strawberries

Crystal Reed portraits for Build Series Studio.

I could fall in love with a supernatural creature because I think it’s hot having super powers and being a little bit of a badass. 

Crystal Reed photographed by Ashley Barrett 2017.

What are some of the places that have changed your life? Bali would probably be the number one. The spiritual energy that surrounds it is palpable. It’s also very rough and raw. Parts of it are built up and parts are very deconstructed and it just feels like you’ve gone back in time. There’s serenity about the water and air and the culture. I just really, really loved Bali. After that I love Tokyo. The energy in Tokyo is very different than in Bali. It’s very high-energy, a lot of people, a lot of clutter, but there’s so much visual stimulus everywhere. Then of course China. I’ve been to Beijing and Shanghai a few times for work and everybody there is so passionate too. And talking about culture, it’s very different as well.

Nina Dobrev at the HFPA and InStyle Celebrate 75th Anniversary of the Golden Globes in Los Angeles on November 15, 2017. 

I used to eat three full meals and then I would not be able to move after each meal. I would be so full and tired. Now, I eat all the time but portion control is what’s important for me—I’m eating more in total but not more at a time. Lissa coached me through it, but basically, I aim to have the size of my thumb in fat, the size of my palm in protein, and then unlimited veggies. I wish I’d learned this in school.

“Music is a big part of my training and my life. Before I had a trainer I would go to the gym and go on the treadmill and whenever it was the chorus I would sprint and whenever it was not the chorus I would just jog. If there’s a beat I can usually get into a groove and sense what’s happening and if something burns I just plow through it because the music is what drives me.”

You’re on People’s Most Beautiful list, and constantly get named on Maxim and FHM’s lists. But you stand for so much more than just external beauty… It’s so not real—that’s the scariest part. And now we have apps that can Photoshop anything and everything, which puts out an image that’s not realistic. Young girls see this image and think that’s what they should be and that’s how they should wake up. That was one of the main reasons that I wanted to be a part of that issue [People’s Most Beautiful] and especially proud to represent the section [with no makeup on]. I don’t wear makeup on a daily basis. I try to reflect that on my social media, too. When I do Instagram stories, I’m not all dolled up and glamorous, it’s a peek into my day-to-day life, which is kind of normal and average. I get pimples and zits all the time and I deal with them just like anybody else, with zit cream. Sometimes I walk out of the house with the zit cream and forget about it. And that’s just life, it’s unpredictable and awkward and we all feel insecure all the time but that’s completely normal and okay and everybody has good days and bad days. It’s especially important now to show young girls that and to make them aware that they are perfect exactly the way they are.

Nina Dobrev visits ‘Extra’ at Universal Studios Hollywood on December 15, 2017 in Universal City, California.

Nina Dobrev visits ‘Extra’ at Universal Studios Hollywood on December 15, 2017 in Universal City, California.

Favorite candids of 2017: Nina Dobrev

Nina Dobrev and Michael Trevino out and about in Aspen // December 28, 2017