TV Romance
‘The Vampire Diaries’: Kat Graham Pushed for a Bonnie & Liv Romance
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for The Vampire Diaries, specifically related to Bonnie Bennett’s romances.]
You won’t find many LGBTQ+ characters or relationships in The Vampire Diaries, but it wasn’t for lack of trying on Kat Graham‘s part.
Like most of the main characters in The CW’s supernatural drama, Graham’s Bonnie Bennett had a few love interests over the course of its eight seasons, though the most significant were Jeremy Gilbert (Steven R. McQueen) and Enzo St. John (Michael Malarkey). Ultimately, Enzo proved to be the witch’s endgame of sorts, even though he died. (When we see Bonnie move on with her life in the series finale, the vampire’s spirit watches over her, even though she can’t see him.)
Fans have had plenty to say about Bonnie’s relationships over the years, mostly pointing out the missed opportunities. After they went from enemies to close friends in Season 6, some think that Bonnie and Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) should have gotten together. Others wish that the show had made Bonnie bisexual and given her a female love interest.
Graham herself is part of the latter group. In fact, she even pitched a romance between her character and Penelope Mitchell‘s Liv Parker, a Gemini Coven witch who appeared in Seasons 5 and Season 6. Before her death, she had a connection with Tyler Lockwood (Michael Trevino). “Bonnie and Liv were supposed to be a couple,” Mitchell revealed at Comic Con Midlands Birmingham earlier this month. “Yeah, that was Kat’s big plan, right?”
Graham tossed her head back in laughter before Mitchell even finished her thought. “I pitched it,” Graham confirmed.
She reached across Malarkey, who sat between them, to grab Mitchell’s hand. “We were filming, we were besties on the show, we were together all the time, and I was like, ‘Let’s just be together.'”
“On the show,” Graham added. “There, it’s on the record now. Happy?”
@maesvdu EVIDENTLY, i am never wrong. – #katgraham #penelopemitchell #bonliv #michaelmalarkey #scarletthefner #bonora #wlw #viral #fyp #thevampirediaries #tvd #tvdu #tvdedits #comicconbirmingham #comiccon #trend #tvdcast ♬ original sound – mae
The discussion didn’t end there. Scarlett Byrne, who played vampire-witch Nora in Season 7, was also in attendance. Her character was in a relationship with her fellow Heretic, Mary Louise (Teressa Liane). “I was also going to say Bonnie and Nora because at some point, it seemed like that was going to happen, and then I died,” Byrne said.
Underneath the TikTok video that captured their interaction, fans gave their input in the comments. “WE WERE ROBBED,” one fan wrote, with several echoing the sentiment. Another commenter said they were “honestly relieved [it] didn’t happen bc then Liv would just be ANOTHER lost love of Bonnie’s and it’d break [their] heart,” while others mentioned how much they wanted Bonnie and Nora to get together.
It’s not the first time that Graham has spoken out on the topic. “I’ve been campaigning [for Bonnie to be bisexual],” the actress told The Wrap in 2016. “You have to watch and see. I really love the dynamic that the Bonnie character has with the Nora character… We have a lot of fun doing the scenes. The writers definitely planted a few seeds here and there, so we’ll see what happens.”
She continued, “I just want to play a three-dimensional character. So whether the character is straight or bisexual or gay or trans or anything, it’s an honor to play a character that shows three-dimensional sides to her. Especially being African-American, you want to show all those different sides to a young girl growing up. So I’m hoping that they explore that. In any way, I’ll take it.”
Do you think Bonnie should’ve had female love interest? Let us know in the comments below!
