The Insider.com

I'm a massive Vampire Diaries fan, so it says a lot about Nina Dobrev's emerging sense of style that the first thing I wanted to talk about with her was the insanely gorgeous gown she rocked at Monday night's MET Gala! But that style infatuation doesn't mean all things Mystic Falls were discarded -- far from it, in fact!

• May 11, 2012Is Your Favorite TV Show Coming Back?
• May 11, 2012'Undercover Boss' Gets Hazed By Employees
• May 10, 2012'Fringe' Star Tackles The Tonys!
• May 10, 2012'True Blood' Reveals Russell!
• May 10, 2012Joss Whedon Reveals His 10 Favorite 'Buffy' Eps
• May 10, 2012TV's Hottest Stars Party It Up

The endlessly talented actress revealed a few interesting season finale tidbits, but what I found even more exciting were her hopes for a fourth season!

Insider.com: Your MET Gala gown was insanity. Do you have a fashion philosophy or is it a gut thing?
Nina Dobrev: A little bit of both – the thing about style it that it's interpretive. It's not like math where you do an equation and there's a correct answer. Fashion is about collaboration, interpretation, opinion and that's specifically what The MET Ball is about. It's all about celebrating design and these style statements. I have a lot of people I look to for advice because I am starting out – I'm not some all-knowing guru. I have mentors and a great stylist, but at the end of the day, I have to make sure I feel good in it otherwise people will see I'm not comfortable.

PICS - Nina's Killer MET Gala Gown

Insider: What was it about this particular Donna Karan gown you adored?
Nina: Donna and I have a great relationship from The Emmys last year and she invited me to be her guest, which is really cool. Ilaria [Urbinati], my stylist, loves movies – especially Great Expectations with Gwyneth Paltrow and Donna designed everything she wore in the movie. So we were inspired by that and there was this one epic dress in the film, so we came up with this dress, which was a version of that dress but for today. I got to meet Gwyneth at the event and told her all about it, which was really cool.

VIDEO - Joseph Morgan on Killing Klaus

Insider: OK, switching gears to Vampire Diaries. I know season two was really tough on you because of playing two roles. Was it nice to get back to mostly just playing Elena?
Nina: Yes! I definitely was very happy about that. After season two we all agreed that it was a little too much in terms of schedule and working and trying to sustain my sanity [laughs]. I need to survive the run of the show so it's important that I sleep more than 3 hours a night.

Insider: What did you enjoy about Elena's journey this year?
Nina: You saw just how much she became a woman this season. She really grew and matured. The finale is all about that. You see the journey she's gone on – from before the vampires came into her life until now. You see very clearly how much can change in a split second. We see her parents and how simple and happy Elena was before vampires came into her life. That makes everything that happens so much more gut-wrenching.

RELATED - Michael Trevino Teases Shocking Finale

Insider: This is a much different version of Elena -- before the sadness, some might say. Did you enjoy bringing that side of her to life?
Nina: Being so carefree and happy as Elena was fun to play. I mean, my body has changed so I didn't fit into the cheerleading outfit from season one [laughs].

Insider: So much of the first three seasons has been about Elena in this love triangle. Rumor has it will get a romantic choice in tonight's finale, but are you hoping for a season when Elena's love life isn't a main storyline?
Nina: I really am. Absolutely. I hope that Elena has a vampire-free life at some point and she can try to be normal and date a non-vampire. Maybe she leaves Mystic Falls to get away from the vampires. But then you have to wonder if the vampires will follow her for the rest of her life. Right now, it almost seems like that's impossible because they're everywhere she goes.

Insider: What are you excited for fans to see in the finale?
Nina: I'm excited for them to see the progression of Elena's life. Hopefully they'll notice the nuances in all these different scenes because it's all about the growth and timing and how easily it is to lose perspective. Elena has been through so much in three seasons and it's easy to forget your old lifestyle – so by spending time with Matt, the only human left in her life, she’s trying to hold on to her humanity and those memories. She's trying to ground herself again because it's gotten so crazy, it would be hard for anyone to deal with.

Insider: Looking forward, what are you hoping to do in season four you haven't gotten to do yet?
Nina: Is there anything I haven't gotten to do yet? [laughs] Maybe Elena decides that she wants to change her life – she's always on such an adrenaline rush but maybe she tries to risk her life and get that adrenaline rush in a different way that doesn't involve a vampire. So maybe she starts skydiving. And I can do that!

The Vampire Diaries airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.