'Gossip Girl' Casting Director Recalls Nina Dobrev Auditioning For The Spinoff

Nina Dobrev matches her black mask to a black biker jacket while out to dinner on Tuesday night (February 1) in Los Angeles.

The 33-year-old actress paired her cool jacket with a pair of bright red pants, and was seen heading to the valet after a meal out with friends at Craig’s.

In a recent interview, Gossip Girl casting director David Rapaport revealed that Nina once auditioned for the spinoff centered on Serena’s mom, Lily van der Woodsen, and they were bummed that they couldn’t cast her in the role.

“You know who did the best read for that? I’ll tell you, because I think you’re friends with Nina Dobrev, that was one of the best auditions I had ever seen, and for that role specifically,” he shared with Jessica Szohr on her new podcast, XOXO.

David said he called the network and told them, “She is a super star, [but] she does not look like Kelly Rutherford, because she was supposed to be a young Kelly Rutherford, so I don’t know how we would cast her, but she needs to be on your radar and you guys need to find something for her.”

“I just remember thinking, ‘I am going to think about this girl in a couple of years and be like, ‘Oh god, I missed that opportunity.’ She was so incredible!”