Summary
WhenThe Vampire Diarieschanged Elena’s appearance from her original book incarnation, the show secretly gave away her eventual romantic fate.The Vampire Diariesran for eight seasons from 2009 to 2017, adapting LJ Smith’s paranormal romance novel series to the small screen. The series followed the story of Nina Dobrev’s Elena Gilbert, a small-town high school girl from Mystic Falls who discovers a world of paranormal intrigue when she encounters brothers Stefan and Damon Salvatore.The Vampire Diaries’ cast of charactersgrew larger as the series continued, but Dobrev’s Elena was the show’s original main character.
AfterThe Vampire Diariesseries finaleaired in 2017, the show was followed by the spinoffThe Originals.The Originalsthen spawned a spinoff of its own,Legacies, which ran from 2018 until 2022. Although both had solid fan bases, neither spinoff managed to replicate the popularity ofThe Vampire Diaries. Even theworst seasons ofThe Vampire Diariesdrew in a larger viewership than most ofLegacies, and this was likely because of the enduring popularity of the show’s heroine. However,The Vampire Diaries’ Elena wasn’t all that similar to her novel counterpart in appearance or attitude.
Elena’s Changed Appearance Foreshadowed Her Ending The Vampire Diaries With Damon
Elena’s Book Appearance Was Switched With Caroline
InThe Vampire Diariesbook series, Elena is a blonde, blue-eyed popular girl in school. This shapes her persona in the novels, with Elena acting like a confident, somewhat mean and self-centered figure before undergoing character development. Although both of them improve over time,Elena’s original book appearance and attitude mirrors Caroline’s persona inThe Vampire DiariesTV show. This secretly foreshadowed another major difference that the TV series made to its source material, as Elena and Caroline’s swapped characteristics don’t end with their personalities and looks. The duo also swapped partners, which adds up given their altered characters.
Elena ultimately chooses to be with Stefan in the books, but in the show, Caroline marries Stefan and Elena is with Damon.Elena and Caroline’s eventual romantic pairings were inadvertently spoiled by their new looks, since anyone familiar with the source novels could have guessed that Caroline’s show character owed some inspiration to Elena’s book incarnation. Although this was one of the majordifferences betweenThe Vampire Diariesshow and books, the book’s versions of Caroline and Elena still made it to the small screen. Elena’s popularity and self-centered attitude were simply transferred to Caroline, maintaining their appeal.
Why The Vampire Diaries Changed Elena’s Appearance From The Books
The Show’s Creators Cultivated A Relatable Girl Next Door Look
Although it was fun forThe Vampire Diariesto have a character as morally ambiguous as Caroline, the show’s creators wanted its heroine to be more relatable. As such, Elena’s blonde hair and blue eyes were jettisoned in favor of a classic “Girl next door” look, as executive producer Kevin Williamson described it. Dobrev toldSaturday Nightthat the show’s version of Elena was an “Average girl,” a far cry from the popular, stunning, somewhat self-involved heroine of the books. This gambit clearly worked as the series became a success and remains popular with viewers years afterThe Vampire Diariesended in 2017.
