How Ian Somerhalder And Nikki Reed Built Their Life Away From Hollywood

Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed have had something in the works since 2019. And it was going to pull them away from the glitz and glamor of Hollywood.

While the ‘Vampire Diaries’ alum opened up about his love for acting, he did admit that he did it for too long. It was time for a breath of fresh air. “I loved what I did for a really long time,” Somerhalder told E! News of his decision to step away from Hollywood.

The 45-year-old dad revealed that he and his wife, actress Nikki Reed, quit Hollywood life for a farm life. And they have no regrets. “I don’t miss any of it. I love making films, and I just did it for so long. We had an amazing run,” Somerhalder told E! News.

Reed and Somerhalder Ditch Hollywood For Sustainable and Eco-friendly Farming

After becoming a mom, the Twilight alum suggested that she and Somerhalder move away from Hollywood. “To be fully transparent about it, I really did not want to be in the public eye anymore,” she told Santa Barbara Magazine in 2022. “California has the ability to offer seclusion, but you can also be in driving distance to these major cities at the drop of a hat.”

Both Somerhalder and Reed consented to packing up their things and moving to a farm just outside of Los Angeles with their two children. It was time to explore their joint love for animals and sustainable and eco-friendly farming.

While at the 2nd Annual Environmental Media Association Honors Benefit Gala in September 2019, Reed told Us Weekly, “Part of what we really focus on as a household is the idea of being really connected with nature.”

“My dream would be for [our daughter] to be a farmer,” she added.

Their home in the countryside shows the Hollywood alums really living the eco-friendly farmer life. They have already set up hydroponic veggie gardens and rain barrels to catch excess water.

“If I could like tell you my dream,” the ‘Thirteen’ co-writer and actress said, “it would be to achieve total food autonomy, to have zero connection to a supermarket, to city water, to anything like that — to be able to live without relying on any system. So, you know, we’re not too far off from that.”

Reed And Somerhalder – Shares What Life Has Been Like On The Farm

Reed highlighted that she opted out on having her own car and prefers to drink water from her own well. The 36-year-old actress also said she recycles their clothing and prefers hand-me-downs as gifts for her daughter.

“[I love] walking through the farm with kids and dogs and family,” Somerhalder shared his love for the farm life with E! News in November 2023. “Every stop, you’re pulling off of trees or off of bushes, pulling up out of the ground and feeding everyone as you’re moving through the farm,” he added.

Reed also shared some insight into what sustainable and eco-friendly farm life has been like for them. “When you see the way that nature operates, you find compassion,” she told The Outlet in the Common Ground documentary premiere on Thursday, January 11th, 2024, which saw her and Somerhalder serving as its executive directors.

She continued, “It’s a beautiful thing to see what’s happening with children, to watch them participate in the growing of their food and the understanding of what food is and where it comes from.”

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