How Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed Built a Life Away From Hollywood
Originally appeared on E! Online
No one needs to tell Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed that the Hollywood grind is way overrated.
But getting their hands dirty is where it's at.
"Things are busy," Reed told New Beauty last year of the back-to-the-land life she and Somerhalder are leading with their 6-year-old daughter and 11-month-old son (plus horses, dogs, goats, etc.) miles away from Los Angeles. "I don't want to glorify the overworking culture, but work doesn't seem to stop on the weekends these days!"
As Somerhalder put it to E! News in November, the couple are full-on "farm people" now.
"We produce most of our own food," the Vampire Diaries alum said. "I live in my cowboy boots."
And he and Reed, who turns 36 on May 17, have more irons in the fire than ever after putting acting on the back burner several years ago, teaming up for the eco-minded documentary Common Ground and launching their The Absorption Company line of supplements in January.
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"I feel like every time I say, 'This is the year of slowdown,' things just rev up!" Reed, who called herself an "aspiring farmer," told New Beauty. "There are so many things that are so important all at the same time, right? Right now, raising babies is the most important thing for me."
And in addition to her ventures with her husband of nine years, she's got her socially minded jewelry business BaYou With Love, which she hopes to be moving into a brick-and-mortar location this year, plus everyday hectic life as a mama of two to deal with.
"Literally, everything is all hitting at the same time," she noted, "and everything is important."
But there's no doubt in her household that she's got this—whatever this is at any given time.
"I have never met a more resourceful human being," Somerhalder said of Reed in 2022. "I think together, with our combined skills, we could live forever on an island. You can drop us on an island, and we would be okay."
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But two actors don't just walk away from their beachside home in Malibu if they're not on the same recycled-paper page about what they really want out of life.
"To be fully transparent about it, I really did not want to be in the public eye anymore," Reed told Santa Barbara Magazine in 2022. So she was onboard with retreating up the coast a bit, noting, "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."
Noting their "amazing run" in Hollywood, Somerhalder told E! News at a Jan. 11 screening of Common Ground that he did appreciate the family and community to be found on set.
"I love what I did for a really long time," said the Brothers Bond Bourbon co-founder, who's in the liquor business with former costar Paul Wesley. "I love making films, I just did it for so long."
And Reed was on the same page—reading the exact same line, in fact—about trying to live a more sustainable life.
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In her 20s, "I started connecting the dots between what you do for the planet and what you do for yourself," Reed told E!. "It's an evolution and a lifelong pursuit."
And when the Twilight actress and her family hit the road, as they like to do in their tricked-out Fleetwood RV when wanderlust strikes, the destination hardly matters so long as it's off the grid.
"If I could like tell you my dream," Reed 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."
Keep reading for scenes from the road Nikki Reed and Ian Somerhalder have been traveling together for a decade:
Nikki's First TikTok
Nikki and Ian pay tribute to their Twilight and Vampire Diaries characters in the actress' first TikTok, shared Jan. 18, 2024.
New Year's Eve 2023
The Vampire Diaries actor wrote on Instagram Dec. 31, "Yeahhhhhhh 2024!"
Giving "Gratitude"
The Lost actor praises his wife for helping him get "out of a terrible business situation" that left him in the hospital. "This woman here decided that she didn't want to see her husband ruin his body/mind/spirit and pulled up her bootstraps and got down in the trenches assembling a team to get to the negotiating table to find a way out," he shared. "She devoted her life to getting me out of that mess and it almost killed her along the way. I am where I am BECAUSE of this woman. Brothers Bond Bourbon is actually here today because of this woman. I was able to start my life over because of this woman."
Birthday Boy
In December 2020, Nikki shared a sweet birthday tribute to her husband, writing, "Happy Happy birthday to this man right here. The most creative, certifiably genius, deepest thinker of anyone I have ever known with the most giving spirit."
Rainforest Sips
Ian and wife Nikki celebrated spring (and being married four years) by sipping on bush chai in the rainforest in April 2019.
Pure Bliss
The actor shared this romantic photo, along with a sweet caption about his lady love on their fourth wedding anniversary in 2019. "I'm completely blown away by you...," he began, adding, "Whether dancing at our wedding, swimming across the seas, cuddling one of our furry creatures, jumping on airplanes around the world, snapping beautiful photos or sitting hand and hand looking at the ocean with a beer: we do it all together. It's been nothing short of amazing to breathe the air of the bright blue sky all over this planet with you."
Defying Gravity
This duo's love is one that clearly defies the laws of physics.
Precious Peck
The lovebirds really like locking lips with each other!
Sweet Snuggles
In this throwback picture from 2015, the precious pair enjoyed some not-so-covert makeout time.
Cute Carry
In another flashback photo—this time from 2014—the Vampire Diaries actor whisked his wife right off her feet!
Romance in the Rain
During New York Fashion Week, the cute couple shared a sweet smooch in the rain.
Flawless Family
For Father's Day, the CW star threw it back to this adorable moment where he planted a peck on Nikki's growing baby bump.
Fun in the Sun
The two showed off their fit figures while out on the water in this photo. And clearly, they couldn't keep their hands off each other!
Crazy Kiss
The actress loves doing acrobatics and her hubby loves supporting her (literally!).
Polaroid Perfection
This precious photo was posted in honor of the couple's third anniversary and we can't get over the cuteness.
Valentine's Day View
Aw, how romantic. The lovebirds smooched under the setting sun on Valentine's Day.
Awards Show Smooch
Aren't these two so cute sharing a kiss at the Golden Globes?
Greener Pastures
The animal lovers look so cozy laying on the grass next to some beautiful horses in this snap.
Black-and-White Bliss
The couple loves their PDA.
(Originally published Dec. 8, 2023, at 4 a.m. PT)
