Nina Dobrev’s appearance at the Venice Film Festival on September 2 quickly turned into an awkward viral moment after a security guard appeared to ask her to move away from the red carpet.
The actress seemed confused by the interaction and briefly stopped when a woman eventually approached the star, after which she walked away from the area.
The short clip soon spread online, with viewers dissecting the exchange and debating what really happened.
“Is this guy crazy? Poor Nina,” said one commenter.
A security guard forced Nina Dobrev out of the Venice Film Festival’s red carpet
The Vampire Diaries star arrived for the opening ceremony of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival and the premiere of Ink wearing an Armani Privé gown.
The strapless dress featured an asymmetric neckline, and the glossy black embellishments covered much of the gown before fading into a smoky, semi-sheer effect around the lower legs.
Olive-green panels fell from the dress and stretched toward the floor, creating a long train.
Dobrev lifted some of the fabric as she walked, giving photographers a better view of the unusual design.
She paired the gown with Chopard Happy Diamonds stud earrings, hair pulled into a slick bun, and smoky eye makeup.
But instead of the dress becoming the biggest talking point from her red-carpet appearance, her brief interaction with security overshadowed it.
Some netizens thought the moment looked embarrassing. “It’s so embarrassing to see these famous people making fools of themselves!” one social media commenter wrote.
Another added, “Did she stay too long, or was it their lack of organization? Either way, it was embarrassing.”
Detractors argued that Dobrev misunderstood the instruction and overreacted
“She wasn’t kicked out; she just didn’t have much time to pose for the photos, so the security guy asked her to keep walking and she made that face like she didn’t understand,” said one user.
Another focused on her attire, writing, “I don’t know who she is, but the dress is basic. If you’re going to do something like this, then wear an amazing dress.”
One more commenter shared their opinion, saying, “For Italians, this isn’t even really an offense. When I lived there, as soon as we finished eating, we were invited to leave.”
Apparently, the security clip was not the only thing drawing attention to Dobrev at the festival.
Photos from the red carpet also sparked a debate about her appearance, with some longtime fans saying she looked “unrecognizable.”
Social media users speculated about cosmetic procedures, including possible changes around her eyes, eyebrows, and lips.
“Brows are too light, and lips are the wrong shade. The makeup overall is too intense. I think it’d work if her hair were down and not flattened to her scalp,” wrote one netizen.
One more said, “After she left TVD, she never managed to do anything relevant again, right? I swore she was gonna blow up big time, but nowadays she lives in the shadow of her TVD characters.”
Dobrev is not the only celebrity to have a confrontation with security at a major event
At the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, Kelly Rowland had a heated exchange with a female security guard while walking into the premiere of Marcello Mio.
A lip reader told Page Six in May 2024 that Rowland repeatedly said, “Don’t talk to me like that. Don’t talk to me like that.”
She told the guard, “You’re not my mother.”
A source told the Daily Mail that the security staff was being aggressive as they tried to keep celebrities moving along the carpet.
A few days later, Rowland addressed the incident with AP Entertainment and said she noticed that other women who “did not look quite like me” were treated differently.
“And they didn’t get scolded, or pushed off, or told to get off. And I stood my ground,” Rowland said.
The same Cannes security guard later appeared in another viral confrontation involving Dominican actor Massiel Taveras. She was also seen stopping South Korean actress Yoona from spending more time taking photos with fans.
More recently, Jacob Elordi and Teyana Taylor also had their run-ins with security
During the 2025 Venice Film Festival, Jacob Elordi had an awkward exchange with a security official.
The Euphoria star was greeting fans at the premiere of Frankenstein when a guard appeared to tell him to move inside.
Elordi responded, “I’m going to take a picture right here.”
He then added, “Don’t ever tell me what to do.”
The clip divided viewers. Some defended the actor and said he was trying to finish taking photos with fans; others felt the security worker was doing his job.
“That was really super rude of Elordi,” one viewer wrote, while another said, “Poor guy, he was just doing his job.”
Teyana Taylor also confronted security at the 2026 Oscars after the ceremony.
In footage from March 15, Taylor accused a security worker of shoving her.
“Because you’re a man putting your hands on a female! You’re very rude.”
A few days later, she told TMZ that she did not tolerate “disrespect,” while also saying that everything was fine.
Security Industry Specialists, the outside company involved, told People on March 16 that there had been “incidental contact” and said it regretted that the situation had escalated.
The Academy also told the outlet that it was “extremely upset” about Taylor’s experience and made clear to the security company that the behavior was unacceptable.
“Rude.” Netizens debated who was in the wrong as the clip went viral
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