Ian Somerhalder On His Toxic 'Vampire Diaries' Character & Causing Mid-flight 'Lost' Panic

Ian Somerhalder emanates as one of the most mythic actors in contemporary pop culture. The American is famed for portraying both the doomed Boone Carlyle in the acclaimed allegorical drama Lost and the mercurial vampire Damon Salvatore in The CW's gothic teen hit The Vampire Diaries (TVD), based on LJ Smith's young adult novels. In recent times, he's expanded into directing and producing. And, as a social media phenom, the bohemian Southerner has used his profile to become an influential environmental activist. Between all that, Somerhalder is in-demand on the pop convention circuit. He's now back in Australia for Supanova Comic Con & Gaming (along with Australian Nathaniel Buzolic, who plays TVD's Kol Mikaelson) – the Gold Coast edition scheduled this weekend.

Supanova Comic Con & Gaming Melbourne Review

Such is Somerhalder's work ethic that he answers email questions in transit – later in Melbourne revealing how, when his trans-Pacific plane encountered severe turbulence, another passenger freaked out at the presence of 'Boone', air crash victim.

TVD concluded two years ago with its eighth season, but the fandom is as fervent as ever. For many, Somerhalder's Damon, potentially compelling in Smith's books, was the show's iconic character. Indeed, the 178-year-old vampire from Mystic Falls, Virginia experienced an epic arc – evolving from snarky, vengeful and casually violent antagonist to redeemed romantic hero. Besides, Somerhalder uttered TVD's most memorable lines. Damon was granted a bittersweet 'happy ever after'. Cured of vampirism, he reunited with his great love, Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), in the finale – but his "little brother", and sometime rival, Stefan (Paul Wesley) tragically sacrificed himself to spare Mystic Falls from Katerina Petrova, aka Katherine Pierce. 

"Two years... wow," Somerhalder reflects. "I think all finales are what they are. It's a winding down of an eight-year emotional saga, for the most part. I wish that we had been able to shoot a two-hour finale and lose the retrospective, but it was powerful the way we finished." How does he envisage Damon might spend his adult human existence? "I can only imagine Damon lived out the rest of his years really grateful to just have the chance to breathe fresh air on a warm summer day and not have to worry about some otherworldly, powerful being trying to kill him or anyone he knows. The simple yet rich moments in our lives all string together to create what we hope to call a life well-lived." 

Damon was contradictory – being good, bad and eyeroll. Somerhalder has admitted that, in real life, the older Salvatore would be deemed toxic AF. "I had to learn very early on in the journey of season one to not judge this man. Sure, he makes incredibly bad decisions on the reg, and had for more than a century, but the man was fun. I realised Damon Salvatore had ill intent, but for righteous reasons; those are the most dangerous people. Think of the dangerous people throughout history – and our present – that impose their will on others and hurt them. But Damon had this fun feel – a walking contradiction but loved everything he did. Damon would basically enjoy saving a kitten from a tree exactly as much as he would ripping your throat out. The look on his face would be the same."

There's been speculation about whether Somerhalder will reprise Damon in Legacies – the latest TVD spin-off following The Originals. The show centres on Niklaus "Klaus" Mikaelson's "tribrid" (witch/wolf/vampire) daughter, Hope (Danielle Rose Russell), and her supernatural friends at the Salvatore Boarding School For The Young & Gifted – its headmaster coincidentally Damon's old drinking buddy Alaric Saltzman (Matthew Davis). However, Somerhalder is absorbed in the buzz upcoming Netflix sci-fi series V-Wars – again about vampires, albeit in a dystopian context. "V-Wars is the spawn of the incredible world that Jonathan Maberry and his team of writers have created," Somerhalder shares. "This dystopian context is ultimately a metaphor for so much of what is happening right now on our little planet. This show is incredibly relevant right now and couldn't be more timely, in my opinion. The show deals with so much of what is staring us in the face in our everyday: disease, borders, politics, fear, confusion, media and ill will. Now imagine this with crazed and hungry, murderous, newly-formed vampires running around. My character, Dr Luther Swann, happens to be a leading researcher of infectious disease and unfortunately stumbles upon one that gives us a one-way ticket into this world." And, Somerhalder emphasises, Swann is a wholly different individual to Damon – being the mortal foil to "his best 'brother'"-turned-vampire leader Michael Fayne (Arrow's Adrian Holmes). "I wanted to be a normal good man. He's a dad, a husband, and has a true love of science and medicine… Swann's superpower is simply that he's a good dad and loves helping the world through science. Things turn in his world very quickly, but he will always remain that core strength. But we'll see the evolution of this man and what he means to the world."

According to Somerhalder, V-Wars is currently in "the post-production process", the showmakers "working hard day and night". Yet he urges viewers to commit to the series. "I'm not joking when I tell people, even if you don't like the show initially, let it run on your TV so Netflix knows people are watching. This will give me a shot at kicking ass in a second season pick-up where we get to open the world up by literally opening up to the world and shooting in different places with incredible actors – I use the term for women and men – from around the globe. Show different cultures and how vampires work in other parts of the world… What happens when there are so many vampires that they have their own clubs, schools, restaurants and lawyers? How does that society work? More importantly, who governs it and, more importantly, who enforces that governing?"

Somerhalder grew up in a modest family in Covington, Louisiana – bayou country. Though he aspired to be a vet or marine biologist, Somerhalder became a child model, segueing into acting in his late teens. He was cast in 2000's Young Americans, a fleeting Dawson's Creek spin-off. Somerhalder chose strong roles early. He depicted the bisexual student Paul Denton in the cult movie The Rules Of Attraction, an adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' novel by Quentin Tarantino's Academy Award-winning cohort Roger Avary. "Rules. Wow. What an insane three months of my life. Roger Avary is a damn genius and I miss him all of the time. He and I can't wait to find something to do and are seeking to do just that. I remember so much – many of these memories are R-rated so I'll keep them to myself. But I was 21 and, when you look at that cast and that story, it spells 'rad' in every way." Nonetheless, Somerhalder's breakthrough arrived with the part of Boone in JJ Abrams' Lost. Alas, he'd be the first key player to be bumped off in season one. After a period of career "regenerating", Somerhalder signed on to TVD – which Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec developed. Notably, he'd progress to directing episodes. 

Today, Somerhalder balances his professional life with family out of California. In 2015, he wed actor/screenwriter Nikki Reed (ironically known as the vamp Rosalie Hale in The Twilight Saga) and they have a toddler daughter, a coterie of pets, and a production company, Rare Birds Productions. Outside of acting, Somerhalder digs music. In fact, his favourite TVD episode was season one's Lost Girls, in which Damon drank and danced, partially undressed, with the troubled Vicki Donovan (Kayla Ewell) at the Salvatore Boarding House – soundtracked by Anberlin's post-grunge cover of Depeche Mode's Enjoy The Silence. In 2010 Somerhalder described the music that enabled him to get into Damon's headspace for Black Book, citing indie acts like The Black Keys, Deerhunter and Bright Eyes. "That was a really fun piece. It's interesting, when you hit 40, you try to remember what defines you. Music really helps with that. I've been going back and listening to many old records. But, honestly, most of the music in my house, other than the record spinning all day, is [from the Disney animated film] Moana or [the Nickelodeon cartoon] PAW Patrol."

Somerhalder believes that actors should take a position on social issues. He presides over the grassroots Ian Somerhalder Foundation, his concerns conservation and animal welfare. Somerhalder encouraged Americans to vote in 2016's Presidential election. "I think it's incredibly important for people with a platform to use it for good. It's a slippery slope and it's very disheartening to see how divided the world is right now. Politics are plagued by special interests polluting public service. It's everywhere, no matter what country. The pendulum always swings far right and then far left. Strange creatures, we humans are. [But] I think that these generations aren't going to stand for elected officials not speaking for them."

Astonishingly, Somerhalder is in Australia on his second trip in six months, having last appeared at November's Supanova in Adelaide and Brisbane. "I had a most wonderful time! Everyone was amazing to me. It was a very stressful time for me, my family, and my community due to the Malibu fires and the other fires that ripped through California." As a panelist, Somerhalder exudes high-energy, passion, candour and comic flair. Even when jetlagged, he's motivated, engaged and hyper-observant of his audience. "Cons allow me to connect with the faces that I would never know are watching the screens that my characters live on. Their smiles, energy and stories are beyond inspiring. They make me want to work harder to tell better stories and hopefully make any and every one of them feel something."