Actress Nina Dobrev gained international recognition for her role as Elena Gilbert in the CW show The Vampire Diaries. Based on a series of novels by LJ Smith, the show had a cult-like fanbase throughout its eight-season run and even spawned two spin-off series titled The Originals and Legacies.
Dobrev was still an up-and-comer in 2009 when she was cast as Elena. Recently, reports claimed that the actress was arrested for indecent behavior along with co-stars Sara Canning, Kayla Ewell, Krystal Vayda, and Candice Accola. However, the allegations have now been debunked.
Before Nina Dobrev became a household name for playing Nina Dobrev, and her doppelganger Katherine Pierce, she was still an upcoming actress. She gained a bit of recognition for her role as Mia in the Canadian teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation. After appearing in a few films, she was cast in The Vampire Diaries, where she lasted six seasons as the protagonist. She left the show in 2015.
The actress has claimed that she was shocked by the overwhelming reactions and fanfare she received for the show. Talking about the Vampire Diaries fandom, she once said,
"…it was pretty wild. I think I did have a little bit of a transition. I was lucky in that way because I was on a TV show in Canada from when I was 15 until 19, and it had some success, but not the level of success that 'Vampire Diaries' did. So I sort of gradually built up to that, I guess."
However, she also mentioned how she grew throughout the show and how being in the public eye taught her about herself. The actress received a lot of love from the fans, especially during Comic-Con, which explains why the Internet was shocked when news came out of her arrest back in 2009.
In September 2009, the Atlantic Journal-Constitution reported that stars of the CW show The Vampire Diaries were arrested after numerous complaints from drivers on the I-75 highway in Georgia. It was reported that actors Nina Dobrev, Sara Canning, Kayla Ewell, Krystal Vayda, and Candice Accola were allegedly exposing themselves to drivers and were reportedly 'hanging from the bridge'.
A spokeswoman for the local county Sherriff said,
"They were flashing drivers, hanging over the bridge. One girl was holding another girl's ankles and hanging her over the bridge like she was going to drop her."
The police came to the scene after multiple 911 calls. Noted photographer Tyler Shields was also allegedly present and was conducting a photo shoot, which the actors cited as the reason for their behavior. Mug shots of the four actresses also started making the rounds.
However, recently, TV writer Pop Crave debunked some of the allegations, saying that the police misheard the complaints from drivers. According to Pop Crave, the alleged ‘flashing’ was actually a camera flash, and that the police misinterpreted this to be indecent exposure.
