Ian Somerhalder Reflects On Seven Seasons Of ‘The Vampire Diaries,’ Did He Reveal Season 8 Will Be The Last?

The Vampire Diaries is getting ready to enter the final part of its seventh season on The CW. While Ian Somerhalder is already looking forward to what’s ahead, he recently took some time to reflect on his experience with the show. With an eighth season now confirmed, is Somerhalder preparing himself for the end?

In an interview with E! Online, the Vampire Diaries star admitted that he recently thought back on all the time he has spent on the series. Somerhalder stated that he was amazed at how long the series has endured.

“I looked at myself in the mirror and I said god, man, 154 episodes, seven years of your life you’ve navigated through this, wow,” Somerhalder said. “It was just a quick moment of reflection.”

Despite his moment of reflection, Somerhalder stated that he didn’t let it last long. In fact, Somerhalder is determined to give the next season his best and hopes that the series returns to its simpler days.

“The reason I’m not reflecting going back is that I’m staring down the barrel of another season and I really want to make sure that we get to go back to the basics,” he stated. “What made people fall in love with this story was its characters, not 40 of them, like eight of them, six of them—this core group of actors, of characters that really move you.”

As fans are well aware, rumors of a potential cancellation have loomed over the show ever since Nina Dobrev announced her departure at the end of Season 6. However, the series has managed to keep going despite losing one of its main characters.

That being said, Ian Somerhalder added that he isn’t sure if the series will go beyond the eighth season. Whatever ends up happening, Somerhalder assured fans that the upcoming season will draw them even closer to the characters they have grown up to love.

“We don’t know where that’s going to go but leaving the audience with the fact that by that time they will have spent eight years of their life with these people, I want the audience to feel closer, more afraid, more in love, more in tune with these characters than they ever have been,” he explained.

At this time, it isn’t known what the future will hold for the beloved series. As far as creator Julie Plec is concerned, the fate of the show rests firmly in the hands of its two main stars: Somerhalder and Paul Wesley.

In speaking to E! Online last January, Plec revealed that she would continue writing for the series as long as Somerhalder and Wesley are still on board. However, whenever they decide enough is enough, Plec is willing to follow their wishes and craft an epic ending for the series.

“I basically committed to Ian and Paul that when they’re ready to be done, I’ll be done. They could be ready very soon, or they could really want to stick it out. Right now, that’s up to them,” she stated. “I’m with them as long as I feel like I can keep telling stories for them.”

As far as Somerhalder is concerned, there are some hints that the actor is ready to venture out into other areas of business. In fact, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Somerhalder is currently investing heavily in the tech field. Although this isn’t a definitive sign that the actor is ready to depart from the show, it does indicate that Somerhalder is looking ahead to his life after the series has ended.

The Vampire Diaries’ seventh season continues Friday nights on The CW.

Tell us! Do you want Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley to end The Vampire Diaries after Season 8? Let us know in the comments below.

[Image via The CW]