Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, the stars of the hit show "The Vampire Diaries," have revealed that they developed "insane anxiety" while filming certain scenes on the show. The reason? Too much caffeine.
According to Somerhalder, he and Wesley drank so much tea while filming that they had the "most insane anxiety issues." The two actors were required to consume a lot of caffeine during certain scenes in order to achieve a heightened state of alertness and energy.
"It was actually kind of crazy," said Somerhalder. "We were drinking so much tea that we started getting these insane anxiety issues. It got to the point where we had to switch over to decaf just so we could function properly."
Wesley echoed his co-star's sentiments, saying that they would often have multiple cups of tea per scene in order to maintain their energy levels.
"It was definitely challenging at times," said Wesley. "But we wanted to make sure we gave our best performances for our fans."
Despite the challenges posed by excessive caffeine consumption, both actors look back fondly on their time on "The Vampire Diaries." The show ran for eight seasons from 2009-2017 and has become a cult classic among fans of the supernatural genre.
Somerhalder has since gone on to star in other popular shows such as Netflix's "V Wars," while Wesley has made appearances in shows like CBS' "Tell Me a Story" and starred in films like 2020's "Cloud 9."
While their days on set may be behind them, it seems unlikely that either actor will forget their experiences with excessive caffeine anytime soon.