Nina Dobrev<\/a> has revealed her struggle for equal pay on The Vampire Diaries.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Nina Dobrev had a real struggle for equal pay on The Vampire Diaries<\/p>\n
The 36-year-old actress – who starred alongside Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder in the first six seasons of the supernatural teen drama – has recalled the arguments she faced as she was being paid less than her male castmates, despite playing but Elena Gilbert and Katherine Pierce on the show.<\/p>\n
In Samantha Highfill’s new book I Was Feeling Epic: An Oral History of The Vampire Diarie, Nina said: “Candice [King], Kat [Graham], and I were the three lowest-paid series regulars in the first two seasons.<\/p>\n
“It was a bit of a tricky situation because my contract only said to play Elena, but I was playing multiple characters, which doubled my workload.”<\/p>\n
She alleged despite having a more demanding schedule thanks to playing doppelg\u00e4nger versions of Elena, she wasn’t compensation fairly in comparison to her co-stars.<\/p>\n
\nShe added: “I had to be on set for double the amount of time, I had to memorise double the amount of lines.<\/p>\n
\n“I wanted to play Katherine, but I wanted to be compensated fairly for that, and I wanted to be an equal to the boys.”<\/p>\n
\nAfter pleading her case, she has alleged the studio actually asked wrtiers to stop writing for Katherine to avoid having to pay more.<\/p>\n
\nShe recalled: “I remember feeling like the studio didn\u2019t appreciate what I was bringing to the show, and it felt like they were saying that all the hard work I was putting into it didn\u2019t matter to them and that I wasn\u2019t an equal to my male counterparts, and so that was upsetting to me.”<\/p>\n
\nShe later returned for the eighth and final season, but the offer was “five times less” than what she was paid in season six.<\/p>\n
\nShe said: “I needed to be paid parity to the boys. I had to put my foot down and say if it didn’t happen I wouldn’t be able to come back.<\/p>\n
\n“And it wasn’t about the money \u2014 I didn’t give a s*** about the money at all \u2014 it was the principle.”<\/p>\n
\nNina argued she was concerned less by the “actual dollar amount”, and more by getting equal pay, and when that happened, she “politely declined the offer”.<\/p>\n
\nCo-creator and showrunner Julie Plec backed her, with the studio agreeing to bring her back at her asking rate, but for just one episode instead of the entire run.<\/p>\n
\nWhile she “wanted to be part of the goodbye”, Nina added: “It was heartbreaking that the artistry had to suffer because of this.”<\/p>\n
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