesley discusses the upcoming 'You Deserve to Know' series with Nina Dobrev, explaining their decision to…AI summary
Paul Wesley discusses the upcoming 'You Deserve to Know' series with Nina Dobrev, explaining their decision to play friends rather than romantic partners to avoid direct comparison to their iconic 'Vampire Diaries' roles. He shares personal anecdotes about his Polish heritage, awkward dating history, and the origin of his stage name, while also detailing his engagement to Natalie and his role as young James Kirk in 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds'.
Key takeaways 5
Paul Wesley and Nina Dobrev deliberately chose a non-romantic dynamic for their new show 'You Deserve to Know' to prevent fans from comparing it to the 'Stefan and Elena' relationship from 'The Vampire Diaries'.
Wesley's stage name 'Paul Wesley' was an arbitrary choice made during early TV auditions because his Polish birth name, Paweł Wasilewski, was difficult for Americans to pronounce; he kept his legal name unchanged.
The 'Brothers Bond' bourbon brand was developed during the pandemic lockdown by Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder, who would blend batches in Ian's kitchen before sending them to a lab for analysis.
Wesley admits to being a 'grumpy pain in the ass' and intense during the early seasons of 'The Vampire Diaries', which contributed to initial friction with co-star Nina Dobrev before they became close friends.
Wesley's viral 'Madison Beer is a beer' moment was an accidental misunderstanding where he thought she was referring to a type of alcoholic beverage.
Notable quotes 5AI-generated: wording and quote attribution may be wrong. Use the play link to verify.
“We don't want to ruin it, but like have a comparison... we wanted to create a new dynamic so that we offered something new to the fans where we're still interacting on screen but it's in a different capacity.”
▶ 5:59Explaining why Paul Wesley and Nina Dobrev chose not to play romantic partners in their new show.
“I was like, 'I don't know, man. Vampire Diaries. Do I think we're going to get picked up?' He's like, 'Yeah, I think we're going to... It's gonna be a big deal. Mark my words.' And I was like, oh, contr. I was like, who speaks like that? But anyway, he was right.”
▶ 14:48Paul Wesley recalling Ian Somerhalder's confidence in their pilot before they even landed in Atlanta.
“I think this is a good one to answer... I somehow was like yeah I guess I am a StephO and somehow this became the greatest like now when I walk down the street I swear to God people aren't like hey Paul or like hey you know Stefan from the Vampire Diaries or whatever any other thing they're just like what's up Stephy.”
▶ 57:40Paul Wesley explaining how he accidentally embraced the 'Stephussy' nickname during a Q&A session.
“My first kiss was underwater... I had my goggles on... I don't know, maybe I was like 10 or something... none of her parents knew about it. It was really sweet.”
Paul Wesley describing his first kiss at age 10 in a public swimming pool.
“I took the daylight ring and then I lost it. ... Ian still has Paul. I took a pair of jeans. They still have Stefan on them. They had them engraved.”
▶ 1:08:52Paul Wesley revealing he kept Stefan's daylight ring and jeans with 'Stefan' engraved inside the waistband.
Chapters & Sections (38)▼
0:03Vampire Diaries Legacy and New Showchapter2
2:12Paul Wesley and Nahnahkha Khan Collaboration Journey
3:49Knicks Game Visit and Character Dynamics
6:47First Kisses and Awkward Dating Storieschapter2
8:11Awkward First Kisses and Dating Fails
9:45Awkward Rejection and Teen Clubbing
11:41High School Rejection and Viral Madison Beer Momentchapter1
14:33Viral Madison Beer Misunderstanding
17:00Paul Wesley's Polish Heritage and Stage Namechapter1
18:26Polish Heritage and Name Change Story
22:14Jersey Shore Past and The OC Rolechapter1
24:08Paul Wesley's Jersey Shore Days and OC Role
26:34Early Acting Career and West Village Lifechapter1
27:57Britney Morgan's First Kiss and Set Anecdotes
30:39Paul Wesley Ian Somerhalder Friendship Evolutionchapter2
32:17Ian Somerhalder's Personality and First Meeting
33:36Pilot Day Optimism and Bonding
35:50Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder's Friendship and Bourbon Brandchapter1
37:43Origin Story of Brothers Bond Bourbon
41:15Paul Wesley's Drinking Habits and Q&A Originschapter2
42:25Origin of Paul Wesley's Q&A Content
44:21Paul Wesley's Frustration With Ian Somerhalder
46:17Paul's Sleep Routine and Fan Encounterschapter1
48:26Creepy Fan Perm Bowl Incident
51:03Love Island Clam Slam and Halloween Costumeschapter1
52:46Paul Wesley Halloween Costume Story
56:07Defining Stephussy and On-Set Dynamicschapter1
58:19Defining Stephussy and On-Set Dynamics
1:00:30On-Set Chemistry and Fame Discomfortchapter
1:05:24Stefan Elena Relationship and Set Memorieschapter1
1:07:50Stefan's Creepy Stalking and Lost Props
1:09:54Matt Donovan Plot Holes and Romance Storychapter3
1:11:36Vampire Diaries Rewatch and Engagement Story
1:13:19Paul Wesley's First Meeting with Natalie
1:15:04Paul's Romantic Proposal Story
1:17:08Star Trek Strange New Worlds and Career Evolutionchapter2
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