From actor/director Ken Marino, the romantic comedy Dog Days follows an eclectic ensemble of characters, both human and canine, which includes Elizabeth (Nina Dobrev), a focused and determined newscaster who’s learning to navigate single life while dealing with the on-screen chemistry she has with her equally single new co-host, former NFL star Jimmy Johnston (Tone Bell). When Elizabeth begins dating Jimmy and the two go through normal ups-and-downs, she turns to her dog’s therapist (Tig Notaro) for advice. The film also stars Vanessa Hudgens, Adam Pally, Eva Longoria, Rob Corddry, Jon Bass, Thomas Lennon, Tig Notaro, Finn Wolfhard and Ron Cephas Jones.

During this 1-on-1 phone interview with Collider, actress Nina Dobrev talked about her desire to do a sweet movie for the whole family, adopting her own puppy just prior to the shoot, how collaborative director Ken Marino was, trying to keep a straight face during her scenes with Tig Notaro, why her co-star Tone Bell is such a great teammate, re-teaming with him on their new CBS comedy series Fam, how she ended up writing her own script, her desire to voice an animated character, and what she’s most looking forward to with the next xXx film, which is set to shoot later this year.

Collider: This is such a ridiculously sweet movie. Was that part of the appeal of doing something like this, especially when you get to spend time on set, all day, with just the cutest dogs, ever?

NINA DOBREV: That was a huge part of me wanting to be in this movie, yeah. I just also adopted a puppy, maybe three weeks before I read the script. I’m an animal lover, anyway, but on top of that, I had a new puppy, and the movie guaranteed that I would be around puppies all day. It was a no-brainer for me, absolutely.

What kind of personality would you say that your dog has, and what do you think your dog says about you?

DOBREV: I do think that dogs are a reflection of their owners, and Maverick and I are no exception. She is very energetic in the morning, almost a little schizophrenic, and has a lot of energy. And also like me, by the end of the night, gets very, very lethargic and likes to cuddle, and settle with Netflix and just chill. That’s me, to a T.

What’s the craziest thing that you’ve ever gotten or done for your dog?

DOBREV: She’s been on planes since I got her. I feel like Maverick has been on more planes than most humans are. She travels with me, almost everywhere I go.

It seems like this is a set that could have been very chaotic, with all of the dogs running around. What was it like to work with Ken Marino, as a director? Was he able to keep everything pretty well under control with not just the humans, but all of the dogs?

DOBREV: Yeah. Ken was very, very level-headed and calm. He was really cool about ad-libs. It felt like a very collaborative process. He was an amazing director and a very great energy to have on set because it was very relaxed. It didn’t feel like we were working. It felt like we were just having fun, and we truly, truly had a great time making this movie.

This is a character where other people in her life or that are around her, see her as someone who is uptight and solely focused on work. How would you describe her?

DOBREV: Oh, my god, I couldn’t agree more. Watching the film, I was almost annoyed at how uptight my character is, in this movie. I wanted to tell her to loosen up, so I agree with all of her co-workers in the film. That’s why I love my character’s journey so much. From the beginning to the end of the movie, you see her really grow and change, and be influenced by Jimmy’s energy. She ends up becoming a much more relaxed person because of the love that she found with Jimmy, and the love that she got because of her dog, that she wouldn’t have received, if both of their dogs hadn’t connected and allowed for them to connect, too.

Do you think she sees herself as uptight, or do you think she just sees herself as focused and determined?

DOBREV: No, Elizabeth believes that she is just focused and determined. She is a career-driven woman who doesn’t see her own flaws. She’s in her own bubble, obviously. It takes her awhile to realize that she needs to make some changes.

Some of your funniest moments in Dog Days are the ones that you have with Tig Notaro.

DOBREV: Oh, thank you!

What was it like to shoot those dog therapy scenes?

DOBREV: As you can imagine, hilarious and really, really, really hard to keep a straight face with Tig. She has the best poker face of anyone that I’ve ever spoken to, in my entire life, and she’s just naturally so funny and deadpan. It was an absolute pleasure and joy to get to share the scenes with her.

You also have some great moments in this with Tone Bell. How did you find the experience of working with him and finding that chemistry?

DOBREV: We actually met a couple hours before the first scene where our characters meet, so it was a relief that we get along very well. We’re good teammates. That’s probably why we’re doing a TV show together on CBS, as well. The experience on that was really, really easy and seamless, and I learned a lot from him, doing a sitcom. It’s my first sitcom, and this is his first feature film in theaters. I remember him coming to me for tidbits and for advice, so we definitely help each other out and have each other’s backs, at all times.

Was it just completely coincidental that you guys ended up also doing a TV show together?

DOBREV: No. Tone was already cast. I don’t know if he put my name in the hat, but I do know he told them that we had great chemistry, and then they sent scenes from Dog Days to CBS. Once CBS saw our scenes on camera together, it was a done deal after that.

Had you thought about doing a multi-cam comedy and the whole live audience thing before that?

DOBREV: No, honestly, I hadn’t. I’ve always wanted to do theater, and I feel like this is a really great stepping stone to prepare me to do theater, one day, ‘cause it’s in between. Honestly, if it wasn’t Tone, I don’t know if I would have considered it. I just work so well with Tone and have so much fun filming with him. Dog Days didn’t feel like we were at work. It felt like we were just hanging out, and happened to be making some cool, funny stuff.

What are you most enjoying about being a part of Fam?

DOBREV: It was a very scary, different process. Everything changes so quickly and frequently. I feel like we got a different script, every single night. The thing that was the most challenging and most exciting was the fact that I had to be on my toes, not get stuck in my head, and be prepared. I was actually encouraged, once we finished rehearsals, to go home and not think about work and do my own thing, and then come in fresh the next day and not live in the work zone.

The work that you did, over the seasons you were on The Vampire Diaries, showed us all how good you are doing drama. What do you most enjoy about comedy and doing physical comedy? Do you feel like comedy is something that comes naturally for you, or do you feel like you’ve worked really hard at it?

DOBREV: I’ve always enjoyed comedies and I’ve always wanted to be in comedies, but I know that not many people have seen me in that genre. It’s not the first thing that people think of me for, so I don’t usually get offers in comedies. But if you know me personally, you know that whether it’s on purpose or not, I stumble and fall. Even if I’m in running shoes or barefoot, I still manage to trip on my own feet. I’m clumsy, and I will do anything and everything for a joke because I am self-deprecating and don’t really take myself too seriously.

You posted on Instagram that you’ve also written a movie, which is very cool. How did that happen? Was that something you’d been wanting to do for awhile?

DOBREV: No, actually. I came up with an idea and we were gonna hire a writer to do it, and then the girls and I just decided, “Why don’t we give it a shot? If it sucks, then it’ll be a great base for somebody else to take it and turn it into an awesome movie. And if it doesn’t suck, then we’ve made something cool.” And so, we started writing it and finished it, pretty shortly after. We felt good about it, and now we have a feature film.

What can you say about that script and the story that you’re telling?

DOBREV: I can’t right now, really. I’m not allowed to talk about it. It’s a rom-com. That’s all I can say. It’s a raunchy rom-com.

Do you feel like you already learned a lot from having a reading of the script and hearing other people read it?

DOBREV: Yes, we had a really great table read and we learned a lot from it. We learned about some strengths and weaknesses, and things that we wanted to change or lean into more. It definitely became much more real, when we had live humans saying the words, instead of just us joking in a quiet, closed room, full of wine.

You’ve done a lot of different types of roles, in your career. Do you have desire to voice a character for an animated movie?

DOBREV: I would absolutely love to, yeah. I am a big fan of all Pixar and DreamWorks movies, and any animated film, really. I’m a big animation dork, so I would love to have that opportunity. I did do a voice in the Madagascar Christmas movie (Merry Madagascar), but it was so small. I had such a fun time on that, but I would love to do something more impactful and larger, in the future.

What are you most excited about with the next xXx film and getting to return to that character?

DOBREV: I’m just excited to reprise that role. I felt like it was a small little tidbit, but there’s so much more behind Becky. I’ve read little bits and pieces of the next script, and what I get to do in the next one is even more exciting for me, so I’m just really looking forward to getting to go on that journey again with everyone.

When do you start shooting that?

DOBREV: The first day of production is slated to be at the end of November, if all goes well.

Those movies need really cool female characters, and your character was a real surprise, in the last one.

DOBREV: Thank you! I agree, and I promise, whatever I can do on my end, I will deliver that exact thing. Between all of the other characters, there are a lot of great female roles in this next film.

Dog Days is now playing in theaters.