Ian Somerhalder says being on the hot Guys list’ moved the needle for him in the ’00s, but now he doesn’t ‘need to chase awards
‘The Vampire Diaries’ actor is looking back on being featured on Teen People’s 50 Se xiest Guys Ever list two decades ago.
Ian Somerhalder is grateful for his TV heartthrob days.
After getting his big break as the brooding Boone Carlyle on Lost in 2004, the actor scored the role of bad boy vampire Damon Salvatore on The Vampire Diaries in 2009, which catapulted him into stardom.
Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE about his partnership with Nutro, Somerhalder, 45, looks back on his “smoldering” past, including being featured in Teen People’s 50 Sexiest Guys Ever list two decades ago in October 2004.
While Somerhalder tells PEOPLE he was very conscious of his “heartthrob” image back in the day, he looks back on the title quite differently now as an adult.
Though the actor notes that being featured on the cover of magazines and being selected for sexy lists were “very relevant” and “moved the needle” in his career at the time, nowadays,
he’s much more focused on passion projects like his environmentalist work and raising his children with wife Nikki Reed, 36.
