Elena Gilbert is a fictional character and protagonist from The Vampire Diaries (novel series). In The Vampire Diaries 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.