Ep. 215 | Paul Wesley

Actor/Producer/Director Paul Wesley (Before I Disappear, The Vampire Diaries...) joins us on The Matthew Aaron Show this Wednesday (12/3) as we broadcast from Chicago starting at 5pm PT / 7pm CT.

Paul joins us to discuss his role in the new film BEFORE I DISAPPEAR which he produces and co-stars in alongside Emmy Rossum (Shameless) and Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy). Check the film out right now on iTunes, VOD and select theaters.

Show starts at 5pm PT (7pm CT / 8pm ET). Subscribe for free and download the show on APPLE PODCASTS. You can also listen on the go on your Android/iPhone/iPad device via SPOTIFY.

PAUL WESLEY was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to Polish parents Tomasz and Agnieszka Wasilewski, and grew up in Marlboro Township, New Jersey. He has one older sister, Monika, and two younger sisters, Julia and Leah. In addition to English, he also knows Polish, having spent four months every year in Poland until the age of 16.

Wesley attended Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft, New Jersey and Marlboro High School for a period during his high school years. During his junior year in high school, Wesley was cast in the soap opera Guiding Light as character Max Nickerson. He transferred from Marlboro High School to Lakewood Prep School in Howell, New Jersey because the school was able to accommodate his acting schedule. He graduated from there in 2000 and then started college at Rutgers University in New Jersey but left after one semester with his parents' support when more roles were offered to him, and he realized he could make a career out of acting.

In 2005, he began to credit himself as Paul Wesley. When asked why he changed his professional name to Paul Wesley, he replied, "My birth name is too hard to pronounce! I asked my family's permission to change it, and it really helped my career."

He has had a number of roles on shows such as 24, 8 Simple Rules, American Dreams, Army Wives, Cane, Everwood, Guiding Light, Smallville, The O.C. and Wolf Lake. He also starred opposite Amber Tamblyn in CBS' The Russell Girl and had the lead role in the miniseries Fallen.

He also had a role in Roll Bounce starring Bow Wow. Wesley is currently starring as vampire Stefan Salvatore in The Vampire Diaries which premiered in September 2009 on The CW. In the series, he plays a younger brother to Damon Salvatore (played by Ian Somerhalder) as well as the love interest of a 17 year old girl named Elena Gilbert (played by Nina Dobrev). His ex-wife, Torrey Devitto, worked alongside him in The Vampire Diaries as Meredith Fell, a doctor in Mystic Falls, in the third season of the show. He has also portrayed Silas in Seasons 4 and 5 as well as Stefan's doppelganger Tom Avery in Season 5. In May 2011, he joined the cast of The Baytown Outlaws.