nylon loves nina!

For six epic seasons, Nina Dobrev has given us an insta-excuse to make absolutely zero plans on Thursday nights in favor of staying in on the couch with a bag of popcorn, and of course, The Vampire Diaries. The long-running CW supernatural series may have made her a star, but as our August cover girl tells writer Ashley Baker, she's finding plenty of other roles to sink her teeth into these days.

With The Perks of Being a Wallflower behind her and a handful of movies on the horizon—including the action comedy Let's Be Cops and the horror flick The Final Girls—it's clear the 25-year-old doesn't shy away from reinvention. This is what being an actress is all about, after all, and it's a quality that makes her the perfect fit for our annual denim issue.

You can see Dobrev show off her good genes (sorry, had to!) when the magazine hits newsstands on July 30. But first, get a sneak peek at everyone's favorite vampire cool-girl below. 

On fame:

“People feel like they know you when you’re in their living room, weekly, for five years. But I always get uncomfortable when people know more about me than I know about them.”

On fashion:

“I was not a girly-girl growing up….I liked fashion, but I wasn’t very fashion savvy. I didn’t always have all the best outfits….For a while there, we actually shopped at The Salvation Army.”

On her red carpet persona:

“It doesn’t feel real because I don’t live in that world. When I go to those events, I’m in town specifically for that, and then I leave later that night. I’ve maybe stayed for the after-party once, ever. It still feels like I’m a fan, in a way. A lot of people are very cynical and very jaded, but I’m not there yet.”

On acting in a comedy:

"It’s terrifying. I can get to an emotional place and start crying, but there’s pressure when you think you have to be funny….You really have to be uninhibited and fearless.”