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Ian Somerhalder has opened up about the "controversial" reason he decided to quit acting, pointing to his experience with Netflix's V Wars as the turning point.
The Vampire Diaries alum, 47, starred as Dr. Luther Swann in the 2019 sci-fi drama, which he also executive produced. Hoping to play against type, he said, "I wanted to do V Wars because it was me, not as a vampire, it was me as a scientist."
But after nearly a year of work, the first cut left him stunned. "The show that got turned in wasn't even watchable," he recalled on the Haley on the Go podcast.
Somerhalder admitted he even offered to return the money to keep it from airing. "I said to the studio, 'I don't want to put my name on this. I'll give you the money back. Literally, I'll give you millions of dollars.'"
Eventually, Netflix allowed him and producing partner James Gibb to reshoot, but without extra funding. "We said we need creative control of the show and Netflix said, 'Sure, we're not giving you a dollar more.'"
Determined to salvage the project, Somerhalder and Gibb raised about $6 million themselves and filmed new footage in 10 days. The grueling schedule left him hospitalized. Despite the effort, V Wars was canceled after one season.
"The powers that be at Netflix were like, 'This is unfortunate. This shouldn't have happened. We can't go back because that would set a precedent... so the show is done.'"
For Somerhalder, the cancellation was a breaking point. "I looked at myself in the mirror and I said to my wife, '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,'" he explained.
"I'm not gonna base my life on having television or streaming executives dictate how I can make a living. So, I pulled the plug. That was it. I walked away."
Since leaving Hollywood, Somerhalder has shifted his focus to entrepreneurship and conservation. He co-founded Brother's Bond Bourbon with former Vampire Diaries co-star Paul Wesley and now lives on a farm in California with wife Nikki Reed and their two children.
Reflecting on his decision, he admitted, "That's a really honest, kind of controversial way I walked away from the business. It wasn't like this parting. I got offered things, but it was time."
