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Elena Gilbert is a fictional character and protagonist from the The Vampire Diaries series of novels. In the television series of the same name set in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, she is portrayed by Nina Dobrev. In the books, Elena was blonde, popular, selfish and a "mean girl". However the show's producers, Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson, felt that it wasn't the right direction they wanted to go with their heroine in The Vampire Diaries television series. Instead, her "dark side" didn't exist, and she was nice, relatable and "the girl next door". Much of Elena's story revolves around her relationships with vampires, Stefan Salvatore and his brother, Damon. It is revealed that Elena is a Petrova Doppelgänger, meaning she is identical to an ancestor, Katherine Pierce (née Petrova), making her a supernatural creature. Dobrev portrayed the "conniving" Katherine as well, who is opposite to Elena. The actress stated that it has been a challenge distinguishing the two, and enjoys playing them both. In the television series' season 4, Elena transitions into a vampire.

On March 9, 2009, it was announced that Bulgaria-born Canadian actress Nina Dobrev, known for her portrayal of Mia Jones on Degrassi: The Next Generation, had joined the cast of The Vampire Diaries as Elena. She was the second cast member to be announced following Steven R. McQueen, who plays Elena's brother Jeremy Gilbert. Steve West Cinema Blend said "The vampires’ battle over Elena will wreak havoc on the entire town, which sounds like someone is trying to make this more appealing than it actually will be".

Dobrev said that after reading the script, she was drawn to Elena because she was "this average girl who was damaged in many ways". Dobrev stated that she changes her appearance to distinguish Elena from her doppelganger, Katherine; "Changing my hair helps me transform," she told Glamour. Additionally, she said "I think I have one of the coolest characters on the show — I get to play two completely different people on opposite sides of the spectrum and I just have so much fun doing it".

In the books, Elena is "one of the popular girls" at her high school who always gets "anything she wants". Executive producer of the television show, Julie Plec, said Elena from the books was "really kind of selfish". In The Vampire Diaries, Elena's "dark side" from the books as a human was never explored, because it "didn't ever feel like a characteristic" the show wanted for their heroine. In the books, Elena had blonde hair, but has brown hair in the television show. Describing Elena from the books, Dobrev said she is "one of those mean girls that gets what she wants, popular . . . and she's blonde and blue eyed". Williamson told her that "the angle we wanted to go for was the relatable, nice, girl next door, who the audience roots for".

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