Nina Dobrev was cast as Elena Gilbert in The Vampire Diaries TV show, but she looks drastically different from the Elena of the book series.
The Vampire Diaries TV show completely changed the appearance of Elena Gilbert as described in the books. In the book series, protagonist Elena is described as having blonde hair and blue eyes. In fact, natural blonde Ashlee Simpson was the CW’s first choice for the lead role. Many actresses ultimately auditioned, including brown-eyed, brown-haired Nina Dobrev.
Dobrev actually failed her first audition for Elena because she was sick. The Vampire Diaries co-creator Julie Plec told Entertainment Weekly, “None of us remembered seeing her for the first time.” Feeling she didn’t perform her best and really wanting the part, Dobrev sent in a second audition. Plec called this one “magical” and “so perfect,” and Dobrev won the role. But it was more than Dobrev’s stellar second audition that led to a brunette actress being cast as Elena.
The Vampire Diaries Wanted Nina Dobrev’s Elena To Be More Relatable
Plec’s co-creator Kevin Williamson wanted The Vampire Diaries’ on-screen Elena Gilbert to be more relatable to audiences than the book’s blonde bombshell. Dobrev said of her appearance compared to the book’s version of Elena, “Kevin specifically told me that the angle we wanted to go for was the relatable, nice, girl next door who the audience roots for. So he made a conscious decision to change that.” (via Looper)
Brown hair and brown eyes are more associated with the “girl next door” archetype than blonde hair and blue eyes. And since they are more common traits, theoretically they help more viewers put themselves in Elena’s shoes. However, despite the explanation for the changes, The Vampire Diaries readers weren’t initially convinced of Dobrev’s casting for Elena.
Vampire Diaries’ Elena Change Caused Early Backlash
It was hard for fans to change their mental image of the character, especially amidst all the differences between The Vampire Diaries TV show and books. These include Bonnie’s appearance, Caroline being Elena’s friend instead of enemy, and Elena having a brother instead of a sister. Dobrev’s casting also meant Elena’s doppelganger Katherine was changed. In the books Katherine is German, but in the show, she’s Bulgarian, matching Dobrev’s own ancestry.
Even The Vampire Diaries author L.J. Smith was initially thrown off by Dobrev’s casting, but Dobrev won her over. Smith told MTV News, “I really, really like the Elena that they picked, Nina Dobrev. Even though she’s brunette, and not blonde, which took some getting used to for me because in the book she’s blonde, she’s a great actress.” Like Smith, readers eventually got used to seeing Dobrev as Elena. Her acting in The Vampire Diaries, particularly when she portrayed both Elena and Katherine in scenes, was praised by both viewers and critics.
