Ian Somerhalder Explains Why Acting Is 'In The Rear View Mirror'

Ian Somerhalder may have made a name for himself starring in beloved TV series like The Vampire Diaries and Lost, but he is happy living the simple life away from the bright lights of Hollywood.

Somerhalder spoke to People at the Environmental Media Association (EMA) Awards Gala on Saturday (October 26) where he revealed where he currently stands in terms of his acting career.

"I think it's in the rearview mirror," he said. "I do."

However, there may still be a chance for fans hoping to see him grace their screens again. The retired actor, who left Los Angeles and the entertainment industry behind in order to focus on a life of farming with his wife Nikki Reed and their two young children, hinted that he would somehow like to bring back the 2019 sci-fi thriller V Wars he and Reed starred in that ran for one season on Netflix.

"Well, I dunno, we got the rights back for V Wars, but I just don't know how the hell we would ever make a TV show," he said. "We're building three companies at the same time, raising kids."

Reed shared a similar outlook to her husband about possibly returning to acting, saying that she doesn't "make any definitive statements about anything."

"I work over 90 hours a week right now. I'm running a company full time and just launched another, a shared company with the Absorption Company," she said, referring the brand she co-founded in 2023 with Somerhalder. "And I just can't imagine being able to pivot my energy away, but there' no door closed."

The couple, who have been married since 2015, surprised fans earlier this year by channeling their iconic vampire personas, Somerhalder's Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries and Reed's Rosalie Cullen from the Twilight franchise, in a sweet video while making their TikTok debut.