Born on December 8th 1978, Ian is merely a couple of months older than yours truly. Aside from being an actor, Ian started his career very early, modelling as a child and traveling the world. Though he never actually finished college, he has become one of the best known actors. He recently married actress Nikki Reed, after a previous relationship with Nina Dobrev (starring as Elena Gilbert in the Vampire Diaries).
Lost
Most of you will know what this show is about: an airplane crashes down on a tropical island; the few who survive the accident are thus attempting to get away from there. However, survival alone turns out to be more of a challenge for the castaways than originally expected. Somerhalder had a big breakthrough with this show, where he played Boone Carlyle, a young man who desperately tries to protect his sister.
The Rules of Attraction
This movie is from Ian’s pre-Lost days. When you rummage around the web you often find references to Ian having bulked up so he could get different roles to play. Paul Denton, his character in this particular movie, is a perfect display of the stereotype Somerhalder was previously associated then: thin, probably addicted to various drugs, strange and possibly somewhat creepy – and in this particular case, gay. The movie revolves around a couple of college students, trying to find their way in life one way or another, how they fall in and out of love – whether that be the romantic kind or just a quick fling on the side.
The Anomaly
Not a movie I have seen yet. However, an action movie! And since I’ve never seen one with Ian, I am definitely going to change that. Since it is an SF movie set in the future, expect to read about it here.
Life as a House
One of my favourite movies. Admittedly, Ian regrettably only plays a secondary character. But if you’re into romance and / or drama, this one is just for you. We accompany the main character as he tries to deal with having lost his job, his family and most of his friends as he tries to keep things together, still having to watch as the remnants of his existence keep crumbling apart. A great movie about the purpose of life and the things we leave behind for others. Amongst others, the movie also features Kevin Kline and Hayden Christensen. Wonder where I have heard that name before…
ISF
ISF – the Ian Somerhalder Foundation – is a charity project Ian founded in 2010. Ian and his foundation are active promoters of LGTB rights, literacy, environmentalism and oppose factory farming and genetically modified food. This brief list, however, is only a short glimpse at the things those people do. Basically, if there’s a good cause out there, Ian is likely to come to the rescue with no shyness about getting his hands dirty himself.
I’m pretty sure even a nice guy like him has a skeleton in his closet. Then again, we all do, so I’m not about to complain. While I feel many celebrities have good reason to quietly promote good causes, I also think it important that some of them, like Mr. Somerhalder, use the name they’ve made for themselves to draw attention to specific problems. After all, problems can often get neglected. Certainly it can’t hurt to remind people that they exist – and appeal to their good conscience that each and everyone of us can contribute a little to make this world a better place.
