Ian Somerhalder reveals for the first time why he walked away from acting
A candid confession from the «Vampire Diaries» star
Ian Somerhalder, best known to millions of fans as Damon Salvatore from the hit series «The Vampire Diaries», has opened up for the first time about why he chose to leave his acting career behind and largely step away from the entertainment industry. According to the actor, it was his experience working on the series «V Wars» that ultimately left him disillusioned with Hollywood and became his final major project.
The 47-year-old star admitted that he even relocated his family for the production and spent nearly a year working with virtually no breaks. However, as Somerhalder explained on the podcast «Haley on the Go», the final result fell far short of what he had hoped for.
At one point, he and his team even decided to independently reshoot parts of the series and succeeded in raising more than $6 million for the effort. The workload became so overwhelming that the actor was eventually hospitalized for exhaustion.
Despite all the dedication and hard work, the show lasted only one season before being canceled. According to Somerhalder, this happened despite the series delivering solid viewership numbers.
That experience ultimately prompted the actor to reassess his priorities in life.
«I looked at myself in the mirror and said: buddy, you’re 40 now. I don’t want to spend two years of my life working this hard – including a year without pay – only for everything to depend on someone else’s personal ambitions or insecurities», the actor shared.
Somerhalder added that after that experience, he completely lost the desire to return to the demanding lifestyle dictated by Hollywood. His last on-screen appearance was in 2019, after which he consciously stepped away from acting.
Today, the star leads a very different life. Together with his wife Nikki Reed, also an actress and best known for portraying Rosalie Hale in the «Twilight» saga, and their two children, Ian lives on a farm, where he focuses on environmental initiatives, business ventures, and family life.
Photo: Instagram @iansomerhalder
