Picture:Empics Whats the appeal of all this vampire stuff? The box office success of Twilight paved the way for all this vampire stuff. It opened up the market. The genre has always been popular but its having a resurgence, which is why this show got a green light. Your character is a bit of a rotter, isnt he? Yes, but I dont judge him. Everyone has righteous reasons for what they do in the world. He believes what hes doing is justified. He believes hes been wronged by his brother and has vowed to make him miserable for eternity. Hes just living up to his promise. How do you get on with your own siblings? There wasnt much rivalry. My brother was seven years older so he just kicked my ass. Have you attracted any crazy vampire groupies? Not so far. We film out in the sticks in Georgia so were quite cut off. That happened more when I was doing Lost. People go crazy at a slower pace than kids in America. There are things that are accepted in Europe that arent in America. You can drink at 16 in Europe, kids have a good time, but its not like in the States when you have to wait until youre 21, end up pounding a case of beer in one night and end up in hospital. Kids dont need to do that in Europe. Was it an easy transition into acting? Models-turned-actors are a bit of a clich... It is a huge clich but you have to look at the positive aspects. I learned a lot about the world and took a lot of knowledge away from it. Did your character get written out of Lost because the incestuous romance with his sister wasnt a hit with viewers? No, it was just a story point. It just ended at its time. Lost worked well for my career and Im eternally grateful for everyone involved in getting that role. Ive just gone used to camp outside my house. Have you ever had a supernatural experience? Id like to think so. Im from the Deep South. Theres a lot of supernatural energy down there. There were a lot of deaths in the Civil War. If youre open to it, you can feel it. You started modelling at ten. What was that like? Amazing. Instead of playing baseball in the summer Id go to New York to model. I learned a lot. I was exposed to a lot of interesting things, talented photographers and cool intellectuals, and NewYork City got into my blood. It was a juxtaposition of New York and this quiet, rural area of Louisiana my family lived in. It changes your outlook on childhood. You grow up really fast. I moved to Europe when I was 16. Did you go off the rails? I went off the rails and down the side of the mountain. I went nuts for a while but I soon grew out of it. Kids in Europe back to film some scenes for the final season. It was nice to be involved in that and see everyone again. What are the perks of being famous? Its fun and flattering. We shot some pictures at the Mac store the other day and they gave me an amazing computer. When Mac gives you stuff, you know youve made it. They dont have to give things away. Whats been your most extravagant purchase? I love to indulge in nice wine. One of my friends is one of the worlds top sommeliers and, from spending time in Italy and France when I was younger and becoming immersed in wine culture, Ive learned what I like. I know what to spend my money on. Id love to create my own organic vineyard and wine label. If you were a kangaroo, what would you keep in your pouch? A gun to keep the kangaroo hunters away. I went off the rails and down the side of the mountain. I went nuts for a while but I soon grew out of it :60second interview Interview by Andrew Williams Ian Somerhalder Actor Ian Somerhalder, 31, is best known for playing Boone in Lost. He currently stars as villainous vampire Damon in The Vampire Diaries, the latest ITV2 vampire-themed drama aimed at moody teenagers D Wednesday, January 27, 2010 metrolife 1715 index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html