Vampire Diaries alum Ian Somerhalder put the glitz and glam of Hollywood behind him in favor of slow living on a farm – and he couldn’t be happier.
The actor claims he doesn’t miss acting at all since moving to a farm outside of Los Angeles with his wife, Nikki Reed, and their two children: Bodhi, 6, and a 6-month-old son.
Rather than working to advance his career, Ian Somerhalder is focusing on family and connecting with nature. “I love what I did for a really long time,” he told E! News. “I love making films, I just did it for so long. We had an amazing run.”
Though he looks back at his time on set fondly, describing it as a “community” and “family,” Somerhalder is focusing on the new chapter of his life. “This is our 2.0 version,” he said with a grin at his wife, “about to be 3.0 version.”
With two young children, the couple hopes to create a better future for the next generation. “When you see the way that nature operates, you find compassion,” Nikki Reed explained. “It’s a beautiful thing to see what’s happening with children, to watch them participate in the growing of their food and the understanding of what food is and where it comes from.”
Best known for her role as Rosalie Hale in the Twilight series, Reed says her shift toward slow living began long before her husband’s. The seeds were planted in her Twilight days.
“I started connecting the dots between what you do for the planet and what you do for yourself,” she said. “It’s an evolution and a lifelong pursuit. It’s become a way of living so much simpler.”
Ian Somerhalder Admits Farm Life is ‘A Lot of Work’
In addition to their two children, Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed care for 18 pets, both domesticated and farm-related. And though they’re in love with farm life, Somerhalder can’t help but admit running things takes a great deal of effort.
“Walking through the farm with kids and dogs and family,” the actor told E! News in November. “Every stop, you’re pulling off of trees or off of bushes, pulling up out of the ground and feeding everyone as you’re moving through the farm.”
Among their fields of lavender and rosemary, cows wander and mini donkeys protect goats from prowling predators.
“It is a lot of work,” Ian Somerhalder admitted before adding that it’s all worth the effort. “It’s unbelievable when you see these amazing creature life forms, and how they all live on the farm together is really special.”