Nina Dobrev Reflects on Lessons Learned Doing Degrassi: The Next Generation

Nina Dobrev rose to stardom following her role as Mia Jones in Degrassi: The Next Generation revival TV series. Dobrev reflected on the role, noting how lucky she was and how much of a foundation it was for her.

Speaking to ComingSoon, Dobrev revealed that she was “very naive” at the time while starring in the show and that she’s able to look back now and realize how lucky she was for the “mini bootcamp” experience in acting.

“I was very naive and didn’t really realize how lucky I was at the time,” said Dobrev. “But it was kind of like a mini bootcamp in a way. I was so green. I was so new. I really didn’t know what a mark was, or where to stand, or what eyelines were, where to look… how to do anything, really!”

Dobrev’s time on Degrassi helped form a big foundation for her

Dobrev also said that her time on the show was big because it taught her “everything” and gave her a great foundation for her future acting career.

“I learned everything on that show. It taught me and gave me that foundation — and that experience — on set that I needed to later lead a show of my own,” Dobrev said. “I don’t think I would’ve been able to do it or do it as well as I did. I think I would’ve been a lot more overwhelmed if I hadn’t had that prior experience.”

Dobrev starred in the series from 2006 to 2009 and was a recurring character in Season 6 before becoming a main character for Seasons 7 and 8. Degrassi: The Next Generation was a revival of the Degrassi Junior High series that aired from 1987 to 1989 and from 2001 to 2009.