Ian Somerhalder Says V Wars Hospitalization Led Him to Quit Acting

"Worked really hard on this thing for almost a year, and the show that got turned in wasn’t even watchable," Ian Somerhalder recalled during an appearance on the Haley on the Go podcast earlier this month, per E! News. The Vampire Diaries alum was describing his 2019 Netflix sci-fi series V Wars, where he starred as Dr. Luther Swann and served as an executive producer.

His disappointment with the initial cut was so severe he tried to stop it from airing. "I said to the studio, ‘I don’t want to put my name on this,’" Somerhalder said he even offered to return millions of dollars. "I’ll give you the money back. Literally, I’ll give you millions of dollars. I’ll give it back. And they were like, ‘What? What are you talking about? No, no, no.’" Netflix refused the refund but granted him and producing partner James Gibb permission to reshoot—without any extra budget. According to Somerhalder, Netflix said, "Sure, we’re not giving you a dollar more," when he asked for creative control.

The Cost of a Fix

Somerhalder and Gibb raised around $6 million themselves and shot 10 to 12 days of new footage in half the time. The grueling pace took a brutal physical toll. "Actually, I ended up in the hospital," he shared. "Literally, was a full body shutdown." The series, which also featured Adrian Holmes, Laura Vandervoort and Jacky Lai, was a passion project for Somerhalder, who said he wanted to do it because "it was me, not as a vampire, it was me as a scientist."

Though the salvaged version of V Wars that hit Netflix in 2019 was one Somerhalder was proud of, it was ultimately canceled. According to Somerhalder, the powers that be at Netflix were reportedly like, "This is unfortunate. This shouldn’t have happened. We can’t go back because that would set a precedent that would be terrible so the show is done." For Somerhalder, now 47, the ordeal was a final straw. His focus is now on family and other ventures.