Nina Dobrev lives a busy, unconventional life. Whether that’s starring in the new Netflix comedy The Out-Laws or promoting her line of clean wines with bestie Julianne Hough, it’s not always easy to keep people close. That’s why the actress says “the best form of connection for me are the people who are most understanding of the weird lifestyle I have.”
“My best friends are the ones where you might go a few months without seeing each other, but when you do click back together, it’s like no time has passed,” she explains. “I rely on my family and my dog, who is my best friend because I see them most frequently.”
As much love as she gives Maverick — she even partnered with Milk-Bone on a new fashion line with streetwear brand OnlyNY (chic!) — Dobrev says she also feels most herself when she’s prioritizing self-care.
“It’s important,” she explains. “That includes going to yoga or for a run or having an at-home mat set up to sweat or go on a bike ride. I take time for me that’s not about my work or the people in my life. It’s important to carve it out, and that’s been really important for my mental health.”
Dobrev started her career on Canadian teen drama Degrassi (which also boasts alum like Drake) and followed that up by playing another teen on The Vampire Diaries, where (spoiler alert) she eventually played a character who stopped aging entirely. Still, she says she doesn’t feel too pressured by the passing of time — even if, at 34, she’s been “forced to think about” getting older.
“I feel so young at heart, that when you said 34, I was like, ‘Who are you talking about? Certainly not me,’” she says. “Aging happens to everyone, and hopefully, you can do it with grace. That’s why you get bangs — so when you start getting wrinkles, you can’t see them as well.”
Unlike many stars, who stay mum when rumors of plastic surgery arise on social media, Dobrev recently hit back at claims that she got eyelid surgery. On Penn Badgley’s podcast Podcrushed earlier this month, she told the hosts about the strange experience of finding a TikTok of a plastic surgeon insisting she had gotten something done.
“I didn’t have anything to hide, and I was annoyed, because I was reading these things that were not true,” she explains of what caused her to speak out. “Aging is a natural part of life. It’s going to happen to all of us.”
