The Hub - Australia - part 1

Nina Dobrev’s panel:

Q: Stefan or Damon?
N: Defan – the other brother.

Q: You were in The American Mall…
N: It was a musical movie, it was really crazy. It was three weeks of singing and dancing. Really fun!

Q: Do you like the flashbacks on The Vampire Diaries?
N: They’re my favourite! It’s a rare opportunity to find a cool character that you love. Somebody dresses me – it’s like Halloween. Lots of fun.

Q: Did you have lots of (dance) training in The American Mall and the Miss Mystic Falls episode in The Vampire Diaries?
N: We had a dance instructor. Paul (Wesley) was terrified at first.

Q: How did you get into acting?
N: I had a dance background. I was a really hyper kid – my parents put me in classes. I love gymnastics and I took courses to be on stage/dance.
I got an agent.

Q: Do you work long hours on-set?
N: It’s a weird schedule – TV in general – The Vampire Diaries especially. Lots of nights/days. Sometimes we’ll shoot from 6am to 8pm, sometimes 4pm to 5am.
14-15 hour days.

Q: In The Vampire Diaries books, Elena is blonde and bitchy. Do you prefer book or TV Elena?
N: I was excited to play book Elena. Kev (Williamson) and Julie (Plec) wanted the audience to love Elena and sympathize with her so that’s why they
changed her character a bit and made her nicer. Also they wanted Elena and Katherine to be two different characters.

Q: Do you think it’d be a challenge to act out Katherine and Elena scenes when they’re face-to-face?
N: Yes. Not sure when it will happen. It would be cool and challenging.

Q: What was your first impression of The Vampire Diaries and how was your audition?
N: I read the Twilight books and I wasn’t skeptical since they (The Vampire Diaries & Twilight) have a lot of similarities. I met the producers and
read the script. I kept fighting for the role.

Q: What’s your favourite episode of The Vampire Diaries?
N: Children of the Damned and Lost Girls. Vicki is in that episode (Lost Girls) and she is my best friend and ex-roommate. Now I live alone.

Q: How was the audition process for The Vampire Diaries and what was the role that you wanted but didn’t get?
N: Audition was gruelling. This was a TV show that everyone was talking about – lots of my friends went for it (the role of Elena).
I did it in front of the studio, network, producers, executives. Paul was the only guy not schmoozing with me and offering me coffee.
He was in a corner going over his lines. I was there for 12 hours. Paul and me had the best chemistry. Ian and Paul had the best chemistry.
I’ve done tonnes of auditions that I haven’t gotten. I almost got the role of the female lead in Percy Jackson – they actually filmed in the same building
as we film The Vampire Diaries. It was awkward.

Q: How difficult is it to fit in friends/family – social life?
N: Social life sounds really cool. What is that? (jokes) It’s very hard. The cast are my friends/family. We’re close and we get along.

Q: Do you like Katherine or Elena better?
N: Both. Elena – great many layers, nice girl that looks out for everyone. Has to deal with so many different things. Boyfriend is a vampire.
Boyfriend’s brother is a vampire. Friend was killed because she was turning into a vampire. Best friend is a witch. Katherine is crazy and I’m not.
I normally don’t play that role.

Q: What do you think when you watch yourself acting?
N: It’s odd. Very cool. I enjoy watching it (The Vampire Diaries) – I get involved in the storyline.

Q: Do you have any tips for future actors/actresses?
N: Practice, train and lots of hard work. Have a thick skin. Be prepared for knockbacks. You have to REALLY want it to be successful.

Q: Do you have any similarities with Elena or Katherine?
N: I’m more like Elena – a regular girl.

Q: Did you do any sightseeing in Australia?
N: I went to the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast – spooned a kangaroo, went to the Great Barrier Reef – found Nemo.

Q: What do you do off-set?
N: Sleep. I can sleep anywhere. A chair, the grass…

Q: What do you think of the other actors?
N: They’re cool. They’re some of my best friends. Awesome and smart. Everyone’s so different.

Q: Is it weird to have instant feedback from fans when you use twit-a-long?
N: Yes, it’s weird. It’s interesting to see how involved they are. We don’t film months in advance.

Q: If Elena moved into the Salvatores’, would they have to be invited in by her?
N: No, because she’s not the owner.

Q: How did John inherit Elena’s father’s ring?
N: John could’ve stole the brother’s ring. I have no idea.

Q: What kind of pranks were there on-set?
N: We pull a lot of pranks. I can’t tell you. One of our castmates believe aliens exist – we had somebody call his cell phone and it shows up on his
phone as his own number calling himself. We left a creepy message. Guy thought it was real and got freaked out. This prank went on for three weeks.
We sent him a rock and told him aliens wanted him to keep that rock with him at all times and he carried the rock around.

Q: Mannerisms for Katherine/Elena?
N: Elena has only lived 17-18 years in a modern city whereas Katherine has been around for ages. More confident.

Q: If you could play any other vampire in The Vampire Diaries, who would you play?
N: Vicki. You got to see how she was turned.

Q: What kind of music are you into?
N: The Fray, Kings Of Leon, Lady Gaga. Glee. I’m a musical fan.

Q: How did you feel whenever your brother (Jeremy) tells you off on The Vampire Diaries?
N: He’s always mean to me. I feel bad for Elena. She’s the underdog. Nobody loves Jeremy except Elena though. Both of his girlfriends were killed.

Q: If you could play any character in any movie, who would it be?
N: Angelina Jolie action movie. Wanted/Salt. Kirsten Dunst in Interview With The Vampire.

Q: What’s your favourite Glee song and why?
N: Don’t Stop Believing. I play it a lot when I’m on the treadmill.

Q: Did Elena choose the right brother?
N: She still hasn’t decided at her age. Why choose when you have two of the hottest brothers after you? She’s all Stefan, all the time though –
she loves Stefan. Stefan’s a little stuck up. He’s always looking after her. Both (Stefan and Damon) have different qualities. Stefan will always
protect her.

Q: How did you celebrate getting the role of Elena?
N: I went to Miami with the cast – then I needed a vacation after my vacation. I went to Cuba.

Q: What are your nicknames for cast members?
N: Candice – Candy Cola/Candy/Cola, Kayla – KK, Michael – Trevino, Steven – McQueen, Matthew – Davis. We call a lot of them by their last names.

Q: Were you nervous about being hung upside down in a car?
N: I love to do my own stunts. I was trained for stunts from growing up with a brother. He was my personal punching bag. I grew up as a tomboy.
Not pretty but fun.

Q: Is it fun going to work?
N: Actually it is. Bittersweet. We have a Wall Of Death in the production office.