Nina Dobrev is open to leading TV series after ‘The Vampire Diaries’ — but hasn’t ‘found anything’ worth doing yet
Nina Dobrev is willing to go back to her television roots.
Since departing from “The Vampire Diaries” in 2015, Dobrev has taken mostly movie roles. The only TV role she’s played was Clem in the series “Fam” for 13 episodes in 2019.
However, it seems the actress isn’t against leading a television show again after all. In fact, she’s “open to it.”
“I don’t necessarily discriminate between television and films. I just haven’t found anything that I have been excited about. Sort of, for lack of a better word, sinking my teeth into for a long time,” she told the Post while promoting “Reunion.”
“The character has to be something that I’m playing that will challenge me or I want to play because it’s different than something I’ve done in the past,” she added.
Her role as Amanda Tanner in the new Paramount comedy/mystery film, “Reunion,” shows a departure from her previous roles. The party-girl-turned politician is cold and emotionless, but with layers.
“I just thought it was really fun to play somebody kind of wicked and out there and different than myself,” Dobrev, 35, said on her choice to play Amanda.
Dobrev notably played Elena Gilbert on “The Vampire Diaries” for six seasons. In 2015, she left after 134 episodes.
The CW series also starred Ian Somerhalder, Paul Wesley, Kat Graham and Candice King. The supernatural vampire series officially ended in 2017 after eight seasons.
“That was the plan from the get-go,” she told Harper’s Bazaar in 2017 of her early exit, noting she wanted to seek out roles beyond “playing a teenager.”
Dobrev acknowledged that there are challenges with TV roles, however. “You’re playing the same character over such a long time,” she told The Post.
“Back in the day when I was on the TV show, it was 24 episodes, an hour long. Shows don’t go that long anymore.”
She added: “It’s a lot more sustainable and you can tell stories for longer when there’s less episodes. I feel like I’m open to it, for sure.”
As for “Reunion,” the movie was a “no brainer” for her because of the cast.
The humor of Jillian Bell and Lil Rel Lowry, “fantastic” Billy Magnussen and Jamie Chung, “legendary” Michael Hitchcock and “old friend” Chace Crawford were a “big” part of her decision and “excitement” about the project.
“We all just spent the whole day sitting in a circle with chairs, kind of talking and laughing,” Dobrev said. “We would just like, shoot the s – – t and have fun. And it was a blast.”
“Reunion” follows former high school classmates at their 20th reunion as they uncover the murder of one of their own, Mathew Danbury (Crawford), while snowed-in at his home the morning after the big party. With no footprints in the snow, the five who stayed overnight know the murderer must be one of them. Together they must uncover the culprit, while being stuck in a home with them.
“Reunion” is available to buy on digital on June 28.
