LOS ANGELES, OCTOBER 1, 2015 —Â (UPI) — Ian Somerhalder shared a new Vampire Diaries teaser Wednesday on Instagram.
The playful preview sees the 36-year-old actor strip down as Damon, revealing himself to best friend Alaric (Matt Davis). “Why is Damon naked in this new Vampire Diaries Trailer…?” Somerhalder wrote.
The actor recently revealed he will appear nude on the forthcoming season, telling Entertainment Weekly, “I think I’m naked in like, two episodes.” He also said season 7 will feature more of the “dark and sexy” aspects of season 1.
The Vampire Diaries will return Oct. 8, albeit without Nina Dobrev as Elena. The actress departed the series after season 6, and new episodes will see Damon focus on his relationship with his brother, Stefan (Paul Wesley), in lieu of his longtime love interest.
“If you look at the way the story’s been told, it always come back to the love of these two brothers,” Somerhalder told TVLine. “The women that they love got in the way, but now they’re just brothers, and they’re forced to deal with a lot of stuff.”
The Vampire Diaries premiered on The CW in 2009, and co-stars Kat Graham, Candice Accola, Zach Roerig and Michael Malarkey. Dobrev has since landed a rolein the upcoming movie Arrivals with Maisie Williams and Asa Butterfield.