It was 2013. The CW was riding high on the peak of the vampire craze, but things were starting to feel a bit stale in Mystic Falls. Then came the backdoor pilot. Suddenly, we weren't just looking at high school drama anymore; we were looking at New Orleans, ancient blood feuds, and a family that redefined the word "toxic." Looking back at the cast of the originals season 1, it's wild to see how perfectly they captured lightning in a bottle. This wasn't just a spin-off. It was a Shakespearean tragedy dressed up in leather jackets and Bourbon Street grit.
Joseph Morgan didn't just play Klaus Mikaelson; he inhabited him. Honestly, if you try to imagine anyone else delivering those frantic, teary-eyed monologues about loyalty and betrayal, you can’t. He brought a specific brand of erratic vulnerability that made you hate him and want to give him a hug at the exact same time. That’s a hard line to walk. Most actors would have played Klaus as a one-note villain, but Morgan gave us a man who was essentially a scared child with the power of a god.
The siblings who anchored the chaos
Then you have Daniel Gillies as Elijah. If Klaus was the storm, Elijah was the unnerving calm. Gillies played the role with this stiff-collared elegance that made his sudden bursts of violence even more shocking. You’d see him meticulously folding his pocket square one minute and ripping out a heart the next without breaking a sweat. It’s that contrast. That’s what made the dynamic work.
Claire Holt’s Rebekah Mikaelson was the soul of the first season. People forget how much of the emotional heavy lifting she did early on. She wanted a human life so badly it physically hurt to watch. When she eventually left mid-season (a move that shocked everyone at the time), the show felt her absence immediately. It shifted the gravity of the whole production.
- Joseph Morgan (Klaus): The paranoid hybrid king.
- Daniel Gillies (Elijah): The brother who chose loyalty over his own happiness.
- Claire Holt (Rebekah): The sister who just wanted to be loved.
But it wasn't just the Mikaelsons. You had Phoebe Tonkin as Hayley Marshall. She started as a character many The Vampire Diaries fans actually disliked—let’s be real, that wolf-girl-meets-Klaus plot was divisive. But by the time the pilot for The Originals aired, Tonkin transformed Hayley into a fierce protector. She wasn't a damsel. She was a mother-to-be in a city that wanted her dead. Her chemistry with Gillies? Electric. It’s the kind of "slow burn" that keeps Tumblr accounts active for decades.
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The New Orleans power players
You can’t talk about the cast of the originals season 1 without mentioning Charles Michael Davis. As Marcel Gerard, he had the impossible task of going toe-to-toe with Joseph Morgan. Marcel wasn't just a vampire; he was a rockstar. He had a smile that could light up the French Quarter and a ruthlessness that kept every other supernatural creature in line. Davis brought a charisma that made you actually understand why the vampires of New Orleans would follow him instead of the Original family. He felt like a "new money" king facing off against the "old money" aristocracy.
The witches were the secret weapon of the season.
Danielle Campbell was only about 18 when the show started, but as Davina Claire, she had to play someone with the power of four witches coursing through her veins. She was the weapon in the attic. Her relationship with Marcel was one of the few pure things in a show filled with backstabbing. It was a father-daughter bond that gave the show its stakes. If Davina died, Marcel lost his heart. If Davina lived, the witches stayed oppressed.
The human element in a world of monsters
Leah Pipes had perhaps the hardest job of all. As Cami O'Connell, she was the human "brave bartender" who also happened to be a psychology student. Usually, the human characters in these shows are just there to be kidnapped or fed upon. Not Cami. Pipes played her with a sharp intellect. She was the only one who could look Klaus in the eye and tell him he was a coward to his face. She served as the audience's moral compass in a world where morality was a suggestion at best.
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Then there was Steven Krueger as Josh Rosza. Josh was supposed to be a "redshirt." You know, the guy who dies in episode three to show how dangerous the villain is. But Krueger was so likable, so funny, and so genuinely normal that the writers kept him around. His friendship with Davina became the emotional backbone of the series. It was the only friendship that didn't feel like it had an ulterior motive.
Why this specific ensemble worked where others failed
Most spin-offs fail because they try to recreate the original. This cast didn't do that. They leaned into the "Adult" of it all. While The Vampire Diaries was about high school and triangles, The Originals season 1 was about legacy. It was about what we owe our parents and how we ruin our children.
The chemistry between Yusuf Gatewood (who joined later in the season as Vincent/Finn) and the rest of the group was a masterclass in shifting dynamics. Even the recurring actors, like Sebastian Roché as the terrifying Mikael, brought a weight to the screen. When Roché showed up, you felt the temperature in the room drop. That’s not just good writing; that’s an actor knowing exactly how to play a boogeyman.
- The New Orleans Setting: The city felt like a character itself, and the cast leaned into that moody, jazz-infused atmosphere.
- The Age Gap: Unlike other CW shows, these actors played characters who were centuries old. They had to carry themselves with a weary weight.
- The Conflict: It wasn't about "who will the girl choose?" It was "who will survive the night?"
The stakes felt real because the performances were grounded. Even when they were talking about magic rings or werewolf curses, they spoke with the gravity of a war room.
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The lasting legacy of the season 1 lineup
The cast of the originals season 1 set a bar that the show struggled to hit again in later years once the cast started rotating more frequently. There was a specific tension in that first year. The war between the vampires, the witches, and the wolves felt claustrophobic and dangerous.
Klaus’s obsession with his "heir" gave the season a ticking clock. Every actor in the room knew their role in that puzzle. Even Daniella Pineda as Sophie Deveraux brought a desperate, frantic energy to the witch faction that made you realize just how high the price of magic was in New Orleans. She wasn't a villain; she was a woman out of options.
It’s easy to dismiss teen dramas or supernatural soaps. But if you actually watch the performances in season 1—specifically the "Farewell to Storyville" episode—you see acting that rivals prestige cable dramas. The scene where Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah are trapped in the cemetery is basically a three-person play. It’s raw. It’s ugly. It’s some of the best work Joseph Morgan has ever done.
Actionable insights for fans and rewatchers
If you’re planning a rewatch or diving in for the first time, keep these things in mind to get the most out of the experience:
- Watch the eyes: Joseph Morgan does more with a subtle eye twitch than most actors do with a three-page monologue. His "Klaus-isms" are peak character acting.
- Track the power shifts: Notice how Marcel’s posture changes depending on whether he’s in his compound or in the Mikaelson mansion. Charles Michael Davis uses physical acting to show who really owns the room.
- Listen to the score: Michael Suby’s music for season 1 is deeply tied to the specific characters. The cello themes for Elijah vs. the more frantic strings for Klaus help define their personalities.
- Check out the "Pilot" vs. "The Originals" episode: Compare the backdoor pilot from TVD Season 4, Episode 20, to the actual Series Premiere. You can see how the actors refined their characters once they knew they had their own show.
The cast of the originals season 1 didn't just play roles; they built a mythology that is still being discussed in fan circles today. They took a gamble on a spin-off and turned it into a gothic masterpiece that arguably outshone its predecessor. If you haven't revisited the French Quarter lately, it’s time to go back. The King of New Orleans is waiting.