Blood Brothers. Amy Rickman
drive: ‘Fight For Your Rights: Take A Stand Against Discrimination’. It was probably the role that had most affected him up until then, as he wrote on his Friday Five: ‘I have to say after Anatomy of a Hate Crime (the movie wasn’t great, though), I truly understood that one’s life can change in a matter of moments…’
The Friday Five was very important to Ian, who was keen to connect with his fans in a different way to most actors. He really didn’t consider himself ‘famous’ at that point, but he did have a steady fan base that he wanted to keep in touch with. Every week he would answer five questions, ranging from the very personal to the professional, and with virtually no subject off-limits – from shows to relationships to philosophy. It was there that fans learned about his relationship with American socialite Nicky Hilton (and the subsequent break-up); Ian even kept the Friday Five going when his career started to take off and he landed the part of Boone Carlyle on Lost – showing that his growing celebrity had not affected his down-to-earth nature.
The following years Ian spent building up his résumé on the small screen, with frequent guest spots on popular television shows such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and CSI: Miami. He then landed a recurring guest-star role on Smallville as Adam Knight, a teenager who died from a liver disease but was later resurrected using a special injection known as ‘Lazarus Serum’. Adam was sent to Smallville by Lex Luthor’s father Lionel to befriend Lana Lang and spy on Clark Kent. Altogether, Ian shot six episodes before his character died from lack of serum to keep him ‘undead’ ending his time on the hit show.
It was 2004 and Ian was in need of a big role… and soon he was about to crash-land into the perfect one.
Damon: This town needs a bit of a wake-up call, don’t you think? (1.02, ‘The Night of the Comet’)
Ian was being picky. He wanted a major role, but he didn’t want to do just any old movie or television show that came along. Yet when Brenda Netzberger, his manager, called, desperate to show him a script, he knew better than to dismiss her opinion – they had been working together for too long for that. ‘I actually didn’t want to read pilots,’ said Ian on a Friday Five, ‘but my manager told me that she was sending a few pages from a pilot and that I should look at the director and the location. Upon following the instructions from her, I immediately called her after seeing that it was J.J. Abrams and it shot in Hawaii!’
For Ian, the decision was made before he had even properly found out about the role. J.J. (Jeffrey Jacob) Abrams had a great track record with television shows (before Lost, he worked on Felicity and Alias) and an incredible reputation in Hollywood as the hottest young director, writer and producer on the scene. Ian headed out straightaway to meet with him and the other executive producers.
It was a rigorous process but a relatively straightforward one for Ian. He filmed a few audition scenes in front of a camera, which were then viewed by the network and studio for approval. Luckily, right from the beginning J.J. believed in him. Ian described a particular moment in the audition process on his website:
In a screening room that resembles a small theatre at ABC (and trust me, a network test is a very intense room to be in) the silence was perfect so that concentration was never broken. By that time J.J. and myself had been in several meetings together for the role with Damon [Lindelof, executive producer] so those guys were on my team, my champions on the project, so needless to say that trust and comfort yields a fearlessness in you that allows you to live an organic moment in an artificial environment.
The last part of the test was the scene with Boone and Sawyer (was never put into the final draft of the pilot) in which Boone was digging for something in the sand while Sawyer sat smoking (of course) watching Boone only to make some smart-ass comment (of course) while Boone calmly and articulately put Sawyer in his place.
I’ll never forget, when that scene was done I literally thought that I was on a beach somewhere talking to this guy and upon realizing that it was indeed a room; there was more silence. I looked up at J.J. and he simply said to the executives behind him – ‘As I live and breathe, ladies and gentlemen, Ian Somerhalder.’
For that one moment and many, many more that followed, I thank you, Mr. Abrams.
With that stellar audition, Ian was the first actor to be announced on the cast of Lost in early 2004 – as Boone Carlyle. The character really intrigued him: Boone was part of the original group of survivors from the middle section of the plane, alongside main characters Jack, Kate, Sawyer and Locke (among others). Before the crash he had been a wealthy young man, whose mother owned a wedding company. Boone became the chief operating officer of his mother’s company when he turned twenty; he also had a stepsister named Shannon, whom he had romantic feelings towards, and he was very protective of her. His character was described in a USA Today profile as ‘a callow young man who had been toughened by island challenges.’ Boone was also incredibly vain, so much so that his sister sarcastically labels him: ‘God’s Friggin’ Gift to Humanity’ (that could be accurately used to describe Ian as well, though not in a sarcastic way!).
Ready to take on the challenge, Ian flew out to Hawaii in March, 2004 and watched as the cast grew and began to draw in more big-name stars and attractive unknowns with oodles of potential. One actor he immediately clicked with was Dominic Monaghan, who was cast as Charlie. Monaghan was riding high after successfully starring in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings films as the hobbit, Merry. Ian chatted with him about his experience on The Lord of the Rings’ set, especially as he himself had actually auditioned for a part in the hit movies: ‘Few people know that, but I auditioned for the role of Legolas,’ he told Séries magazine in France. ‘Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. Orlando Bloom was stronger than me on this! [laughs] When Dominic tells me about the wonderful experience he’s had on the set, I regret that I didn’t get the role but in this job, we can’t win first prize all the time.’
He also got on really well with his on-screen sister, Shannon, played by Maggie Grace. Ian described her as: ‘hateable in Lost, but really she’s the sweetest, most adorable thing on the planet.’ Immediately rumours started to fly that the two were dating, but both denied it.
However, the person on-set that Ian got along with best was also the one he truly envied. That person was Josh Holloway, otherwise known as James ‘Sawyer’ Ford. Like almost every other male member of the cast, Ian had originally wanted to play the part of bad-boy Sawyer. ‘I was always so envious of Josh Holloway on Lost because he always gets to say the cool stuff. And it’s always so fun to watch, even if it’s someone you don’t necessarily like, you still want to hear what they have to say and the way they say it. They truly mean what they’re saying, even if it’s demented and wrong.’
Even now, long after Ian’s time on Lost has ended, he and Josh have remained good friends. They have even gone shopping together, with Ian helping his friend to pick out a post-pregnancy gift for his wife: ‘Ian helped me pick out chick shoes and we ended up getting tanked and having a blast,’ Josh told TV Guide. Ian picked up the story: ‘Just imagine me and Josh, two macho dudes, after a couple bottles of wine, walking through Nordstrom’s shoe department, discussing the types of heels, toes and colour.’
Despite being located on the beautiful, sun-soaked islands of Hawaii, the shooting was tough. ‘It was really intense,’ Ian revealed to TV Mania. ‘You’re covered in bug spray and dirt and make-up, and it’s 95 degrees with no wind, and you’re on a beach surrounded by fire. By the end of the episode, you would have to go home and get scrubbed. But I love Hawaii. I will absolutely live there some day.’
He was having the time of his life on the show, featuring in 19 episodes in total – the longest job of his career thus far. And he was paid well too, between $20,000–$40,000 an episode. Yet it was to