Ian Somerhalder Rants About ‘The Originals,' Reveals His Fears Over 'The Vampire Diaries' Spin-Off

Actor Ian Somerhalder went on a seemingly emotional tirade during an interview with Digital Spy this week when he said he was upset over the CW network’s new series “The Originals,” a spin-off of his longtime CW show, “The Vampire Diaries.”

While the 34-year-old actor, who has starred on the program since 2009, said he is happy for the producers on his show, who are also working on the spin-off, he is upset over its exitence. "I'm excited for Julie [Plec], and for Joseph and all my people, but I'm a selfish actor. I'm not a producer on the show, I'm not a writer. My only concern is Damon, and my show,” Somerhalder said. “I'm insanely happy for everyone, but I'm not thrilled.”

The actor said his anger stems from his fear that core characters from “The Vampire Diaries” may be transferred to the new series.(Recurring characters played by actors Joseph Morgan, Daniel Gillies, and Claire Holt have already made the switch). “They're going to be taking these characters that mean so much to our show,” Somerhalder said. “I just don't want to lose all these amazing actors on our show."

While a spin-off means new characters on “The Vampire Diaries,” Somerhalder said he doesn’t believe there is enough attractive talent in the entertainment industry to fill all the roles on the show. “Who are the other people who are gonna be coming on the show? Are they gonna be good? Because it's The CW, and everyone has to be pretty, and there aren't a lot of pretty people that can act well,” he said. “I'm not joking! I'm one of them that can act well. Not to sound s--tty about it, but casting is always tough.”

Somerhalder may have expressed his discontent over the spin-off publicly, but one star of “The Originals” has already praised the producer’s work on the new series. Morgan, who plays “Klaus,” the tyrannical brother of the original vampire family, shared his excitement on Twitter Wednesday regarding the program. “This show is so cinematic… Killing it here on #TheOriginals,” he said, also calling the show “genius.”

“The Originals” is scheduled to premiere on Tuesday, Oct. 15. The season five premiere of “The Vampire Diaries” airs on the CW Thursday, Oct. 17.