For some fans, Nina Dobrev will always be Elena Gilbert from The Vampire Diaries. That's just the way it is. Dobrev is famous for starring as the character, and she always will, until she plays another beloved character, which still hasn't happened yet. Despite how well Dobrev did on TVD, she hasn't really had too many great roles since volunteering to leave after season six. We all thought her career would skyrocket after having success on the hit CW show, but that doesn't seem to be the case. However, she does still have an impressive net worth and other means of income besides acting. She just has to remember not to spend it just as fast as she earns it.
Nina Dobrev Is Worth Millions
Dobrev is worth $11 million. Most of that wealth came from her time on TVD. Before debuting as Elena, Dobrev starred in several Degrassi projects opposite Drake. During her time on TVD, she starred in a couple of minor roles in films like The Roommate and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
This seemed to insinuate that Dobrev would have an even more impressive career once her days as Elena were up. That's not exactly what happened. After a disastrous three-year relationship with co-star Ian Somerhalder, Dobrev realized that she didn't want to be on the show that made her famous anymore. She announced that the sixth season of TVD would be her last. If Dobrev thought she'd be better off moving on to bigger and better things, she was wrong. Bigger and better things never happened.
Coming out of TVD in 2015, Dobrev did have three roles lined up, but in low-budget films, The Final Girls, Arrivals, and Crash Pad. In 2017, she had a role in The Flatliners, but the film wasn't well received. The following year she was cast in the CBS sitcom Fam, which was canceled after one season. After all these roles and having little success, it became evident that Dobrev's net worth was about to change, and for the worst. According to Seventeen, Dobrev reportedly received $40,000 an episode while playing Elena on TVD. That income was no more.
When acting isn't going well for her, Dobrev makes money from her sponsorships with Dior. "It has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, but the reality of joining the family has been even more beautiful than I could have ever imagined," she said. She also likes to work with her various charities, was an executive producer for the film Fin, and owns a wine company called Fresh Vine Wine with her best friend, Julianne Hough.
How Does Dobrev Spend Her Millions?
The biggest thing that Dobrev has bought is her 1929-year-old Spanish-style, four-bed bungalow situated in West Hollywood. Dobrev modernized the home with designer Consort Design, an L.A. design team created by MyDomaine’s former editorial director Mat Sanders and his partner Brandon Quattrone. They kept the home's historical integrity intact while giving it unique modern touches.
"I gravitate toward open, spacious homes," Dobrev told My Domaine. "Light and bright is my favorite aesthetic. Maintaining the original character and history of the space was important. A house has a soul and a journey. I’m just a small step and a passenger on the path of this home. It has good energy. You can feel that people have lived here. There is a Zen vibe."
Dobrev kept original aspects of the home like the crown molding and archways but made it more open and "Zen," as she says. Covering most of the walls is the original commissioned works from New York City street artist Bradley Theodore, who Dobrev messaged on social media to collaborate.
Other than that, Dobrev spends a lot of money on traveling the world. Nicki Swift reports that Dobrev likes to do many outdoor activities like "rock climbing, swimming amongst sharks, parachuting out of a plane, wakeboarding, hoverboarding over water, and bungee jumping."
"Every cell in your body is like, 'Why would you do this?'" Dobrev told Harper's Bazaar. "Unlike skydiving, you can see the rocks clearly and imagine what would happen if you went splat." During her time on TVD, Dobrev also went backpacking through Europe and Asia alone. "Nobody imagines me to be by myself backpacking, so they just think, 'It can't be her,'" she said.
However, as a child, Dobrev's family did not have much money. They used to shop at the Salvation Army, but Dobrev used to tell people she was wearing Versace. "As a kid I remember not having new clothes," Dobrev told InStyle. "We would shop at Value Village, which is kind of like Salvation Army. My mom nicknamed it Versace, so if anyone asked, we would say we went to Versace."
Now, Dobrev has enough money to wear Versace. Although we don't think she's too much of a spender, given her upbringing. She'd take a nice hike in the Alps over a fancy dress any day.