Although Nina Dobrev is happily in love and is currently dating Olympic snowboarder Sean White, she has certainly had other high-profile relationships since her days when she co-starred in The Vampire Diaries. But in this case we are not talking about Ian Somerhalder, because the actress recently talked about the romantic relationship she was in when she got the role of Elena Gilbert, and that this clearly should not have been.
Nina Dobrev was the last guest on the iHeart Radio XOXO podcast with Jessica Zor, hosted by a CW veteran at one time on Gossip Girl. The actresses chatted about their time online, about Dobrev’s upcoming projects, about their lifelong friendship and, of course, about The Vampire Diaries. When the topic of auditions came up, Zor asked about how Dobrev passed chemistry when it came to the difficult process of choosing the main male roles of a supernatural drama. Dobrev discussed the meeting with potential Damons and Stephans and explained that her boyfriend at that time even auditioned for the role of Damon, but he was not Ian Somerhalder:
So I was the choice, but then they auditioned all these guys and we thought we got close to a bunch of them. Actually, oddly enough, I was dating one of them; one of the Damons was my boyfriend at the time. And then they were going to choose him, but in the end they didn’t choose him, they chose me. Then it got awkward, and we broke up.
Despite the fact that in theory, auditioning with a significant other may seem pretty wonderful, it doesn’t take much imagination to imagine how things can get really awkward if one gets the role and the other doesn’t. Nina Dobrev did not tell if she and her ex got along after this breakup, but it’s safe to assume that even friendship could be awkward. Despite the heartache at the time, in the end, everything worked out for Dobrev, and she began hosting one of the most popular shows on the CW.
Despite the fact that Nina Dobrev’s boyfriend did not pass the casting at that time, fans probably do not regret it. Damon Salvatore didn’t have the best reputation, although viewers still love and adore him to this day, and Ian Somerhalder admitted in 2021 that fans’ love for the toxic vampire caused problems at the beginning of the show, as he was supposed to be the key villain. It’s hard to say if that would have been the case with another actor in the role, but there’s no need to be surprised, given how it ended.
One of the most beloved elements in the Vampire Diaries is the relationship of the characters, whether it’s Delena, Stelena or even the “totally screwed up” couple Claroline. Since the TVD universe is currently complete after the end of Legacy, it may be some time before we are reunited with our beloved couples again.
Meanwhile, Nina Dobrev is now quite happy with the current beau Sean White. The two have been dating since 2019, and although it started with a little bruising of White’s ego when he belatedly realized how famous Dobrev was, it seems they were nothing but happy memories. She even said a few warm words to her boyfriend after his last Olympic race earlier this year, and that was enough to excite anyone.
Relive Elena’s stormy love triangle with the Salvatore brothers by revising The Vampire Diaries in full with a Netflix subscription!
