Ian Somerhalder explains why he left Hollywood

The Vampire Diaries star returned in an interview to the reasons that pushed him to stop filming.

Ian Somerhalder comes out of the silence to put an end to the mystery. Thus, the star of Vampire Diaries was missing from the screens, raising questions and concerns. In an interview with People published Monday, he explains that he had moved away from the screen to devote himself to various “exciting” projects. A timing that is not necessarily trivial, as this year we are celebrating the 15th anniversary of the vampire series and the 20th of Lostthe one that made it emerge.

“As of August 19, it has been five years since I was professionally in front of the camera as an actor/producer. I stopped that after V Wars to start businesses, launch films like Kiss the Ground, Common Ground and Ground Swell and raise my children. I remember discussing this with my manager, saying: ‘Eh, it’s the only thing I’ve ever known and I’m walking away from it‘At that point, I could have done anything.’

“I have had the opportunity to work on many reef conservation projects. I have also had the opportunity to work on many soil and water conservation projects,” he explained again.

“In 2004, I was already doing that. My voice just wasn’t as strong. In 2005, I left Lost, which humbled me. And then, at the very beginning of 2009, along came Vampire Diaries. And it was a real rocket. At first it was a very, very, very young audience, but that audience has matured and gotten bigger and bigger.”

A success that sometimes scared him:

“So if you just do those numbers, you kind of step back for a second and think about it. There are 8 billion people on the planet, so about an eighth of the people who walk on the surface of the planet have somehow interacted with this story. They were affected by it, maybe they saw it, heard about it. It’s an unprecedented platform.”

Furthermore, he feels “immense gratitude” towards Lost And Vampire Diariesbecause “the path has taken me to where I feel most authentic anyway, which is in a pair of cowboy boots, feeding the cows and racing the horses.” This break, which he does not say if it will be permanent, is in fact an opportunity for the actor to refocus:

“Once you reach a certain level, you say to yourself: ‘OK, I want to focus on family and the future of agriculture, food, energy and big things.‘I don’t need to chase awards and things that would make me feel better about myself.

Between his family, the preservation of the environment, a brand of whiskey, Ian Somerhalder seems to be quite busy, far from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood.