8 Things You Didn’t Know About ‘The Originals’

The CW series known as The Originals was created as a spin-off from The Vampire Diaries. The show follows Klaus Mikaelson as he and his family travel to New Orleans and become embroiled in supernatural politics. The Originals premiered back in 2013 and is now onto its fourth season! Like it’s parent show, it has become an extremely popular show and developed a strong cult following, so here’s a look at 8 things you probably didn’t know about The Originals!

8. Rule About Killing Off Characters

Pretty much all new characters brought onto either The Originals or The Vampire Diaries are destined to be killed off at some point. There aren’t any surprises for the actors on either show, especially since Julie Plec has a rule that all the actors are given fair warning when their character may be headed for a fatal end. “We have a rule if you’re killing off a series regular, you have to tell them first. If you’re killing off a person temporarily, you have to warn them before the script comes out,” said Plec.

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7. CW’s First Successful Spin-Off

What many people probably don’t know is that not only is The Originals a huge success, it’s also paved the way for other shows on The CW. As the networks first successful spin-off show it laid the ground work for other potential spin-offs like The Flash.

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6. Old Friends

They might be enemies on-screen, but don’t be fooled! Aussie actresses Claire Holt and Phoebe Tonkin are actually close friends! The two girls met over 10 years ago when they were both cast in the Australian show H2O: Just Add Water which was about two mermaids with special powers. After working together for two years, they both moved to L.A. to star on American shows. Tonkin had a starring role in the short-lived series The Secret Circle and Holt was cast in The Vampire Diaries. The two reunited when Tonkin was given a minor role on TVD which of course, led to them both being cast in its spin-off, The Originals. These two are such good friends they even live next door to each other!

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5. Joseph Morgan and Charles Michael Davis Friendship

When Charles Michael Davis was hired to play the role of Marcel, Klaus’ enemy, it was perfect because these two already knew each other! They were in the same poker club many, many years ago. In an interview with TV Line, Davis was asked what it was like coming into the group as a newbie and he said: “Well, I knew Joseph. We used to play poker, so I knew going into it that [he] was enthusiastic and smart and talented.” Morgan joked that the two fell into their role as enemies easily because “there was a history to draw on of Charles taking my money week after week at the poker table.”

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4. This Character was Supposed to be Killed Off

Executive producer Julie Plec intended to kill Josh off at the end of season 1, but the writing team threatened to never forgive her if she let that happen, so she kept him on!

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3. Originally Supposed to be Set in Chicago

In an panel at PaleyFest back in 2014, the cast of The Originals revealed that the show was actually going to be set in Chicago. The plan was to move the show back there where they had already developed a story for Claire Holt’s vampire sister, Rebekah Mikaelson, from The Vampire Diaries. Unfortunately, they had to switch gears because they wanted to film in Atlanta, and the two cities don’t look anything alike. “Originally it was going to be set in Chicago, and it was going to be a whole different thing. Then it sort of evolved, as we talked about it,” said Joseph Morgan.

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2. How Charles Michael Davis Landed the Role

Charles Michael Davis now has a lead role as Marcel on The Originals, but it was a long process to get there! He revealed in an interview that he actually turned it down numerous times before he was hired. “I had auditioned for The Vampire Diaries many times. I’d say five or six times….A year passed by and I got hit up by the unit production manager on The Vampire Diaries, who worked on a pilot that I did five years ago. She said, ‘Hey, what are you up to?’ I said, ‘I’m about to work on Grey’s Anatomy. What are you doing?’ And she said, ‘I’m working on The Vampire Diaries.’ I said, ‘That’s crazy! I used to audition for them.’ Three days later, I got the audition and, as soon as I read the first few lines of the character’s entrance, I just knew,” he said.

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1. Fan Made Trailers

Actors often thank their fans for making it possible for them to do their job, but when Joseph Morgan thanks fans for his role on The Originals, he really means it! Before it was decided that a spin-off from The Vampire Diaries would actually happen, the fans were making trailers for The Originals and sharing them on the internet. “I think partly it’s down to the fans. Because there were fan-made trailers for The Originals before it was ever a reality for us. I watched and RT’d — I encouraged it. I was interested from the beginning,” said Morgan.