“There wasn’t anything very passionate…”: Ian Somerhalder’s Blunt Confession About Damon and Elena’s Most Misunderstood ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Scene

The Vampire Diaries’ Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert are some of the most beloved on-screen couples and even though the show ended in 2017, fans cannot stop gushing over the two. Actor Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev portrayed the characters on-screen, respectively. Dobrev, however, exited in 2015 after six seasons but returned as a guest star in the series finale.

The CW show developed by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec is based on the book series of the same name written by L.J. Smith. Upon release, the show received positive comments for its storyline, characters, and performances of the actors. Ian Somerhalder clarified one misunderstood scene between Damon and Elena, bringing the fans to reality.

The Vampire Diaries actor Ian Somerhalder talks about the ‘passionate’ kiss between Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert

Actor Ian Somerhalder is one of the most influential actors in the industry and is widely known for portraying Damon Salvatore in The Vampire Diaries. He has been highly appreciated for his work on the show, and it’s been said that the actor and the character he plays have fascinated fans across the world. Somerhalder’s on-screen pairing with Nina Dobrev, who portrayed Elena Gilbert on-screen.

The relationship between Damon and Elena is complicated; they started on antagonistic terms but eventually became endgame. It became very interesting for the audience to see their relationship grow over the seasons from being allies to friends to best friends, and ultimately lovers. Their relationship has been defined as ‘passionate’ that consumes them, and fans labeled their first kiss as ‘passionate.’. But the actor does not think that way.

In an interview with Collider, Ian Somerhalder was asked about the first kiss between Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert in the season two finale. To which he said,

I keep hearing about this ‘passionate kiss.’. I don’t know if anyone saw, but he was also pale white, sweating profusely, and bleeding. There wasn’t anything very passionate about it, so I don’t know how much I would read into that, although I do know that he remembers it.

The actor continued that Damon keeps mentioning it to her, adding that Elena keeps getting things from Damon, which she doesn’t get from Stefan. Somerhalder explains that even though Damon killed Elena’s brother and basically destroyed her life, he manages to make her smile.

The actor noted that he is not happy about the situation, but he loves and has to protect the girl.

Ian Somerhalder touches upon Bonnie and Damon’s pairing in The Vampire Diaries

The actor was asked about fans wanting to see Bonnie and Damon as a couple because in books the two were romantically involved. Ian Somerhalder shared that sleeping with a witch would have probably been pretty interesting for Damon Salvatore. He added further,

Damon and Bonnie really are, in ways, cut from very similar clothes. Damon and Bonnie have a cool dynamic. They’re pretty fun together. I remember shooting that scene where they’re dancing together, and I remember saying, ‘Wow, that really works!’

Somerhalder mentioned that it’s like a thing where you hate someone and then you fall for them, but with Damon, he is so wrapped up in Elena. He joked that someone could imagine Jeremy Gilbert coming after Damon Salvatore, being like, ‘Stay away from my girlfriend!’ and banging on his chest, and the vampire’s just sitting there telling him that they hooked up once.

The actor also mentioned that maintaining Damon Salvatore’s edge is something that he and Kevin Williamson talked about. He added that it’s difficult because people need him to be this hero, but he is ultimately not going to know how to do that. Somerhalder shared that Damon is going to slip up all the time and kill people, either by accident or intentionally.

The Vampire Diaries is available to watch on Netflix, Peacock, and Prime Video.