Ian Somerhalder reflected on how leaving Hollywood behind and embracing his passion for farming transformed the course of his life.
The 47-year-old, who rose to fame starring in the hit television series “Lost” and “The Vampire Diaries,” has mostly stepped away from acting in recent years, turning his attention to advocating for regenerative agriculture, a farming approach focused on rebuilding soil health and restoring ecosystems.
During a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Somerhalder, who is starring in the new documentary “Groundswell,” recalled an eye-opening trip to Zimbabwe, where he witnessed how regenerative farming practices could revive degraded landscapes and reshape entire ecosystems.
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“It shifted my life forever,” Somerhalder said.
Somerhalder’s environmental documentary “Groundswell,” directed by Josh and Rebecca Tickell, was released earlier this month. “Groundswell” acts as the third installment in their regenerative agriculture documentary series following “Kiss the Ground,” which was released in 2020 and “Common Ground” in 2023.
Somerhalder, who was born and raised in rural Louisiana, previously told Fox News Digital that he comes from a long line of farmers dating back to the 1700s. Growing up, he said he witnessed two very different approaches to agriculture. While one side of his family practiced regenerative methods, other relatives relied on conventional farming and crop-dusting operations.
Years later, after finding success in Hollywood, Somerhalder met regenerative agriculture pioneer Allan Savory, who invited him to Zimbabwe to see his work firsthand. The actor went on to travel to the South African country with a small film crew to document Savory’s land restoration efforts.
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Living in military tents on Savory’s property, Somerhalder said the experience immersed him in both the landscape and the principles of regenerative agriculture.
WATCH HERE: ‘VAMPIRE DIARIES’ STAR IAN SOMERHALDER REVEALS THE AFRICA TRIP THAT ‘SHIFTED MY LIFE FOREVER’
“That’s how it started, where I realized and saw firsthand how regenerative practices cannot just fix land, heal them, and rebuild them into verdant oasis, like wetlands, grasslands,” he said. “And then once I learned from Alan that grasslands have the potential to be the most enormous carbon sucks right? That’s how the world used to work.”
“And I learned that at like 32-years-old,” Somerhalder added. “I got the best form of it. Living in a freaking military tent.”
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“And popping malaria pills, which as you know gives you most just like horrific, insane dreams and night sweats.” he added. “And you’re dealing with that, you’re getting all this amazing footage and you’re learning and seeing things for the first time — like really seeing the way the world works. And seeing where we’re going.”
Somerhalder recalled waking before dawn to hear scratching outside his tent. He remembered that by morning, he found “huge lion prints just outside of your tent.”
“It was real,” he said, emphasizing that experience underscored just how immersed he had become in the environment he was documenting.
The footage Somerhalder captured during the trip ultimately became some of the earliest material used in the 2020 documentary “Kiss the Ground,” which he believes helped launch a broader conversation about regenerative agriculture
“That was the film that changed all of our lives forever and ever and ever,” he said. And set fire to a course that would effectively, for lack of a better word, shift and alter the course of history, agricultural history in the United States of America.”
“Kiss the Ground” became the first of three regenerative agriculture documentaries Somerhalder would help champion. Somerhalder executive produced and appeared in 2023’s “Common Ground,” a follow-up documentary to “Kiss the Ground” that was helmed by the first film’s directors Josh and Rebecca Tickell and expanded on regenerative agriculture by examining the U.S. food system.
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Somerhalder also served as an executive producer for the third and final installment in the trilogy, “Groundswell,” which premiered on June 5.
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The projects signaled a new direction for Somerhalder, who has largely traded acting roles for environmental advocacy.
Reflecting on his career shift, Somerhalder said there’s only one aspect of Hollywood he truly misses.
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“I don’t miss the work,” he said. “I loved what I did. I did it for a long time. I miss the people.”
Somerhalder continued, “When you’re in a production — whether it’s a little teeny tiny low-budget movie or a massive, massive show like ‘The Vampire Diaries’…Now mind you, our budget comparatively speaking to what people have now, it was like almost nothing but we had like almost a half a million square feet of stages, we had a lot of stuff. We were our own city. We had our own water, own security, own fire, there’s everything, right? So you’re living in this small city with like 400 amazing humans.“
“And I do miss that,” he added.
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While Somerhalder said he misses the camaraderie of working on film and television sets, he believes the industry has undergone a cultural shift since his acting days that that reinforced his decision to move on.
“It’s changed a great deal since I was an actor,” he said. “It’s really politics became such a hotbed on these sets, and it’s very divided.”
“There was no division when I was there, it was all just together and that’s sort of like where humans really work their best, you know?”Somerhalder continued. “So, I’m happy I got out when I did, and I got to go do these other things that have really been so magical.”
Today, Somerhalder’s life looks far different from his days on the set of “The Vampire Diaries.” Much of his time is spent on the farm he shares with his wife Nikki Reed, where the couple has embraced a lifestyle centered on nature, sustainability and raising their family.
Somerhalder credited the 38-year-old “Twilight” star with sharing his passion for the land from the very beginning of their relationship.
“She is an amazing human, like this earth goddess,” he said of Reed. “She’s a very powerful force, has become an unbelievable equestrian and taking care of managing a lot. Managing a farm is a lot, even tiny ones, right? We had a much bigger one, which is really insane. And now just finding the proper management on that — that helps big time.”
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“But from the very beginning, I had 1,200 acres in Georgia,” Somerhalder continued. “And I think the first three years we were together — I have it written down this cute little book of memories — but I think we spent 125 days in the Airstream on our land.”
“Out of whatever, you know, 500 plus days, right? It’s a lot. So it was always that. And I have so many pictures of us and the dogs,” he added. “Being just half-naked for days on end in the middle of nowhere, grounding, connecting to the land. And that, I think, is where people really want to go.“
Somerhalder said building a life on the farm with Reed, with whom he shares two children, has also shaped the couple’s approach to raising their family.
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“Family is about being present,” he said. “Family is going back to nature and being present. It is hard right now for people to put these things down. It’s hard. And I think it’s starting to change now. People are realizing, ‘Whoa, whoa whoa whoa, I need to be way more connected.'”
“This is a natural cycle for human beings to want to connect more with the earth,” he continued. “So that feeds into what? Regenerative agriculture, human health, that’s families coming together and grounding themselves to the earth and getting whatever sunlight they can, changing their practices to start taking plastics out of their home and out of the gardens and reconnecting. So this is all very, very powerful and positive.”
WATCH HERE: ‘VAMPIRE DIARIES’ STAR IAN SOMERHALDER SHARES HOW ‘EARTH GODDESS’ WIFE NIKKI REED CHANGED HIS LIFE OFF-SCREEN
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Looking ahead, Somerhalder told Fox News Digital he is optimistic that future generations will continue embracing regenerative agriculture and reconnecting with nature. Despite concerns about technology and an increasingly divided world, he believes today’s children have reason to be hopeful.
“The children of this generation, everyone thinks they’re doomed,” Somerhalder said. “The children of this generation are beyond lucky at this point, which is great.”
“Sure, they’re sucked up in social media and video games and the world’s a little topsy-turvy right now,” he continued. “It will find equilibrium. And once we rebuild the ground that we stand on, everything will follow suit.”
“The future is bright,” Somerhalder added. “Get your cheap sunglasses.”
