Ian Somerhalder Explains Why He Stepped Away from Acting After 'Lost' & 'The Vampire Diaries'

justjared.com:

Ian Somerhalder is reflecting on his time starring on two major TV shows. September 2024 marks the 15th anniversary of the premiere of The Vampire Diaries and the 20th anniversary of Lost, which was one of the 45-year-old actor’s first major breakout roles.

In a new interview, Ian looked back at his time on the fan-favorite shows and explained why he decided to take a step back from acting. Keep reading to find out more…While speaking to People, Ian called his Lost job a “very humbling experience,” especially since his character experienced one of the first major deaths in season 1.

While he returned throughout the series several times for guest appearances, Ian admitted that his initial exit was very 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,” Ian admitted, adding that his brief time in Hawaii helped inspire his passion for environmental conservation. “I got to work on a lot of reef conservation,” Ian explained. “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] left Lost, which was humbling. And then very beginning of 2009 came Vampire Diaries.