Ian Somerhalder gained immense fame in 2009 when The Vampire Diaries started on television. The series started on the small screen around the same time when the Twilight saga was dominating the cinema with all kinds of factual incorrectness about the realm of vampires.
(With the latest release, 'Tenet', actor Robert Pattinson may have been successful in re-establishing himself as an actor, but back in the 'Twilight' phase, Edward Cullen was a major embarrassment.)
Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvator in The Vampire Diaries
Ian Somerhalder brought vampires back to life after his portrayal of Damon Salvatore. He became a craze worldwide not just for his suave appearance but also for being extremely decent in his relationship with Nina Dobrev, who was back then a co-star, who played the role of Elena Gilbert/ Katherine Petrova/ Amora. The series may have been entirely different from the books but that wasn't disappointing thanks to the Salvatore brothers, who made it quite thrilling and entertaining.
Even without the presence of Nina Dobrev for as many as two or three-season, Ian Somerhalder singlehandedly managed to pull the shows together. The Vampire Diaries became such a success that it ended up having two spin-offs 'The Originals' which was based in New Orleans, and 'Legacies' which was based in Mystic Falls, where the plot of The Vampire Diaries originated.
In the entire series of The Vampire Diaries, Damon Salvatore has practically shared sexual relationships with all the women except Bonnie Bennett. However, despite being a womanizer, he always dropped his lewd looks and looked at Elena Gilbert with love and respect.
Ian's ability to switch from being a pervert to deeply romantic lover, from being a cold-hearted vampire to a warm-hearted yet fun brother, immediately made him extremely attractive.
Ian Somerhalder as Dr Luther in V Wars
When Ian had announced that he would be associated in a vampire series again, one expected him to be a vampire again. But this time he was a be-spectacled Dr Luther, who tried to bring a vaccine to cure people who were exposed to a certain kind of virus that turned them into vampires.
The series had uncanny familiarities with everything that has been happening during the entire coronavirus pandemic. Scientists have been told to suppress the news, the government tried to deny the possibilities of a certain virus, it' as if Ian in his performance gave an intelligent performance in 2019, that if ever a pandemic would strike in this era, he was aware of how the government would react. Although, he was a bespectacled scientist he was extremely convincing.
One may be under the impression that Ian is a crowd puller for his good looks, good looks and good looks, but the actor has proved that there are more skills necessary to be an actor who can be a huge crowd puller.
If Netflix or Amazon Prime Video (both the series have obtained the rights to screen Legacies) announce that Ian Somerhalder would get a cameo in their series, the news itself might increase viewership of the show, which is at the moment struggling between trying to be what The Vampire Diaries used to be and experimenting with new kinds of monsters.
