Ian Somerhalder has no regrets about stepping out of the spotlight.
The Vampire Diaries star attended a special screening of the documentary Common Ground in Los Angeles on Thursday and, speaking to E! News on the red carpet, addressed his decision to retire from acting.
“I loved what I did for a really long time,” Ian said. “I don’t miss any of it.
“I love making films, and I just did it for so long. We had an amazing run.”
Directed by Josh and Rebecca Tickell, Common Ground takes an in-depth look at the “regenerative agriculture” movement and explains how the practice could help reverse the impact of climate change.
Ian and his wife, Nikki Reed, are executive producers of the documentary, which features appearances by Laura Dern, Donald Glover and Jason Momoa, among other Hollywood A-listers.
The Louisiana native’s last on-screen role was the 2019 Netflix series V Wars, in which he played Dr. Luther Swann.
Nikki, a fellow actor best known for her portrayal of Rosalie Hale in the Twilight franchise, appeared alongside her husband in a handful of V Wars episodes.
The couple, who wed in 2015, are parents to a six-year-old daughter, Bodhi, and an infant son. The family has been residing on a farm outside of Los Angeles.
“We’re farm people, we produce most of our own food,” Ian said in a separate interview with E! News last year. “I live in my cowboy boots.”
Nonetheless, he still looks back on his acting years fondly, praising the “community” and “family” he experienced while on movie and television sets.
“But this is our 2.0 version, about to be 3.0 version,” the former Lost star said on Thursday as he gestured to his wife.
Watch Ian Somerhalder speak with E! News about quitting acting in the video below: