Ian Somerhalder believes his acting days may be behind him — but there’s one thing that might make him interested in returning to Hollywood.
Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE at the Environmental Media Association (EMA) Awards Gala on Saturday, October 26, the 45-year-old lost The alum opened up about leaving the entertainment industry when he and his wife, Nikki Reed, moved from Los Angeles to pursue farming.
“I think it’s in the rearview mirror. I think,” Somerhalder said of his acting career.
“Well, I don’t know, we returned the rights to V Warsbut I just don’t know how the hell we’d ever do a TV series,” he added, referring to the one-season Netflix sci-fi thriller he and Reed starred in a few years ago. “We’re building three companies while raising kids.”
Ian Somerhalder at the EMA awards gala.
Gregg DeGuire/Variety via Getty
See Quinta Brunson, Lance Bass, Ian Somerhalder and more arrive at the 34th Annual EMAs in LA
Reed and Somerhalder married in 2015 and have since had two children, Bodhi, 7, and a boy, 1. The couple has been candid about their commitment to agriculture, healthy living and the environment, which is part of why they chose to attend the EMA Gala , which rewards film and TV projects that raise public awareness of environmental issues.
Last year, the couple co-founded The Absorption Company — a technologically empowered nutritional supplement brand available online and in Erewhona stores.
Twilight star Reed, 36, shared similar sentiments about a possible return to acting, telling PEOPLE at an Oct. 26 event, “I’m not making any definitive statements about anything. I’m not looking at anything.”
“I currently work more than 90 hours a week. I run the company full-time and I just started a second joint venture with Absorption,” she said. “And I just can’t imagine being able to channel my energy, but there’s no closed door.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2)/LOST-boone-ian-somerhalder-091324-706bf76b9287492f900e77e731dde8b5.jpg)
Ian Somerhalder as Boone in ‘Lost’.
Bob D’Amico/Disney General Entertainment via Getty
Somerhalder has already been candid about his departure from entertainment, even while speaking with PEOPLE in September in honor of the 15th anniversary The Vampire Diaries and the 20th anniversary lost.
“August 19 marks five years since I’ve been in front of the camera professionally as an actor/producer,” he said at the time. “I moved away from it after that V Wars build these companies, launch movies like Kiss the ground, Common ground and Ground swell and raise my children.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Ian Somerhalder reveals why he gave up acting after that lost and The Vampire Diaries Success (Exclusive)
The retired actor recalled telling his management he wanted out of the business, telling them, “‘Hey, this is the only thing I know that’s ever sustained my family, and I’m walking away from it,’ at a peak like this, I could walk away and do anything, but these partnerships mean so much more to me.”
“I say this in all humility, with all due respect, but I would much rather do that than spend two months in some city, filming a TV show away from my family or shuttling my family back and forth,” he continued.
“Once you get to a certain level, you say, ‘Okay, I want to focus on family and the future of agriculture and food and energy and big things,'” Somerhalder added. “I don’t need to chase awards and anything that would make me feel better.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education