Actor Paul Wesley is crushing it as James T. Kirk in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, but even so, there's a community of fantasy fans out there still holding out hope to see him return to his former franchise. Those hopes were dashed recently when Wesley went viral explaining why he wouldn't return to The Vampire Diaries, noting that eight years on a show was long. CinemaBlend wondered if that same mindset translated to playing Kirk in Trek and got a passionate response from the actor about the differences between the two.
I had a chance to speak to Paul Wesley recently, and during our conversation, I brought up the fact that many Trek actors have reprised their roles throughout their lifetimes. As the heir apparent to playing James T. Kirk from this point on, I noted he could be called on to play him in other projects and questioned if he was up for that, given the comments he made about never returning to The Vampire Diaries. Wesley enthusiastically set the record straight on his original comments, with a bit of key context that better explained his response:
Man, I gotta tell you, I'm so annoyed because I was doing a little interview for InStyle, and they were like, ‘Hey would you want to do a reboot of Vampire?’ And I was just like, ‘No!’ I made a joke, ‘Hard pass, no I’m good,’ and everything. And it’s like every fucking news outlet picked it up! Like, dude, slow news day? My God. I obviously don’t want to do a reboot of Vampire Diaries for a million reasons. First of all, when I did that role, I was 26 years old, and vampires are not supposed to age. I can’t do a reboot for obvious reasons.
Paul Wesley won't return for any reboot of The Vampire Diaries, partly because he doesn't look the same as when he first played Stefan Salvatore. As he mentioned, vampires aren't supposed to age, and while I'd say he's aged gracefully since the show ended in 2017, he would not look the same as he did back then.
And while Paul Wesley doesn't see a future where he's back in The Vampire Diaries universe, he seems ready and willing to pop up in projects as James T. Kirk to entertain those with a Paramount+ subscription for as long as the ride will last. Wesley laid out the difference between the two franchises and why he sees a future in playing Kirk in a way he doesn't Stefan:
Star Trek is timeless. Vampire Diaries is not timeless. It existed in that time, and I think it was an amazing series, and I think it should stay in that [time]. [If] they want to do spinoffs? Great. I just think let’s leave it. Whereas Star Trek is like this show from the sixties that, in a way, invites reboots, invites spinoffs. There’s so much left to explore. There were only three seasons! Obviously, there’s been some films and stuff, but I think there’s just so much room for expansion. We had 22 episodes a year for eight years [on Vampire Diaries]. Big difference.
As a Star Trek fan, I'm beyond thrilled to hear Paul Wesley talk about the future he sees for his role beyond Strange New Worlds. I'm not nearly as big of a fan of The Vampire Diaries, but if I were, I think I would officially close the door on Wesley returning for any type of spinoff, reboot, or otherwise. The good news is there's a healthy library of episodes to revisit for those who miss him as Stefan.
Paul Wesley first joined Star Trek: Strange New Worlds in the Season 1 finale and has already shown up in one adventure of Season 2. To be clear, he's not the star of the show and looking to take over for Anson Mount's Pike as head of the Enterprise. He does seem very interested, however, in telling more stories with Kirk elsewhere, as he told CinemaBlend when talking about the Picard reference to his character. I'm certainly game to see him do that, as well as continue the storylines he's a part of in Strange New Worlds.
Catch new episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Thursdays on Paramount+. As for The Vampire Diaries, it's available for Max and Peacock subscribers looking to reminisce on the prime days of vampire-centric programming on television.
