Nikki Reed Provides a Rare Look at Her and Ian Somerhalder’s Life on the Farm With Their 2 Kids

Nikki Reed knows that, when it comes to planting a seed and watching something beautiful grow, you need sunlight. And you definitely don't need the glow that emanates from a phone.

"Getting back into the rhythm of the earth and getting our kids outdoors in a world where we're all living indoors, in front of screens and blue light everywhere, we need some red light," the Twilight actress told E! News' Francesca Amiker in an exclusive interview. "We need some sun, we need some fresh air."

Proximity to the great outdoors is one of the many reasons she and husband Ian Somerhalder are raising their almost-7-year-old daughter and 11-month-old son on a farm many miles north of Los Angeles, where—if they can't exactly unplug from the modern world entirely—it's at least easier to get back to basics.

"I can't personally envision a life without that connection to plants and soil," Reed said. "In this day and age, we're getting closer and closer to falling into full tech worlds. No matter how hard we try to shelter our kids from that, we're growing up in the age of tech, and I think the only way to really combat that is through nature."

But just because acting is on her back burner for now, don't mistake the mom and business owner's day-to-day for life in the slow lane. Wearing a host of hats is still the name of the game for Reed, making her a natural fit to partner with Babyganics' "Oops! I Forgot It Again" campaign. 

On social media, people tend to project an image of having it all together, and the campaign celebrates the "perfectly imperfect moments" that are the reality, the 36-year-old explained. "It's important for all of us to talk about the everyday and the grind. It's amazing, and it's beautiful, and it's chaotic, and it's messy—and that's all part of being a parent."

She was an existing Babyganics customer when the brand came calling, "because I'm also that parent that's always looking for cleaner options," she noted. "In a dream world, I would make every single thing that I use, but let's be realistic. I do make a lot, but I also rely on incredible brands that I bring into our space as well."

While the days of being "that girl who could pack for a two-week trip in a carry-on bag" are over, that doesn't mean she doesn't like to streamline as much as possible, such as when she and Somerhalder pile the kids into the family RV and head off the grid.

Reed, who's happy to slather herself in kid-friendly Babyganics sunscreen and bug spray, maintains that "multipurpose-everything" mentality whether she's headed out for the day or a month, adding, "I am so that parent that's like, 'Okay, let's bring one thing for the whole family.'"

Still, referring to herself as "a student in this life," she is not one to dictate what's best for other families, though she certainly is an advocate for the adage that "less is more."

But, more importantly, "Don't beat yourself up," she advised. "If you forget things, there's always somebody out there that's gonna have something. Whether you're on a hike or at the beach, don't be afraid to ask."

And if you forgot the SPF and happen to pass by one of the "Oops! I Forgot It Again" stands stocked with Babyganics goods going up in L.A. and New York this weekend, "grab something off the stand," Reed said. "Donate something if you have extra. It's that whole [it takes a] village mentality."

And if you, like Reed, don't have the time to make all of your food and everyday self-care items at home (or, let's face it, any self-care items at home) and are trying to make cleaner choices, take a minute to read the back of the box or bottle before you buy.

"We don't do that often," she observed. "You think that, if you go into a store and it's in a particular aisle, we can track things as consumers. But it's really important to read labels, know what you're putting on your body, in your body, on your kids' bodies."

Environmental toxins are "an unfortunate part of living in this day and age," Reed continued. "Whether we're talking about what's in the air, what's in the water we drink, what's in the products we use or the food we eat, there are toxins everywhere. So, the less ingredients the better on the back of the label. And I like to pick one or two or three trusted brands in my home and commit to that, and make what you can when you can."

Which, she acknowledged, is a tall order, so "keep it simple" remains her overarching message.

Of course, holding down the organic fort with Reed for the past decade is Somerhalder. Along with their affinity for wide open spaces, her husband of nine years shares her passion for health and wellness, and their recently launched supplement line, The Absorption Company, is yet more fruit of their healthy-living labors.

"If there were a Venn diagram, the overlap is pretty major," Reed said of her and the Vampire Diaries alum's joint sensibilities, "because we have a lot of shared goals and this desire to create a life—and also businesses that make a better life. I'll just say that he and I have a lot of common interests, so it's good that we're on the same page about all this."

And like so many successful partnerships, "we're very much the yin and the yang in how we operate," she noted. "He's super-creative and a visionary, and I am all about the nuts-and-bolts and logistics, and running day-to-day—realizing the dreams that he can conjure up. Hopefully we balance each other out in that way."

Alas, Somerhalder can't catch up on the sleep his wife is missing.

"I am running right now on fumes," Reed admitted. "I've got multiple jobs: Raising humans, running companies, working full-time."

But early to rise and late to bed allows for leisure time, too, in all its various forms.

"I have a lot of things that I love," she added. "I still want to get outside once or twice a week and get my hands in the soil and, you know, be with my cows and be with my horses—and read medical journals until two o'clock in the morning. There's just a lot of things that are happening in this orbit right now, and I've got to embrace all of it."

Whether geographically or just in spirit, read on for more stars who put some distance between them and Hollywood:

The Vampire Diaries alum hasn't sunk his teeth into a new role since Netflix's 2019 series V-Wars. Instead, the dad of two (with wife Nikki Reed) has dug a little deeper into a passion project, namely his mission to combat climate change by improving the world's soil. 

"I stepped away from acting a little over four years ago to raise my kids, build my companies and get these films launched," Somerhalder told E! News in November of launching the 2020 documentary Kiss the Ground and its newly released follow up Common Ground, each detailing the need for regenerative farming. 

When he looks years down the road, he continued, "I will be a rancher and building legacy brands, whether it's my bourbon or my health and wellness company, and the regenerative agriculture and healthy soil management practices that I live by and our family lives by. That's where my life was going. So when people say 'Why do you care?' That's why I care. Because that's who I am, that's what I'm going to become."

On a February 2021 episode of her podcast Empty Inside, the iCarly alum told guest Anna Faris that she decided to stop acting a few years back and is now focused on opportunities in writing and directing, in addition to hosting the podcast.

"My experience with acting is, I'm so ashamed of the parts I've done in the past," revealed Jennette, who detailed her experience in her 2022 memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died. "I resent my career in a lot of ways. I feel so unfulfilled by the roles that I played and felt like it was the most cheesy, embarrassing. I did the shows that I was on from like 13 to 21, and by 15, I was already embarrassed. My friends at 15, they're not like, 'Oh, cool, you're on this Nickelodeon show.' It was embarrassing."

Though she hasn't totally written off a second act. "I do feel like only through writing the book have I gotten to a place where I think there might be a way of exploring acting that doesn't carry that baggage that I carried with me for so long," she told E! News in October 2022. "Maybe if I write something for myself. I think that'd really be maybe one of the only ways I could kind of try exploring it again."

This felt like something of a no-brainer. If we had a shot to marry Prince Harry, dedicate our life to the philanthropic causes that matter most to us and gain access to the Queen's impressive collection of tiaras, bidding ta-ta to Tinseltown would feel like an okay sacrifice.

Following in the path Grace Kelly took from Hollywood to the Palace of Monaco, Markle left behind her home in Toronto—and her breakout role on Suits—for a life in The Firm. Though, now that she and Harry have shed their senior roles, she's edging back into the business thanks to their new multi-year production deal with Netflix. 

Having made upwards of 40 movies since her debut in 1994's The Mask, the actress was long overdue for a break when filming wrapped on 2014's Annie. "I just decided that I wanted different things out of my life," she explained to pal Gwyneth Paltrow of her ultimate act of self-care. "I had gone so hard for so long, working, making films and it's such a grind. When you're making a movie—it's a perfect excuse—they own you. You're there for 12 hours a day for months on end and you have no time for anything else."

And there was plenty more she'd like to explore, from writing (she followed up her 2013 New York Times best-seller The Body Book with 2016's The Longevity Book) to starting a family with husband Benji Madden. But while she confessed to InStyle in 2019, "I don't miss performing. Right now I'm looking at the landscape of wellness and all that," apparently she could be swayed into making at least one encore. 

"We just begged and pleased on my knees, like, 'Just give the people one more again,'" Jamie Foxx told E! News of getting Diaz to sign on for the upcoming Netflix film Back in Action. "We love her, we've been waiting on her and this is just gonna be fantastic."

The actor insisted there'd be no encore after he finished his five-year run on Empire. When Extra asked the Oscar nominee about his future ahead of the musical drama series' sixth and final season in 2019, he responded, "Oh, I'm done with acting. I'm done pretending."

And though he returned to set for a handful of projects, he again announced his plans to quit acting while promoting his Peacock series The Best Man: The Final Chapters in 2022. "I've gotten to the point where now I've given the very best that I have as an actor," he told ET. "Now I'm enjoying watching other new talent come around, and I don't want to do an impersonation of myself."

Once his time as King Joffrey came to a sudden, purple-faced end in 2014, the then-21-year-old told EW he was getting out of the game. "I've been acting since age 8," the Game of Thrones star explained of his decision. "I just stopped enjoying it as much as I used to."

No longer a child star, a bit of the magic had worn off. "Now there's the prospect of doing it for a living, whereas up until now it was always something I did for recreation with my friends, or in the summer for some fun," he continued. "I enjoyed it. When you make a living from something, it changes your relationship with it. It's not like I hate it, it's just not what I want to do." But after a six-year break, he may just be ready to resume his reign, joining the cast of BBC's upcoming series Out of Her Mind. 

When Fast Times at Ridgemont High's dream girl (Jennifer Aniston took on her part in September's virtual table read) wed fellow actor Kevin Kline in 1989, they "agreed to alternate so that we're never working at the same time," he told Playboy of their plan to care for son Owen and daughter Greta (a singer who now goes by the stage name Frankie Cosmos). However, he continued, "whenever it's been her slot to work, Phoebe has chosen to stay with the children." Though she made a cameo in pal Jennifer Jason Leigh's 2001 indie The Anniversary Party, Cates devotes most of her time to operating her New York City boutique Blue Tree. 

At the height of his Ghostbusters and Honey, I... fame, the '80s star stepped away from filmmaking not long after his wife passed away from breast cancer in 1991 to focus on raising his kids Rachel and Mitchell. Though he hasn't had a live-action role since 1997, even passing on a cameo in Paul Feig's 2016 Ghostbusters remake, he's remained a treasured cultural icon, as evidenced by the outrage over reports that he'd been assaulted while walking in New York City Oct. 1. Thankfully there's good news for fans: he'll make his triumphant return alongside Josh Gad in the forthcoming Disney reboot Shrunk.

Once she wed fashion designer Adam Kimmel in 2010, the Never Been Kissed standout hinted that she was maybe kinda done with movies. "Ninety percent of acting roles involve so much sexual stuff with other people, and I don't want to do that," she explained to Vogue. "It's such a strange fire to play with, and our relationship is surely strong enough to handle it, but if you're going to walk through fire, there has to be something incredible on the other side."

Her decision was solidified after son Martin joined older sister Louisanna in 2014. "I don't do movie stuff anymore. I am totally an outsider! I … am just a mom and an outsider," she noted to Us Weekly at a 2016 event, explaining that she helps Kimmel with his business and paints on the side. "I am just focused on my kids. I think that's mainly why I stopped." 

She'd done Ally McBeal. And Nip/Tuck. Then Arrested Development and finally Scandal when the Aussie realized that maybe she was ready to turn the dial. "I was approaching 45 and I just kind of…was wondering is there something that I could tackle now that I've never done before that would be really challenging and different," she explained on wife Ellen DeGeneres' eponymous talk show in 2018. "I kind of knew what acting would look like for me for the next 10, 20 years, so I decided to quit and start a business."

Her consumer-art company, General Public, already a work in progress, she had just one piece to finish. "I called Mitch Hurwitz, who's the creator of Arrested Development and I said, 'If there is a season 5, I won't be doing it because I quit acting. And he seemed really understanding and he totally got it. We had a great conversation, and then he wrote me into five episodes."

To be fair, once you've won three Academy Awards, what's left to accomplish? Shortly after receiving his sixth Oscar nod for his final film, 2017's Phantom Thread, the thespian had his rep issue a statement informing fans that he "will no longer be working as an actor. He is immensely grateful to all of his collaborators and audiences over the many years. This is a private decision and neither he nor his representatives will make any further comment on this subject."

The Good Luck Charlie alum took a step back from the spotlight in 2018 when she began pursuing a master's degree from MIT, later earning a PhD from the institution. She's also pursuing a law degree from Harvard Law School.

And as if that weren't enough, Bridgit also launched her own startup Northwood Space, which aims to build ground satellite stations to help send and receive data from space, which she became CEO of in Feb. 2023.