Question: At what point are you too old for Christmas morning to be an embarrassment of riches?

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(atlanta, ga; oct. 28, 2011)

Okay, so Nina is not stuff, she is a person, but bear with me — and give me a minute to gush. I’m SO happy today, because I woke up to the news that she was nominated for a People’s Choice Award! This is made even more magical because she wasn’t even on the ballot. Her gazillions of dedicated fans made her the first write-in nominee ever.

I was mad when she wasn’t on the ballot, to be honest. I’m surprised she doesn’t get more awards show love. Given the amount of work she puts into “The Vampire Diaries,” it’s weird that it seems to be the men at her side that get all of the accolades and attention. (Isn’t that just the bitch of it, though? It becomes all about “Team Damon” and “Team Stefan” in the media, and the woman making the choice gets lost in the shuffle.) Nina is incredibly talented. I have moments where I don’t particularly like her character’s choices, but I never have a single moment where Nina’s acting distracts me from a scene. She’s consistently good, and subtle, and she’s amazing at ceding the spotlight to a co-star and letting them shine. That’s one of the most valuable traits in an actor.

In this business you meet a lot of people who put one face forward to the media — they’re all smiles for the camera — and then they turn around and they’re a completely different person behind the curtain. Nina isn’t one of those people. When I have my camera on her, she’s exactly the same as she is hours later at dinner. She’s so genuine. She’ll take the time to record a happy birthday video for a fan after a long night because someone stops her on the street to ask. She’s the kind of person who says thank you when it’s not necessary and she apologizes for things that aren’t her fault, but she’s also the kind of person who isn’t afraid to be blunt when it comes to standing up for a friend or a principle.

Anyway. The point is, I’m a people and I choose Nina and you should, too. The end.