Ian Somerhalder, aka Damon Salvatore from the series “The Vampire Diaries,” has for the first time openly spoken about why he decided to quit acting and virtually disappear from the big screen. According to the actor, he was finally disillusioned with the industry after working on the series “Vampire Wars,” which was his last major project.
The 47-year-old actor admitted that he even moved his family for the series and worked almost nonstop for nearly a year. But, as Somerhalder told Haley on the Go podcast, the result was far from what he had hoped for.
Then Ian and his team decided to reshoot the series on their own and managed to raise over $6 million. The work was so exhausting that the actor ended up in the hospital.
Despite all the efforts, the series lasted only one season. It was closed, although, as Somerhalder notes, the ratings were quite good.
It was then that the actor decided to reconsider his life priorities. Somerhalder added that after that, he finally lost the desire to return to the rhythm of life dictated by Hollywood. He last appeared on the screen in 2019, after which he consciously retired from acting.
Today, the star lives a completely different life. Together with his wife, Nikki Reed, also an actress best known for her role as Rosalie Gale in the vampire saga “Twilight”, and two children, Ian settled on a farm and is engaged in environmental initiatives, business, and family.