Nina Dobrev Talks About What’s Next After ‘The Vampire Diaries’

Nina Dobrev officially said goodbye to The Vampire Diaries with Thursday night’s season 5 finale, “I’m Thinking of You All the While,” and the actress is opening up on what’s up next.

Nina Dobrev Wants To Enjoy Being A “Twentysomething”

Dobrev, 26, starred on the CW drama for six years as Elena Gilbert, and her final episode with the series (SPOILER ALERT) saw her character’s human life put on hold, effectively ending her time on the series. Coming off a hit show, many have been wondering what the future holds for the young actress, but instead of looking for the next big project, Dobrev revealed she’s planning on taking advantage of her newfound free time. First up: a cross-country road trip. “[I want to] do the opposite of what I’ve been doing for the last six years. I had a very scheduled, regimented life, and I’ve just been taking the whole month to not plan anything and see where life takes me and chill for a second before getting back into it and getting super-focused again,” she said.

Dobrev has been working regularly as an actress since she was 17 years old, when she got a regular role on Degrassi: The Next Generation, and she says she’s excited to take advantage of being a twentysomething: “I’m ready to graduate and emerge into the real world and be an adult for the first time. But before that, I need to be a kid! I’m so excited to find out what’s going to happen next.”

Dobrev doesn’t have any future projects in the works, but fans will get to see her in the upcoming horror comedy, The Final Girls, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in March.

As to whether or not Dobrev plans on committing to another series in the future, she said she’s leaving her options open. “I don’t want to put labels or criteria or pressure in any capacity on what I’m doing. I just want to see how everything unfolds. I’m not close-minded in any way. TV is amazing these days, and the quality on television is incredible. I would love to do more TV if it’s good quality, and I would love to do film that I’m passionate about,” she told People.

As hopeful as she is for the future, Dobrev admitted she’s going to miss the cast and crew, and teased that she definitely plans on watching the new season in the fall. “I’ve loved working on the show. It’s been such a crazy, awesome adventure, and I’ve been surrounded by so many people who I consider family. I know this is a new exciting step in the right direction for me, but it’s going to be strange not to be with them,” Dobrev said in an interview with Self.

I feel like a blow fish, so puffy and bloated from crying all day. Tears of joy&sadness. Bittersweet. So many memories. What a fun ride… #TVDFamily Beyond lucky and grateful to have had this experience and to have you in my life. Like CandyCola likes to say/her go to phrase… #Blessed

A photo posted by Nina Dobrev (@ninadobrev) on Apr 13, 2015 at 10:35pm PDT

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.