Interview with a vampire
MANILA, Philippines - Penshoppe has been hitting it out of the park with their roster of international celebrity endorsers, and they’ve added another killer name to the list: Ian Somerhalder.
His career spans several very interesting series, such as Young Americans, Lost, and most famously, The Vampire Diaries. And if you’ve seen him at all, you would definitely agree that when the Lord Almighty poured down blessings of good looks and stellar bone structure, this man caught it in buckets.
He is, in some ways, as one would expect: He oozes charm and replies with the cheeky playfulness his vampire alter-ego, Damon Salvatore, is known for. (When told, “I have one more question,” he replies with, “Sure, but it’ll cost you” together with what is known the world over as the Damon eye thing.)
But what comes as a surprise is the warmth in his voice when asked about his stay in the Philippines. “When you look at it on a map, you can’t quite grasp exactly what you’re going to see,” he says. “The people here have been profoundly wonderful, beautiful, intelligent and soulful.”
He extends the same warmth in talking about his work with Penshoppe, betraying a fondness one would find generally reserved for family or intimate loved ones. “(They) have such a giant heart for giving back to their community and giving back to the world, and they based part of their business on it. I’m so looking forward to this partnership and what it means, and how it’s going to give back.”
Somerhalder speaks heavily of compassion and of human connection, which seem to be tenets of everything he allows himself to be involved in. And true to form, this endorsement differs from most, in that this one includes a partnership between Penshoppe and his brainchild, the Ian Somerhalder Foundation (ISF).
Renowned for his own green efforts, ISF was built to address issues that threaten the health and future of the environment. It was also one of the few good things that came out of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010, which hit Somerhalder’s hometown of Louisiana. “We can’t change it; you can’t undo it,” he says. “But what we can do is build a generation of people who will never allow that to happen. Build a generation so... whoever it is, wherever it is, this kind of shit — excuse my language — never happens again.”
While by no means an effort to discount the passion, there is a question that’s floated around quite a bit: If the spill never affected Louisiana, would the ISF have been born at all? “I’ve thought about that,” Somerhalder says quietly. “ISF still would’ve happened. But when it started, because of how it started, it started with so much vigor.”
Vigor is what best describes the enthusiasm with which he talks about helping troubled youth through IS Farm (an animal sanctuary combined with a youth education camp in a zero-waste, self-sustaining environment) or trying to offset his carbon footprint as a frequent flier. It is the same vigor that sparkles across his green/blue/gray/mesmerizing eyes when asked about actors and directors he dreams of working with. “Guys like Clint Eastwood, Sean Penn, Ed Harris, Christian Bale. People who are just such huge forces of nature when it comes to their craft.” He talks at length about his desire to be surrounded by living legends he can learn from, to expand his range.
The power of Beliebing In fact, it is this range that sparked rumors of him being slated to play Christian Grey in the erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey’s film adaptation. “I would love to play that role. I want to make that happen,” he says with steely determination.
Whether it’s sexy, complex, and unconscionable bloodsucker, A-list celebrity, or humanitarian with an astonishing breadth of heart, we’re certain there’s no role this guy can’t play. Whatever happens, Ian, trust that we’ve got our fingers crossed (and our necks bared) for you. Although, truth be told, we don’t really care what size the screen is, as long as you’re on it.
