Ian Somerhalder says his experience making Netflix’s V Wars was the turning point that made him quit acting. In an appearance on the Haley on the Go podcast, the actor said he spent nearly a year working on the series, only to see an initial cut that he felt was not ready to air, according to E! News.
Somerhalder said he tried to keep the show from being released and even told the studio he did not want his name on it. He said he was willing to return money to avoid the project going forward, but Netflix did not agree.
According to E! News, Somerhalder and his producing partner James Gibb were eventually allowed to reshoot parts of the series. He said they were asked to do it without extra funding from Netflix, so they raised about $6 million on their own and shot 10 to 12 days of footage in about half the usual time.
Somerhalder also said the process took a toll on him physically, adding that he ended up in the hospital and experienced a full body shutdown. He said he ultimately decided he did not want to keep working under those conditions and walked away from acting.
V Wars premiered on Netflix in 2019 but was canceled before a second season could be made. E! News noted that Somerhalder said he has since moved into entrepreneurship and does not regret leaving Hollywood behind.
