The Originals: Why Claire Holt’s Rebekah Left The Vampire Diaries Spinoff – Screen Rant

On The Vampire Diaries, Claire Holt played the fan-favorite Rebekah Mikaelson so why did she unexpectedly leave the spinoff, The Originals?

On The Vampire Diaries spinoff The Originals, Claire Holt reprises her role as Rebekah Mikaelson, but during season 1, Holt's Rebekah surprised fans when she ended her run as a series regular why did Holt leave the show? Brothers Klaus and Elijah Mikaelson make their debuts during season 2 of The Vampire Diaries, andthe character Rebekah is introduced during season 3, followed by Kol and Finn. The first family of vampires proved to be so popular thatThe Vampire Diaries co-creator Julie Plec moved the Mikaelsons to New Orleans where the city's rich cultural and supernatural history provided the perfect backdrop for the squabbling siblings. Season 1 of The Originals focused on Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah, but season 2 reunited the entire family and introduced new members, Freya and Dahlia.

Klaus, Rebekah, and Elijah first arrived in New Orleans during the 18th century. During this time, Klaus encountered a young Marcel Gerard, who he raised and considered to be part of the family. However, when Rebekah and Marcel fell in love, Klaus felt threatened and jealous, so he did everything he could to keep them apart. In 1919, Rebekah and Marcel, with the help of a witch named Genevieve, called upon her father, vampire hunter, Mikael, who had been pursuing his children for most of their immortal lives. Rebekah hoped Mikael's presence in New Orleans would force Klaus to flee and leave her free to be with Marcel. She regretted her actions almost immediately, however even more so after Klaus finally gave Marcel and Rebekah his blessing.

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During season 1, in an attempt to divide the Mikaelsons, the witches led by a resurrected Genevieve revealed Rebekah's treachery to Klaus. Armed with a White Oak stake, Klaus planned to kill his sister. Trapped together in the City of the Dead, Elijah, Klaus, and Rebekah were forced to confront their complicated histories with one another and accept that they were truly cursed. During season 1, episode 16, "Farewell to Storyville," Klaus decided to spare Rebekah's life, telling her to leave New Orleans and never return. Viewers were shocked by Holt's exit, whose original three-episode-story arc on The Vampire Diaries in 2011 turned into a recurring role.

In 2014, Holt addressed the rumors surrounding her character's unexpected departure, telling Buzzfeed:

"I want to be very clear that they didn't run out of material, I wasn't pushed out, I wasn't fed up with Rebekah, I didn't quit mid-season, there was no drama, there was no rift between cast members; it really came down to the fact that I completed my initial commitment and made a life choice, not a career choice."

Holt went on to say she wanted to focus on friends and family. She also viewed her exit as a"temporary absence," and Julie Plec agreed, promising fans had not seen the last of Rebekah. Holt appeared during the season 1 finale, and Klaus tasked her with caring for baby Hope. The series found creative ways to keep the character as an integral part of the show. During season 2, her soul was placed in the body of the witch Eva Sinclair (Maisie Richardson-Sellers). During season 3, the victim of a Ripper Curse, Rebekah was daggered until her family could find a cure. During the series finale, Klaus gave his sister the Cure, ensuring the upon Damon Salvatore's death, it would be passed on to her.

Holt worked on other projects during The Originals' five-season run. She appeared as Charmain Tully on NBC's Aquarius (2015-2016). She was cast as the lead, Kayla, in the pilot for the ABC drama Doomsday. Holt also starred alongside Mandy Moore and Matthew Modine in the underwater thriller 47 Meters Down. Following The Originals, Holt appeared in three films in 2019: The Divorce Party, A Violent Separation, and Painted Beauty. The actress has yet to duplicate the career success she achieved playing beloved bad girl, Rebekah Mikaelson, on The Originals.

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Jennifer has been working as a freelance writer for eight years, contributing to BuddyTV, TVRage, Hidden Remote, Gossip On This, and PopMatters. She prefers binge-watching old episodes of The Office (British and American versions) to long walks on the beach. She's still holding out hope that Happy Endings will get a revival.

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The Originals: Why Claire Holt's Rebekah Left The Vampire Diaries Spinoff - Screen Rant

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero