“Filipinos are some of the most underappreciated people in the world. You guys are leading the change into our green future. And I think the rest of the world should know about this.”
That’s Ian Somerhalder, who plays hunky vampire Damon Salvatorre in the hit TV series “The Vampire Diaries”, talking about his Philippine experience, which included a photo shoot at El Nido Resort in Palawan for the fashion retail brand, Penshoppe.
The 33-year old actor started out as a model at the very young age of 10 before pursuing acting by the time he’s 17. His other best known roles are that of bisexual Paul Denton in the film “The Rules of Attraction” and the ill-fated Boone Carlyle in the first season of “Lost.”
During a press conference at the Peninsula Manila Wednesday afternoon, Somerhalder admitted that he was deeply touched and amazed at the efforts being made by big corporations such as Penshoppe’s Golden ABC in making what he describes as “massive strides” in promoting environmental causes.
Before Somerhalder took the stage, Golden ABC’s Bernie Liu announced that the company will be supporting the Ian Somerhalder Foundation that the actor founded in 2010.
Although it was not specified how exactly the company will support his foundation, Ian gratefully acknowledged it and said he’s excited about his partnership with Penshoppe, which he describes as an “organic marriage.”
“I feel as though I’m part of something special here and this partnership, what it means, what it’s going to get back is we’re going to see concrete changes and real results. I’m going to use this exposure for the greater good,” Somerhalder told TV5 news anchor Paolo Bediones, who hosted the event.
Citing another example, the actor recalled how much he was fascinated with International Transvoyager, Inc. (ITI), the air charter service that took him to El Nido.
“To offset carbon emission generated by their flights, ITI actually plants six trees for every passenger. How cool is that?” the actor enthused. ‘I mean I fly so much it’s awful. So it’s good to see one company finding ways to offset all those CO2s.”
In describing his work with his foundation which, he said, “aims to empower, educate and collaborate with people and projects to positively impact the planet and its creatures,” the actor himself sometimes wonder how he finds all the time for his causes.
“Most of the time, I just scribble all my ideas on my iPad which is always beside me in my bed. Then when I wake up, I ask myself, ‘What the hell is this all about’?” he joked.
Turning serious, Somerhalder revealed that he has around 100 people in his team. “A hundred people may not be a lot but a hundred people doing all these things for the environment, that’s very cool.”
He admitted that while his father, an independent contractor, visited the Philippines many years ago, it was his first time in the country, and he described Palawan in particular as “one of the most beautiful places on the planet.”
In describing his recent photo shoot, Somerhalder narrated, “I’m just running around in a secluded island, drinking coconut, photographed by an amazing photographer (Darren Tieste) and surrounded by all these incredible people.”
As for appearing on the big screen again, the actor, who was earlier announced to star in the gothic film “Cradlewood” scheduled for a 2013 release, said he is still looking for the right project but would like to work with a lot of outstanding filmmakers and actors.
“Doing ‘The Vampire Diaries’ means nine months of straight shooting for 22 episodes in one season,” he pointed out. “Making a film is more about the filmmakers. Among the people I’d like to work with are Clint Eastwood, Sean Penn and Ed Harris. There’s something to be said about these people who do not compromise their craft. So if I suck as an actor, I might be able to bring myself up to their level someday.”
Somerhalder also doesn’t see the big deal about admitting his real age. “There’s something amazing about aging. Turning 30 plus is such a powerful number. I find it bizarre that people can still lie about their age in 2012, in this age of Google.”
And while Ian did not discuss his personal life, including the status of his reported relationship with “Vampire Diaries” co-star Nina Dobrev, he did talk about the role that’s making millions of girls swoon every week.
“Ripping people’s heads off and seducing women are not exactly the worst things in the world,” Somerhalder quipped with a wink.
source: interaksyon.com
