Ian Somerhalder got brutally honest about the “controversial” reason — and specific project — that caused him to step away from Hollywood and move out of Los Angeles for good.
During a recent episode of the “Haley on the Go” podcast, Somerhalder, 47, shared a “really honest” answer about how the cancellation of his Netflix series V Wars affected his career.
“I wanted to do V Wars because it was me, not as a vampire, it was me as a scientist,” the actor, who rose to stardom playing Damon on The Vampire Diaries, shared. “[We] shot the show, moved my whole family to Northern Ontario. Worked really hard on this thing for almost a year, and the show that got turned in wasn’t even watchable,”
Somerhalder tried to prevent the show from being released, adding, “I said to the studio, ‘I don’t want to put my name on this. I’ll give you the money back. I’ll give you millions of dollars.’ And they were like, ‘What? What are you talking about?’”
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As a compromise, Somerhalder and his producing partner requested “creative control” of the show.
“And Netflix said, ‘Sure. We’re not giving you a dollar more,’” he recalled about having to raise more than $6 million in funds and do reshoots for six days.
Somerhalder said it took 10 to 12 hours of footage to revamp the show. He ultimately ended up in the hospital due to how overworked he was — and V Wars still ended up canceled after one season.
“The execs were fighting, and someone quietly canceled the show. And the powers that be at Netflix were like, ‘It’s unfortunate. Yes, it shouldn’t have happened. We can’t go back, because it would set a precedent that would be terrible, so the show is done,’” Somerhalder claimed.
The experience changed Somerhalder’s view on the industry.
“I looked at myself in the mirror, and I said to my wife, ‘Man, I’m 40 years old. I don’t want to spend two years of my life doing something, working this hard — one year fully unpaid — for this executive who had issues in high school, so they want to exert power now, [to cancel it],’” he continued. “I am not here for my career and livelihood to be dictated by someone who has mommy or daddy issues, or they weren’t popular in school.”
He concluded: “So I pulled the plug. That was it. I walked away. These executives are bitching at each other, and I’m like, are you kidding me? Done. I’m out.”
While Somerhalder has been outspoken about his career change, his wife, Nikki Reed, has clarified that their move out of Los Angeles didn’t mean she was no longer acting either.
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“Ian, at one point, made a very definitive statement. And I just want to say right here that I don’t want to be lumped in with his definitive statements,” Reed, 38, exclusively told Us Weekly in 2024.
Reed clarified that Somerhalder’s plans to stop appearing on screen are his own, adding, “I feel like there are no doors that are ever closed. But it’s just not on the forefront of my mind right now. I’m running two companies.”
The couple’s busy schedule didn’t allow for Reed to act in new projects — but that didn’t mean she didn’t plan to in the future.
“We have three companies together and are raising a family. I don’t think we would have done it this way. It’s just sort of the way the cookie crumbled,” Somerhalder explained.
Reed added, “I’m working over 90 hours a week right now. When you realize that you can wake up and feel passion and purpose for your job — and that is the way that we feel about our companies — it’s really hard to have your attention pulled anywhere else.”
