Nina Dobrev on Love Hard, Dating Advice and TikTok’s Viral #ElenaCore Trend

Let’s cease with the relationship app thirst traps. This isn’t simply me speaking — take it from Nina Dobrev, who typically finds herself working behind the scenes on her buddies’ profiles.

Throughout our video name, the Canadian actor and former FASHION cowl star shares that she’s by no means made an internet relationship account for herself, however she’s drafted messages and curated photograph picks for a lot of of her buddies. “We’ve got too many shirtless selfies, like, we’ve bought to slim this down,” is a typical critique she provides to her man buddies whereas inspecting their profiles. “No lady actually cares that a lot.” (Thanks, Nina, for doing the Lord’s work.)

Constructed on the muse of judging somebody by their look, it’s no secret that relationship apps could make it arduous to kind real connections. That is the premise of Dobrev’s newest movie, Love Arduous. The Netflix authentic, launched on November 5, is a traditional Christmas romcom with a contemporary twist. It follows Dobrev as Natalie Bauer, an LA-based journalist who has chronically dangerous luck with relationship apps. After lastly swiping proper on the proper man, she flies out to his hometown to shock him in individual. However as soon as she arrives, Natalie is confronted with everybody’s worst on-line relationship nightmare: she’s been catfished. The man she thought she was assembly, Tag (By no means Have I Ever‘s Darren Barnet), is definitely the childhood pal of the individual behind the profile, Josh (Jimmy O. Yang). The film follows Natalie as she tries to search out love whereas staying together with her catfisher for the vacations. Enjoyable!

“The entire theme within the film that I liked and wished to discover extra is that perfection is one thing that we’re all searching for, but when we stopped for a second to take a look at ourselves and notice that we’re flawed, then we’d be extra forgiving of different folks’s flaws,” says Dobrev. “When you focus extra on connection as a substitute of the floor degree issues, then it’s not about discovering the proper individual, it’s about discovering the proper match for you.”

Set throughout Christmas time, and in a COVID-free world, Love Arduous is a lighthearted, cozy watch. In true vacation spirit, there’s carolling, tree adorning and an ongoing debate as as to if or not Die Arduous is a Christmas film — Dobrev votes no, however we forgive her. The actor says her go-to vacation movie is the untraditional Tim Burton flick The Nightmare Earlier than Christmas (daring choose!). She’s additionally a giant fan of The Grinch. “I feel I identical to actually flawed characters that undergo journeys, be taught classes and turn into higher folks,” she says.

Love Arduous faucets into how the looks-based mannequin of on-line relationship can really feel like a reputation contest. On the identical time, it leaves viewers with a query of ethics, by casting a sympathetic mild on catfishing. Josh, the catfisher in query, is a candy, understated man who’s been handed over by the folks in his life. His backstory is value sympathizing with, however that doesn’t negate how insidious on-line deception might be. It begs the query: Is catfishing a forgivable crime? Dobrev says it relies upon.

“Beginning on a basis of lies shouldn’t be a great way to start out any relationship,” she explains. “However clearly, you perceive Josh’s plight, as he goes on and also you be taught extra about him as to why it occurred. So it’s arduous to generalize. It’s not black or white.”

In Love Arduous, we see Nina Dobrev as a career-oriented skilled. It’s a definitive switch-up from her most well-known position within the supernatural teenage drama The Vampire Diaries, which is now experiencing a cultural revival due to TikTok. Years after the present’s finish, followers are recreating the outfits of TVD’s protagonist, Dobrev’s Elena Gilbert. Elena’s outfits stayed constant regardless of the chaos round her, reliably sporting low-rise denims, lengthy fitted t-shirts and converse. Easy and unspecial because it was, the 2010s type sparks a way of nostalgia amongst its followers, who dubbed the style pattern “Elena Core.”

“I had no thought. That’s actually flattering and funky,” says Dobrev in response to the pattern. Wanting again, she didn’t notice her character’s unassuming style sense would later reckon such a cult following. “I felt good within the garments I used to be sporting as a result of I did have a say in her wardrobe. However I don’t know that I might have thought-about [her a] type icon on the time, as a result of it was fairly easy.” With two (very enticing) vampire brothers always combating over her, love got here nearly too straightforward to Elena Gilbert. However Love Arduous’s Natalie Bauer, alternatively, has no such luck. Dobrev says it’s as a result of her expectations are set too excessive. “She wasn’t good, however she was anticipating perfection.”

In reality, we’re all just a little dishonest with regards to relationship, even when it’s not intentional. “You’re at all times placing out the real-life Instagram-curated model of your self — that’s why they name it a ‘honeymoon part,’ since you’re sitting up just a little bit straighter and also you’re laughing just a little tougher on the jokes, ” says Dobrev. “The objective is to fulfill somebody in probably the most unassuming atmosphere if you find yourself simply who you’re, after which your associate [falls] in love with that model of you first. That’s the perfect scenario, however relationship apps make that basically arduous these days.”

What’s Dobrev’s recommendation for on-line relationship? Cease attempting so arduous, basically. “Make it actual, as a substitute of a curated Instagram expertise,” she says, including that folks ought to incorporate their personalities into their profiles. “I don’t suppose it ought to be all skilled images, I don’t suppose it ought to be all selfies, I feel there must be a mixture. And, yeah, we do wish to see what you’re working with beneath the neck too,” she laughs. “It doesn’t need to be bare — I simply imply seeing a normal determine is sweet.”

Most significantly, be you. “At one level or one other, you’ll meet these folks in individual, and they’re going to get to know that facet of you,” says Dobrev. “So why waste your time texting and calling after which delaying the inevitable in case you’re placing out one thing that’s false?”

The submit Nina Dobrev on <em>Love Arduous</em>, Relationship Recommendation and TikTok’s Viral #ElenaCore Pattern appeared first on FASHION Journal.

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