Feb 01,2010

Interview: Nina Dobrev is Caught Between Two Vampire Brothers in THE VAMPIRE DIARIES

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Previously known for her lead role on Degrassi: The Next Generation, Nina Dobrev stars as Elena Gilbert, a beautiful young woman caught between two vampire brothers — one good, one evil — in The CW drama, The Vampire Diaries.

Confused by her apparent connection to the woman responsible for turning the Salvatore brothers, Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder), into vampires, Elena will have to do some digging into her own past to find answers.

While doing press at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour, Nina Dobrev talked about playing two different characters in two different time periods (along with Elena, she also portrays the villainous Katherine), and how much fun it is to be bad.

Q: Why do you think Elena was so upset about seeing the photo of Katherine and how much she looked like her?

Nina: I think that it’s shocking. It’s one thing to have a crazy ex-girlfriend and come to terms with that. It’s like, “Okay, you have a past? That’s fine.” It’s another thing to look identical to the crazy ex-girlfriend. I think Elena will always feel like, “Why are you dating me? Do you want to replace her with me? Isn’t that selfish of you?” There’s a lot going on. You don’t want to look like someone else, especially an ex-girlfriend.

Q: Do you ever play Elena and Katherine in the same day?

Nina: Playing Katherine takes so long. Getting into the character, there’s the hair and make-up process, and just getting dressed, alone, takes half an hour because there’s corsets and pantaloons. There’s so many layers that it takes half an hour to put the outfits on, so I couldn’t play both in one day. It’s very good because it takes a lot of energy. When I’m in that corset for 17 hours, at the end of the day, I feel like I’ve done a work-out. I remember looking at my stomach and thinking, “I should get myself a corset for every day.” It really tones you up. You’re sucking in, all day.

Q: Have you had any embarrassing moments on set?

Nina: When we’re doing scenes, we have mic packs, usually in the back pocket of our pants or somewhere. I went to the restroom once, forgot about my mic pack and it fell in the toilet. And, a mic pack is $2,000 or $3,000. I don’t think they heard it. I was just really embarrassed and I felt really bad. They announced it on the mics on the set, so everyone knew and everyone laughed at me. I offered to pay for it, but they wouldn’t let me.

Q: And you never did that again?

Nina: No. Now, I go to the bathroom and I hold my mic pack.

Q: What advice would you tell teens who have an embarrassing moment?

Nina: To just embrace it because, if you laugh at yourself, then everyone will laugh with you.

Q: Do you like to prank people on the set?

Nina: Yeah. I’ll go into dark corners and scare everyone, all the time. I love doing that.

Q: Are there any cool things you can hint at, leading up to the season finale?

Nina: You’ll see a lot more Katherine coming up, and I had a lot of fun shooting all of that. There was a lot of blood and teeth. Just getting into that world and being crazy is always fun when you’re so different from the character.

Q: What is the most surreal aspect of all of this success?

Nina: I’m one of those people that appreciates and never takes anything for granted. Every morning, every scene, every place I get to visit is just so cool. I’m so lucky, and I realize that and don’t take it for granted at all. I went to London for the first time, and I got to go to Elton John’s charity event, and I got to go to the premiere of Sherlock Holmes and meet Rachel McAdams, who’s a fellow Canadian and idol of mine, and Guy Ritchie and Robert Downey, Jr. I’m in such a great position, I really love my life and I’m really lucky, and I know it.

Q: What kind of letters do you get from fans?

Nina: I get little drawings.

Q: Are you a reader? What kind of books did you read when you were younger?

Nina: I was into Harry Potter. I’ve read all the Harry Potter books and I’ve watched all the movies. When I went to London, I got to visit the set. It was insane. It’s huge! The whole place was massive. It was the Hogwart’s set, and I sat in Dumbledore’s chair. But, I signed a confidentiality agreement, so I can’t tell you anything else. I’ve read The Lovely Bones. I’ve read all the Lord of the Rings books. I love fantasy and sci-fi. When I read a novel, I like to get away from normal life. It’s an escape for me, so I like to read a lot.

Q: Have you read the Twilight books?

Nina: I have read the Twilight books. I actually read them before all the movies came out. I shot a movie in Salt Lake City, where Stephenie Meyer is from, and somebody who knows her gave me the books and said, “You need to read these. They’re great.” They are really good. She makes Edward seem like the ideal man, and that’s what makes you really fall in love with him.

Q: What do you do to stay in shape?

Nina: I do hot yoga, three times a week, if my schedule permits it. In the summer, I like to surf, play volleyball and wakeboard. But, it’s hard because the schedule is so crazy.

Q: Is there any chance you’ll ever go back and do an episode of Degrassi?

Nina: I did two episodes at the beginning of Season 9. That’s all I’ve done and that’s all I will be doing, as far as I know. It’s only because The Vampire Diaries takes so long that I just don’t have the time to go and do other things until the hiatus.

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES airs on Thursdays on The CW

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