Nina Dobrev Forgot She Auditioned For 'Gossip Girl' Spin-Off And Almost Got Role

Nina Dobrev has admitted that she forgot she had auditioned for a role in a "Gossip Girl" spinoff until she recently saw reports about it.

Dobrev, 33, recently spoke with Us Weekly after the premiere of her directorial debut short film, "The One" at the Mammoth Film Festival in Mammoth Lakes, California. During the interview, she revealed that she had a hard time recalling that she auditioned for the role of a young Lily van der Woodsen.

"To be honest with you, when I saw that headline and I clicked on it … I didn't remember it," the "Vampire Diaries" star told the outlet Friday. "And then I read it in-depth and remembered. [The articles] jogged my memory. And I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s right. I did audition for that. That did happen."

The "Love Hard" actress didn't get the role but wasn't too upset about the rejection because she "fully understood" why the part didn't go to her.

"And I think I even remember when they sent me the audition and I was like, 'I'm never gonna get this. I don't look like [Kelly Rutherford],' but I did it anyway," Dobrev added.

Dobrev opened up about the matter after "Gossip Girl" casting director David Rapaport revealed that the actress showed an impressive performance when she auditioned for the role and was nearly cast as a teenage Lily.

"You know who did the best read for that? I'll tell you, because I think you're friends with Nina Dobrev," Rapaport told Dobrev's pal and "Gossip Girl" alum Jessica Szohr on Wednesday's episode of her "XOXO" podcast. "That was one of the best auditions I had ever seen, and for that role specifically."

Rapaport said he rooted for Dobrev, telling the network: "'She is a superstar, [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.'"

The casting director, who also saw Dakota Johnson and Rooney Mara for the part, recalled thinking following Dobrev's audition, "I am going to think about this girl in a couple of years and be like, 'Oh god, I missed that opportunity,'" adding that the actress was "so incredible."

The spinoff, titled "Valley Girls," never happened, but the role went to Brittany Snow. She played a young Lily in a backdoor episode of "Gossip Girl" that aired toward the end of Season 2 in 2009.