Ian Somerhalder Shares Photos of Himself as a Smoking 16-Year-Old Versace Model
Ian Somerhalder just has one of those faces that stands out. Between his piercing blue eyes, his chiseled jawline, and his captivating lips, there is a reason he became an actor. So it’s probably no surprise to hear that Somerhalder got his start as a teen model. He modeled for Versace, according to a recent post he made on Instagram (in between all the thirst traps).
Ian Somerhalder reached heartthrob status thanks to ‘Lost’ and ‘The Vampire Diaries’
Today, Somerhalder is best known for his acting roles. He starred as Boone Carlyle on Lost and, perhaps more famously, as Damon Salvatore in The Vampire Diaries. The supernatural teen drama showcased him alongside Paul Wesley (his now business partner) and Nina Dobrev, in a love triangle for the ages.
The CW series aired for eight seasons and helped catapult Somerhalder to household name status. He’s now considered a heartthrob, and though doesn’t act as much these days, he’s still known as a star.
Before he started acting, Ian Somerhalder worked as a model
Before all of his acting success, his modeling career helped Somerhalder gain some steam toward stardom. In 2022, he shared photos of himself at 16 on Instagram, from back when he was a working model. The charisma and charm that comes through the photo are totally proof that Somerhalder was bound to become something bigger. And it’s still cool to see that exuding from him so long ago.
In the first photo, Somerhalder appears in the foreground of a beach setting. He’s wearing a black-and-white pinstriped suit jacket and holding a cigarette in his left hand. Somerhalder sports what he describes in the Instagram caption as a “Liza Minnelli haircut” that was “on purpose.” In the background is fellow model Stella Tennant. She sports a long skirt in checked black and white and a haircut reminiscent of Courteney Cox in her Friends era.
Tragically, Tennant died by suicide in 2020 after what had been a long battle with her mental health, as her family told the BBC at the time. It’s possible that in posting the photos, Somerhalder was also trying to pay homage to the modeling great, who had also done famous campaigns for the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Alexander McQueen, and Jean-Paul Gaultier. In the caption, Somerhalder describes her as “the awesome late Stella Tennant.”
What has Ian Somerhalder been up to since ‘The Vampire Diaries’?
Since The Vampire Diaries wrapped back in 2017, Somerhalder hasn’t done much acting. He’s gotten into producing, though his short-lived series, V Wars, didn’t pan out. These days, Somerhalder is best known for capitalizing on his TVD fame in another way.
The actor teamed up with Wesley to create Brother’s Bond Bourbon, spawned from their characters’ love of the beverage. Additionally, Somerhalder remains busy in his personal life. He and his wife, actor Nikki Reed, welcomed a daughter in 2017. Of course, if times get tough, he could always return to his modeling roots.
