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."

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."

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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."