Whatever Happened To Nina Dobrev After The Vampire Diaries?
If you recognize the name Nina Dobrev, it's likely from her role as Elena in the popular CW series "The Vampire Diaries." Based on the books of the same name, the show follows Elena as she struggles with grief after the sudden death of her parents and learns that the two new brothers in town, Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder), are vampires.
The teen drama is the most significant project of Dobrev's career, catapulting her to popularity over the course of her time on the series. Though she decided to leave the show before it came to its conclusion, her character (and various doppelgangers) was always central to the plot, whether it was about her coming to terms with the existence of vampires and other paranormal beings or being turned into a bloodsucker herself and navigating her new life.
After "The Vampire Diaries," Dobrev continued on in her career, though many may not realize that she is still acting today. From competition series to comedies, as well as venturing into other avenues, the actress has maintained a presence in the industry. Grab your daylight ring as we take you through her career highlights after she closed the book on "The Vampire Diaries."
Her first TV appearance after The Vampire Diaries was on Lip Sync Battle
After playing Elena for six seasons, Nina Dobrev's first TV appearance after "The Vampire Diaries" was on "Lip Sync Battle," the competition series that pits celebrities against each other in dueling musical performances. If you've seen the popular clip of Tom Holland dancing to Rihanna's "Umbrella," then you've seen "Lip Sync Battle." Dobrev competed against the famous NFL quarterback Tim Tebow.
In their first battle, the actress performed Marvin Gaye's popular song "Let's Get It On" against Tebow's "Take Your Time" by Sam Hunt. According to Vulture, she "picked a song that she doesn't seem to understand" and her performance was lackluster. Tebow was named the winner of the first contest.
In the second showdown, Dobrev performed "Cheerleader" by Omi and Tebow danced to the classic Survivor song, "Eye of the Tiger." "Is Nina Dobrev a football player? Is she the cheerleader? Does anyone care? Not really. Chrissy Teigen's cutaways were the best part of the performance," Vulture's critic wrote. Again, Tebow was deemed the winner.
While Dobrev's performance on the competition show may not have been the best "Lip Sync Battle" ever seen, it was a chance to see her do something completely different than running from vampires (not to mention werewolves and all the other supernatural creatures introduced on the series).
Her first movie after The Vampire Diaries was a comedy
If you thought a music competition series was something different, Nina Dobrev's first feature film after leaving behind her vampire life wasn't a drama — it was a comedy. "Crash Pad" featured Dobrev alongside Christina Applegate, Domhnall Gleeson, and Thomas Haden Church in a revenge-based story, with Gleeson's Stensland in a relationship with Applegate's Morgan, a married woman using Stensland as a way to get revenge against her husband Grady, played by Church.
Nina Dobrev plays Hannah, Morgan's assistant who overhears the situation when Stensland barges into Morgan's office. Hannah acts as a voice of reason to Morgan, talking her down from rash decisions and watching as her boss makes a fool of herself at a bar. When she runs into Stensland at a furniture store, she gives him advice to help him move on from Morgan. Her role is minor, but Hannah humanizes Morgan and helps the characters work through their feelings.
Critics and audiences agreed that this wasn't the best comedy ever made, with "Crash Pad" earning a 54% critic score and a 52% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. A review by The New York Times targeted the poor dialogue and irritating characters as the movie's downfall, noting, "[The movie] lacks any stylish risks that would make this trio's bad romance memorable, leaving 'Crash Pad' to feel like a warm-up act."
She starred in a remake of Flatliners
Comedy isn't the only genre Nina Dobrev ventured into. The actress tried her hand at sci-fi-slash-horror with "Flatliners," dubbed as both a remake and sequel to the original 1990 film. The movie follows medical student Courtney (Elliot Page), who wants to better understand the afterlife. To do so, she recruits other medical students to help her conduct experiments by stopping each other's hearts for short periods of time and recording brain activity. However, things go wrong as they all see disturbing visions when their heart stops.
Nina Dobrev plays Marlo, a student who stumbles into what Courtney is doing. When participating in the experiment, Marlo sees one of her former patients, who died because Marlo used the wrong medication. While she keeps this secret through much of the movie, the other students convince her to come clean after they discover what really happened.
Despite a solid cast that included Dobrev, Page, Diego Luna, and Kiefer Sutherland, "Flatliners" didn't win over horror fans. While audiences were a bit more forgiving, it was dead on arrival with critics. Like many horror remakes, it missed the mark, with many reviews commenting it was too safe. For RogerEbert.com, Matt Zoller Seitz called it "a fabulous idea for a movie, but unfortunately 'Flatliners' represents the second failed attempt to do it justice."
She reunited with her Degrassi co-stars for a music video
While many know Nina Dobrev for her character in "The Vampire Diaries," she also appeared in the popular Canadian teen drama "Degrassi: The Next Generation." She portrayed Mia Jones, a teen mother who eventually becomes a model, across four seasons. Mia was Dobrev's first major role on television.
"Degrassi" launched several actors still on TV today, like Raymond Ablack, who is known for his roles in the popular Netflix series "Ginny and Georgia" and "Maid." The Canadian series was also the starting vehicle for popular rapper and R&B artist Drake, who originally starred in the series as Jimmy Brooks. The character is the center of one of the most talked-about episodes of the series, which results in Jimmy being paralyzed.
Though his career is in a different place now, Drake doesn't forget where he started. In 2018, the rapper released his music video for "I'm Upset," which is now considered a "Degrassi" reunion. Over a dozen of his former cast members appear in the video, Dobrev included. The video follows Drake as he attends his high school reunion, which just so happens to be a Degrassi Community School reunion. Filmed on the original set, the music video is a fun homage to Drake's early career. Dobrev can be seen sitting next to Drake in a group shot, dancing in a hallway, and riding a children's tricycle down a hallway.
She starred in a one-season sitcom on CBS
"The Vampire Diaries" and "Degrassi" aren't the only series Nina Dobrev has appeared in. She tried to move over to sitcom territory with the short-lived CBS series "Fam." The actress played the lead role of Clem, an event planner for the Metropolitan Museum of Art who is trying to plan her wedding to Nick (Tone Bell). However, her life takes a turn when her teen sister Shannon (Odessa Adlon) shows up.
The series only lasted 13 episodes, and was canceled just a month after its final episode aired. As a mid-season premiere, it didn't go over well with critics, although audiences liked it. Reviews highlighted the cast, particularly Dobrev, while expressing disappointment in the writing and humor. But teen audiences agreed that Dobrev shined. Despite the series' cancellation, Dobrev did win a Teen Choice Award for Choice Comedy TV Actress in 2019 for playing Clem. She competed against Gina Rodriguez, Candance Cameron Bure, Sarah Hyland, Kaley Cuoco, and Yara Shahidi.
She returned to her Canadian roots with Run This Town
As Nina Dobrev continued moving into other genres, she returned to her Canadian roots in "Run This Town." The film follows journalist Bram Shriver (Ben Platt) as he uses a political scandal to advance his career. "Run This Town" dramatizes the story of the real former mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, and the controversy that surrounded his political career and 2014 mayoral campaign, which ultimately resulted in him stepping down from the election after he was diagnosed with cancer. Nina Dobrev portrays Ashley Pollock, a member of Ford's staff who manages communications and the press.
"Run This Town," like many other movies based on true stories, took artistic liberties with its narrative. Some of the major changes included changing the gender of the journalist, how a controversial video was found and watched by the journalist, and the outcome of covering the story. Dobrev's character is at the center of a sexual misconduct allegation leveled against Ford, who is depicted groping her, after which she reports his behavior. This storyline is adapted from other instances where Ford reportedly harassed both a member of his staff and another mayoral candidate. The film also received heat for replacing the original journalist with a fictional character, as well as its characterization of Ford.
The film received a limited release in March 2020, both in the U.S. and Canada, but box office numbers were not reported and critics were indifferent to the film.
Dobrev is dating an Olympic legend
A popular celebrity couple was born when Dobrev and Shaun White, an Olympic gold medalist in snowboarding, met while attending a motivational workshop in 2019. Dinner together after the seminar turned into Dobrev inviting White to come visit her while she filmed "Redeeming Love" in February 2020. The two continued to spend time together before making their relationship official with an Instagram post in May 2020. The post featured Dobrev cutting White's hair and confirming that the two were quarantining together.
Since then, the two have continued to post humorous TikToks, go on double dates with her "The Vampire Diaries" co-star Paul Wesley, and show off great couples' Halloween costumes. Dobrev cheered White on during his Olympic bid in 2022, sharing with US Weekly that she would be "anxiously watching from home and cheering him on." She posted on Instagram how proud she was of her boyfriend and his accomplishments, calling him the G.(B).O.A.T. (Greatest Boyfriend of All Time). She continued showing her support for White's last Olympic run by helping him write a list of things he wanted to do in retirement and throwing him a party.
Dobrev and White still share their relationship with the world, attending movie premieres together and posting fun candid shots on social media. In April 2023, White told People, "We're just enjoying our time together right now. No pressure," when asked if marriage was in their future.
She and Leonardo DiCaprio were executive producers on a shark documentary
When Nina Dobrev isn't acting, she's helping produce nature documentaries. In particular, she and Leonardo DiCaprio were executive producers for the shark documentary "Fin," which was released on Discovery+ in 2021 as part of the network's annual Shark Week.
Directed by popular horror filmmaker Eli Roth, "Fin" follows Roth as he, scientists, and activists travel the globe to better understand the shark-finning industry and shine a light on how it could cause the extinction of sharks. The industry thrives on the demand for shark fin soup and the use of other parts of the shark in cosmetics. The trailer shows the team going all over the world, from shops to boats on the water, providing a frank look at the industry. "'Fin' is the scariest film I've ever made, and certainly the most dangerous," Roth told Variety. "[Sharks] keep our oceans clean to produce half our oxygen, and they deserve our respect and deserve to be saved."
The documentary isn't the first time Nina Dobrev participated in shark activism. In 2018, the actress joined Oceana, an international advocacy organization centered on ocean conservation. Since then, she has appeared in promotional videos for the company and continues to post on her social media about sharks and why finning and shark rodeos need to end.
She still headlines feature films
Nina Dobrev continues to headline feature films. You may have seen her in two Netflix movies, the 2021 holiday rom-com "Love Hard" and the 2023 action comedy "The Out-Laws." In "Love Hard," Dobrev plays the lead role of Natalie, a writer who documents her less-than-great dates for others to read. But when she's catfished at Christmas, her life takes a turn and she realizes her days of dating may be over. "Love Hard" went over well with audiences but less so with critics, who placed it firmly in "rotten" territory.
"The Out-Laws" features Dobrev as Parker, a yoga instructor about to marry Owen (Adam Devine), a bank manager. However, she has been hiding her family from him because they're a bit eccentric. Owen gets tangled up in their antics when he believes they are the individuals who rob his bank. Neither critics nor audiences were thrilled with this one.
Dobrev isn't just headlining Netflix films. She also led the 2023 comedy "Sick Girl" as Wren, a young woman who lies about having cancer to reconnect with her friends from high school. Feeling like she's being left behind as they move on with their lives, a get-together goes wrong when, after being told she may have peaked in high school, Wren tells her friends she is ill. The movie didn't sit well with critics, with Variety calling "Sick Girl" a "deflating cringe comedy" that isn't executed to the fullest.
She co-founded Fresh Vine Wine with Julianne Hough
Like her "The Vampire Diaries" co-stars Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder, Nina Dobrev co-founded a liquor business. She and dancer Julianne Hough launched Fresh Vine Wine, a wine company based out of Napa, California, in 2021, offering gluten-free, low-sugar wines designed to complement active lifestyles through subscription boxes.
Dobrev and Hough spoke with Forbes about their company, discussing everything from their favorite wines to how wine brought them together as friends. "Wine brought us together in so many ways. We taste tested a lot in our 20s... It was a bonding experience," Dobrev shared. "We did it so much and loved it so much we wanted to create something that was premium at a great price point that wouldn't hurt as much the next day." The actress also talked about sharing a glass of wine with one of her idols, George Clooney. "I was in Switzerland with George Clooney," Dobrev said, quickly adding, "It wasn't just me and George. He was the sweetest and most present person I've ever met."
Fresh Vine Wine offers a variety of options depending on your taste, though all are made in California. In their interview with Forbes, Dobrev and Hough confirmed that producing California-made wines is their primary focus at this stage.
She's in an action film with Aaron Eckhart
Nina Dobrev has continued to pursue feature film roles with "The Bricklayer," an action thriller based on the book of the same name by Noah Boyd. The novel is the first in a two-volume series in which the FBI tries to get one of its best operatives, now retired, back into active duty after someone begins killing journalists as a way to blackmail the organization.
When the movie was originally announced, Gerard Butler was set to both star in and produce the film. He later moved to just a producing role, and Aaron Eckhart stepped into the lead role. Dobrev joined the cast in February 2022. Other cast members include Tim Blake Nelson, Clifton Collins Jr., and Ilfenesh Hadera.
Dobrev is also continuing to stretch her comedic wings with "Reunion." In a cast led by Lil Rel Howery, who is also producing the film, Dobrev joins another former The CW star, Chace Crawford, for a story about a high school reunion gone wrong. "Reunion" is a murder mystery that follows on the heels of a revival of the genre, with the success of films like "Knives Out" and series like "Only Murders in the Building."
She isn't ruling out a return to vampire media
While her "Vampire Diaries" days are behind her, Nina Dobrev isn't ruling out a return to vampire media later in her career. Her co-star Ian Somerhalder returned to the genre, playing scientist Dr. Luther Swann in the one-season Netflix series "V Wars," although another co-star, Paul Wesley, confirmed in an interview with InStyle that he "would never do another vampire anything, period, let alone 'Vampire Diaries.'"
In an interview with "The Jess Cagle Show," Dobrev noted that while she thinks it's "way too soon" for a reboot of the iconic vampire series, she isn't saying "no" quite yet to doing another vampire series or movie. "I think it always depends on the role and the director," the actress shared. "I don't want to say never, 'cause if Steven Spielberg is directing or Martin Scorsese has a vampire flick coming up, and there's a great role that will challenge me in some way, maybe."