Canadian actress and former "Degrassi: The Next Generation" star Nina Dobrev is about to take a bite out of primetime in "Vampire Diaries," a dark new drama with a supernatural twist.

The series follows Elena Gilbert (Dobrev), a girl who returns to school after dealing with the loss of her parents, and suddenly finds herself as the object of affection by the mysterious Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley).

However, Stefan is troubled by the presence of his evil brother Damon, played by Ian Somerhalder, who is best known as Boone from "Lost." What Elena doesn't know is Stefan is a vampire trying his best to reject his lethal instincts, while protecting his friends from his ravenous brother.

Fans of "Twilight" may notice an eerie similarity between the recent sensation and this show, but "Diaries" is no rip-off: The "Vampire Diaries" TV series is based on a book trilogy written by L.J. Smith, originally published in 1991.

With "Vampire Diaries" being her first big role on a TV series outside of "Degrassi," Dobrev tells CTV.ca that she's learned to rely on her co-stars for guidance.

"I feel like I trust them a lot to give me advice and mentor me," says Dobrev. "We lean on each other. We hang out a lot, I feel like they are my brothers in a weird kind of way."

While the pilot episode of "Vampire Diaries" was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, the production has since made an unusual move south of the border to Atlanta. After the cast and crew uprooted to a new locale, Dobrev says living in a new place has made her closer friends with her cast-mates.

"We hang out a lot... I feel like they are my brothers in a weird kind of way," says the young actress. "They're so professional and wonderful and perfect for their roles."

The 20-year-old confesses that she's only recently learned about the connection between vampire myths and her east European birthplace, Bulgaria, but says she loves the immortal, unchanging aspects of the vampire story.

"Not matter what happened in the world, what wars go on, or what changes, vampires don't. They are timeless, they see it all and they learn from it, and they are worldly because of it... I think that's awesome," says Dobrev.

"The prospect of living and seeing everything is just so wonderful. I'm always trying to learn things, and I feel like they must be the most educated, most sophisticated creatures if they existed... that's what they would be to me."

And as for Dobrev's biggest vampire inspiration?

"'Interview with a Vampire' is probably my all-time favourite. Aside from Brad Pitt being as gorgeous as he is, it's such an awesome movie and that's where I get my love for the genre from."

"Vampire Diaries" premieres Thursday, Sept. 10 at 8 / 7C on CTV, and moves to 7 beginning Sept. 24.

Four prequel webisodes, along with a special sneak peek of the series, are also available online at Watch.CTV.ca.