Jason Momoa Could Have Played An Iconic Vampire Diaries Character

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Casting is an integral aspect to any TV show. Now, a treasure trove of casting intel has surfaced for fans of "The Vampire Diaries," courtesy of Entertainment Weekly executive editor Samantha Highfill and her book, "I Was Feeling Epic: An Oral History of The Vampire Diaries." 

As you'd assume from the title, the book contains some seriously interesting information about the making of The CW's eight-season vampire drama, with the secrets revealed rivaling some of the show's biggest onscreen twists. As luck would have it, the surprising discoveries she made include a number of casting revelations. The most mind-blowing concerns history teacher Alaric Saltzman, played by Matthew Davis. As Highfill found during her discussions with the show's casting directors, one of the actors who auditioned for the role was none other than Jason Momoa. 

Had Momoa appeared in the show it would have been almost directly after his four-season run as Ronon Dex, the resident gruff knife enthusiast of "Stargate: Atlantis." Perhaps the makers of "The Vampire Diaries" felt that Momoa's tenure as Dex made him the wrong choice to play Alaric at the time. Still, this turned out to be a decent scenario for everyone involved; Davis perfectly fit the role, and Momoa would eventually play charismatic Dothraki leader Khal Drogo in a little HBO show called "Game of Thrones" just two years later.

Jason Momoa was far from the only well-known name to almost play a fan-favorite "Vampire Diaries" character. Alaric Saltzman's role seems to have been a highly contested one because apart from Momoa, Joe Manganiello (who went on to play Alcide Herveaux on HBO's "True Blood") also auditioned to play the character.

For instance, central character Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) could very well have been played by "Gilmore Girls" star Matt Czuchry. Like Momoa's, Czuchry's career didn't hurt too much after he missed the role; In 2009, he started playing Cary Agos on "The Good Wife," and stayed throughout its seven-season duration. 

Perhaps the biggest potential name for a major "The Vampire Diaries" role was future Marvel Cinematic Universe star and Academy Award nominee Sebastian Stan. He would have been in consideration to play either Damon or Paul Wesley's Stefan Salvatore if it wasn't for the fact that he was attached to another show at the time — likely "Gossip Girl," where Stan played recurring character Carter Baizen. If that seems like a bad trade-off, it's worth keeping in mind that much like Momoa, Stan was only two years removed from his breakout role of Bucky Barnes in "Captain America: The First Avenger."