Paul Wesley on How 'Vampire Diaries' Fans Still Show Up for Them — Sometimes to the Point Police Are Involved

Wesley and his former onscreen brother reflect on their show's legacy and the strength of their bond over the years as Ian Somerhalder jokes, "We're too tired to be competitive now — we're too old"

By
Skyler Caruso
Skyler Caruso
Skyler Caruso
Skyler Caruso is a Writer and Reporter of PEOPLE Digital Entertainment. She joined PEOPLE in 2021, but has eight years of experience working in digital publishing with a focus on entertainment and pop culture news.
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Published on August 25, 2022 11:31AM EDT
Paul Wesley & Ian Somerhalder attend Tennis Channel and Brother’s Bond Bourbon Pre-US Open Kick Off Event
Photo: Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock for Tennis Channel

Five years may have passed since The Vampire Diaries wrapped, but stars Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder are happily keeping the spirit of the show alive.

Somerhalder and Wesley, who played The CW drama's vampire siblings Damon and Stefan Salvatore, chatted with PEOPLE exclusively about keeping the legacy of the franchise going all these years later — not that there's been much of a dip in fan enthusiasm since 2017.

In fact, the Brother's Bond Bourbon co-founders shared that they visited a local liquor store in New York City on Tuesday as part of a US Open tennis tournament kick-off party in partnership with the Tennis Channel and, according to Wesley, "the police came and had to shut it down because so many people showed up."

Wesley, 40, said the scene was "chaos" but clarified, "I'm not saying that to show off. I'm saying that because I guess the show still lives on in so many ways, people are rediscovering it [every day]."

Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder
The CW Network, LLC
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TVD ran for eight seasons, but its universe expanded thanks to spin-offs like The Originals and Legacies. In June, it was announced that the latter has been canceled after four seasons, officially marking an end to TVD franchise.

Still, the actors–turned–entrepreneurs remain optimistic about the legacy of the franchise. In fact, Somerhalder emphasized that their brand is symbolically a reflection of TVD.

"It's creating another level of nostalgia and connection based around the story, the [intellectual property] and the brotherhood that we had on this show," the actor, 43, tells PEOPLE. "This is the distillation of that story and that brotherhood and that experience."

Wesley chimes in, "For me, Brother's Bond Bourbon is what the brothers drank on the show."

Paul Wesley & Ian Somerhalder attend Tennis Channel and Brother’s Bond Bourbon Pre-US Open Kick Off Event
Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock for Tennis Channel
Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder on Friendship and Their Bourbon: It's a 'Brotherhood'

While the former costars managed to carry their mega fanbase over from on screen to off, they also successfully relayed their "brotherly" bond over into real life.

Though the fictional brothers were known for their competitiveness throughout the show's eight seasons, the actors stressed that sibling rivalry is non existent in reality. "We're too tired to be competitive now," jokes Wesley. "We're too old."

In fact, their relationship is actually quite the opposite. "When you're stuck together at the hip, you have no choice but to bond over f---ing everything," Somerhalder says with a laugh.