After six years of playing Elena Gilbert on CW's "The Vampire Diaries," actress Nina Dobrev is ready for a new beginning.
The 26-year-old actress, who revealed she would not be returning for season seven back in April, opened up to Self Magazine about leaving behind the show that launched her career and saying goodbye to the people who have become her "family" over the last six years.
"I've loved working on this show. It's been such a crazy, awesome adventure, and I've been surrounded by so many people who I consider family," the actress told the magazine for its June cover story. "I know this is a new exciting step in the right direction for me, but it's going to be so strange not to be with them."
Dobrev, whose final episode airs this Thursday, said that shooting her final scenes for the show was "epic and powerful," adding, "I feel like I'm a completely different person than I was and I've grown so much. It's been a big part of my life, and I want it to be beautiful. I want it to end well."
As she says goodbye to her TV character, the former "Degrassi" star admits that she is "ready to put up that fight again" when it comes to auditioning for new roles, and she is "excited" to do so.
The Bulgarian-born actress, who grew up in Canada, is also getting ready to hit the road on her first cross-country road trip with six friends.
"There are no hotel reservations, no real plans," she said. "Just six people, three vehicles, two in each car."
The season finale of "The Vampire Diaries" will air Thursday.
