Ian Somerhalder Reveals Why He Stepped Away from Acting AfterLostandThe Vampire DiariesSuccess (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Ian Somerhalder on Lost.Photo:Bob D’Amico/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Bob D’Amico/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Ian Somerhalderis feeling very reflective these days.

In September, the actor celebrated not only the 15th anniversary of his hit seriesThe Vampire Diariesbut also the 20th anniversary ofLost.

Speaking with PEOPLE exclusively about his latest partnership withNutroto draw attention to the importance of soil health and the company’s first-of-its-kind farmers market for dogs, the actor, 45, looks back onthe hit ABC seriesthat marked one of his first breakout roles.(Warning: Spoilers ahead.)

Somerhalder recalls that the job was a “very humbling experience” especially as his character Boone experienced the first major character death in season 1. Though his Boone comes back several times for guest appearances throughout the series, the actor says his initial exit was really hard on him at the time.

“Losing that, I was the first one cast and the first one killed, that was a sort of tough pill to swallow,” he explains. However, there was a bright side as his brief time filming in Hawaii further inspired his passion for environmental conservation.

“I got to work on a lot of reef conservation,” he explains. “I got to work on a lot of soil and water conservation even there. This is 2004, I was already doing this, my voice just wasn’t as big. Cut to 2005, [I] leftLost, which was humbling. And then very beginning of 2009 cameVampire Diaries. And that was a rocket ship. Initially, it was a very, very, very young audience, but that audience matured and it got bigger and bigger.”

Ian Somerhalder on The Vampire Diaries in 2009.Cw Network/Kobal/Shutterstock

Cw Network/Kobal/Shutterstock

He adds that “streaming changed the game” for bothLostandThe Vampire Diaries, introducing a whole new audience of people to his work, both on and off screen.

Somerhalder adds that he feels “enormous gratitude” for shows likeLostandThe Vampire Diariesas they gave him a platform to speak about projects close to his heart. “That path has gotten me to where I feel most authentic anyway, which is in a pair of cowboy boots, feeding the cows and running horses.”

Nikki Reed and Ian Somerhalder at Environmental Media Association (EMA) Awards Gala.MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty

MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty

While Somerhalder is super grateful for his past roles, he notes his main priority nowadays is off screen. “August 19th makes five years since I was professionally on camera as an actor/producer,” he explains. “I stepped away from that afterV Warsto build these companies, launch films likeKiss the Ground,Common GroundandGround Swellandraise my kids. I remember sitting with my management talking about this, saying, ‘Hey, this is the only thing I’ve ever known that’s ever sustained my family, and I’m walking away from it,’ at this sort of peak, could have gone and done anything, but these partnerships mean way more to me.”

Ian Somerhalder at NUTRO farmers market for dogs at The Grove.Natasha Campos/Getty

Natasha Campos/Getty

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“Once you reach a certain level, you’re like, ‘Okay, I want to focus on family and the future of farming and food and energy and the big things.' I don’t need to chase awards and anything that would make me feel better about myself," he says, noting that many people don’t realize some of the ingredients in pet food are grown just like their own, which is why he’s so committed to spreading awareness around soil.

“The fact now is I get to partner with people at NUTRO that are launching things like the Greater Ground initiative where they’re literally holding the hands and investing in these groups of people, these farmers that are actually creating this food that our pets and us eat. That’s huge,” he adds. “So you go and you do all these fancy things and you realize at the end of it, it’s the grounding stuff that matters.”

source: people.com