What's Ian Somerhalder from 'Lost' and 'Vampire Diaries' doing now?

To talk about Ian Somerhalder is to talk, inevitably, about two characters: Boone Carlyle and Damon Salvatore. The first role, he played in 'Lost' for 30 episodes. His appearance in the hit series elevated him to star status.

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Then, it was his captivating and immortal Damon in 'The Vampire Diaries' that kept him on the TV Olympus for 8 seasons and 171 episodes. But that's over now.

In the photo, with Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley from 'The Vampire Diaries'

At the young age of 45, the actor Ian Somerhalder announced that he was retiring from Hollywood.

Ian Joseph Somerhalder was born in 1978 in Covington, Louisiana. He modeled from age 10 and began acting at age 17. It appears he was quite determined to make it in showbiz.

He announced his retirement at a special screening of 'Common Ground', his second documentary on regenerative agriculture (after 'Kiss the Earth'). Somerhalder has been very involved in the movement to make agriculture less damaging to the planet.

After the screening of his documentary, he told 'E! News' that his acting days were over. "I love what I did for a really long time. I love making films, I just did it for so long. We had an amazing run," Ian Somerhalder said.

But why would an actor stop working at age 45? Well, as he says it, "This is our 2.0 version, about to be 3.0 version." That remark may be puzzling, but he's referring to his second child with Nikki Red, born in June 2023.

His last work as an actor dates back to 2019, when Netflix hired Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Red, his wife, for 'V Wars', a series in which a disease turns humans into vampires.

It seemed like an ideal series for someone who was a vampire for eight years, and he could commute with his wife, who'd been a vampire in the 'Twilight' saga too.

However, Netflix did not give the couple another chance and canceled the series after one season. It was the last thing Ian Somerhalder did and it seems like the last thing he will do. At least as an actor.

Image: Netflix

Beyond his role as a performer, Ian Somerhalder is a restless guy with many projects underway. His documentaries about agriculture are a relevant part of those projects.

True to his Louisiana and environmentalist roots, Ian Somerhalder helped clean up the coastline and save contaminated wildlife after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil drilling disaster. It was just one of his many charitable endeavours in the past decades.

The Somerhalder/Reed couple, together since 2014, live on the outskirts of Los Angeles, on a huge farm where they want to raise their children and live a quiet life. "I wish we had more time on the farm, Nikki Reed told the press. "We’re running multiple businesses."

The couple is not only making documentaries about agriculture but also has a Bourbon brand with Paul Wesley, their colleague from 'The Vampire Diaries.' It's called Brother's Bond and is sweeping sales. The friendship between Somerhalder and Wesley is very similar to the bond the Salvatores had in 'The Vampire Diaries'.

It's clear from his social life that Somerhalder always stayed close to his 'Vampire Diary' castmates. He had dated co-star Nina Dobrev for part of the series but broke up with her to start a relationship with Nikki Reed, Nina's friend at the time. It was undoubtedly a bit awkward on set, but in the end, all was fine.

Even if the businessman chose not to work anymore, he would still be okay financially. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he has 12 million dollars in assets. His wife has the same amount. So enjoy life, Ian Somerhalder!

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