'The Vampire Diaries' Ian Somerhalder recalls disappointment with Damon role

Ian Somerhalder has revealed that he wanted to step back from The Vampire Diaries after season 3.

In a recently released book, I Was Feeling Epic: An Oral History of The Vampire Diaries, he candidly discussed the reason behind his decision to quit the series.

Recalling when his on-screen character Damon Salvatore grew closer to Nina Dobrev’s Elena Gilbert in season 3, the Hollywood actor began, "I was so upset about the trajectory of Damon, so much.”

Sharing his conversation with the writer, Julie Plec, Somerhalder continued, “At one point I was sitting across from Julie [Plec, the show's creator] in her office in Atlanta almost in tears — actually, my eyes were quite misty — and asked out of the show.”

"I was so angry about it. I wanted off. Because I saw the writing on the wall. Damon was heading toward the love-interest role. I’ve got a lot of this heat because of this show,

"I was like, ‘S***, I’m in my early thirties, I’m sure I could go find something that’s really cool and dark and edgy'. I was like, ‘They’re going to turn me into a sappy character,'" he confessed.

Revealing the reason for not leaving the series, Ian Somerhalder  concluded, "Julie was like, ‘You’re not leaving the show. First of all, you’re one of the stars and one of the parts of the beating heart of the show; and two, you signed a six-year contract, so that’s not happening; and three, don’t worry, there has to be layers.'"

The Vampire Diaries aired for eight seasons, from September 10, 2009, to March 10, 2017, concluding its run with a total run of 171 episodes.