2013 → 2026 · Cast then & now
The Originals Cast: Then and Now
The cast then and now — with the original tribute song “Forever the Mikaelsons”.
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About the series
The Originals, then & now
The Originals premiered in 2013, and ran for 5 seasons on The CW. This page follows Rebekah Mikaelson (Claire Holt), Hayley Marshall (Phoebe Tonkin), Davina Claire (Danielle Campbell), Klaus Mikaelson (Joseph Morgan), Kol Mikaelson (Nathaniel Buzolic) then and now, with real ages, 13 then-vs-now collector’s cards in this tribute and the original tribute song “Forever the Mikaelsons”.
The cast · 13 collector’s cards
Where is the The Originals cast now (2026)?
The Originals cast then and now: 13 collector’s cards, 2013 vs 2026, with real ages. Tap a card to flip it and watch them walk side by side.
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“Forever the Mikaelsons”
In the shadows of New Orleans
Read the lyrics
In the shadows of New Orleans
Whispers echo through the streets
Broken crowns and ancient blood
Still we rise, we never kneel
Sisters, brothers bound by fate
Fire running through our veins
Love and war in every heartbeat
We survive the endless pain
Time may change the face we wear
But legends never disappear
We are forever, forever the night
Born in the darkness, burning in light
Kings and queens of a cursed desire
Immortal hearts set on fire
Through betrayal, through the flames
Still the family remains
We fall… but we don't fade
The Mikaelsons never break
In the silence hear our name
Forever lives the flame
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The Originals in numbers
The cast, then & now
| Character | Actor | Then (2013) | Now (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rebekah Mikaelson | Claire Holt | 25 | 38 |
| Hayley Marshall | Phoebe Tonkin | 24 | 37 |
| Davina Claire | Danielle Campbell | 18 | 31 |
| Klaus Mikaelson | Joseph Morgan | 32 | 45 |
| Kol Mikaelson | Nathaniel Buzolic | 30 | 43 |
| Camille O'Connell | Leah Pipes | 25 | 38 |
| Freya Mikaelson | Riley Voelkel | 24 | 36 |
| Elijah Mikaelson | Daniel Gillies | 37 | 50 |
| Mikael | Sebastian Roché | 49 | 62 |
| Hope Mikaelson | Danielle Rose Russell | 18 | 27 |
| Marcel Gerard | Charles Michael Davis | ||
| Vincent Griffith | Yusuf Gatewood | ||
| Josh Rosza | Steven Krueger | 24 | 37 |
Ages from verified birth dates, updated 02 November 2026.
The Originals premiered on The CW on October 3, 2013. It ran five seasons and 92 episodes, ending August 1, 2018.
It began as a backdoor pilot: The Vampire Diaries episode The Originals, aired April 25, 2013. The CW ordered the series the next day.
The show follows the Mikaelson family, the first vampires, as they return to New Orleans to reclaim the city.
Most French Quarter scenes were filmed in Olde Town Conyers, Georgia. Only a handful were shot in New Orleans.
Rousseau's, the bar where Cami works, is a real sandwich shop at 903 Commercial Street in Conyers.
"Always and Forever" is the vow Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah made to stick together after their family fell apart.
Claire Holt left as a series regular in March 2014, but kept returning as Rebekah until the very last episode.
Hope Mikaelson was born in the season 1 finale, From a Cradle to a Grave, on May 13, 2014.
Joseph Morgan was the first cast member to direct an episode: Behind the Black Horizon, in season 3 (2016).
Season 5 jumped seven years ahead. Danielle Rose Russell took over as teenage Hope.
In the series finale, When the Saints Go Marching In, Klaus and Elijah stake each other and die together.
Hope's story continued in Legacies, which premiered less than three months later, on October 25, 2018.