Nina Dobrev was one of the biggest TV stars of the 2000s. She got her start on the beloved teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation but it was her leading role on The Vampire Diaries that solidified her as one of the most recognizable faces on the small screen for nearly a decade. It looked as though Dobrev would parlay this massive exposure into a film career, but a series of false starts and personal setbacks got in the way.
These days, Nina Dobrev continues to appear in a wide range of films and TV shows. She’s done four films in the last couple of years alone, making the consensus of her career “fall off” even more bizarre. So what happened to Nina Dobrev? Did a serious dirt bike injury (which we’ll get more into) derail her career? And does she have the potential for a superstar comeback?
Nina Dobrev was a TV superstar from 2006-17
Nina Dobrev’s breakout performance on Degrassi: The Next Generation lasted from 2006 to 2009. She went from recurring character to main cast member to highly-touted guest star, which made it obvious to viewers that she was meant for something bigger. It didn’t take much time for “something” to manifest in the form of The Vampire Diaries, which launched in 2009 and was an instant hit.
Dobrev played four different characters on the series and won dozens of accolades from the Teen Choice Awards, MTV Fandom Awards, and People’s Choice Awards. She became a sex symbol off the strength of The Vampire Diaries, and by the time the show wrapped in 2017, she was making an estimated $40K per episode (which was tied with Ian Somerhalder for highest cast salary).
The actress looks fondly on The Vampire Diaries, and has acknowledged that it’s given her the freedom to pursue anything she wants. “The show was so impactful and I owe so much of who I am and my career to being on that show,” she told Numero Magazine. “Closing out the character and making sure that the ending felt satisfying to the fans is why it was really important to return for the final episodes.”
Nina Dobrev has had some success on the big screen, most notably with Let’s Be Cops (2014) and the action sequel XxX: The Return of Xander Cage (2017), but played supporting roles in these two instances. She’s yet to score a massive hit as the star of a film, though she did earn positive reviews for her turn in the 2021 romantic comedy Love Hard.
Dobrev has shifted focus to activism and charity work
Nina Dobrev has continued to appear in films, but her personal life has taken up most of the spotlight in recent years. She’s been involved with the WE movement, a Canadian-based charity that empowers youths, for over a decade (she hosted WE events in 2011), and she partnered with the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 2019. She also runs a wine brand with dancer Julianne Hough under the name Fresh Vine Wine.
She discussed her passion for charitable organizations during the aforementioned profile with Numero Magazine:
I’m so empathetic and I feel so much that I tend to lend my voice to a lot of different organizations. I feel equally passionate about so many of them. I was bullied growing up, so obviously any kind of organization that teach[es] kids to be a little bit kinder to each other hits close to home for me.”
More recently, Nina Dobrev was involved in a serious biking accident. She posted photos of her hospital stay on Instagram, which saw her don a neckbrace and a knee brace. “I think it’s safe to say my first time on a dirt bike will also be my last,” she wrote on the platform. “I’m okay, but it’s going to be a long road of recovery ahead.”
Numerous celebrities have reached out to show their support for Dobrev, who will next been seen in the comedy film Reunion (she’s already wrapped production). We wish her a speedy recovery.
