Ian Somerhalder was the first actor cast in the series; while the role required him to find life living in the wild foreign and difficult, the actor was raised on a Louisianan ranch and was thus used to "learn[ing] how to survive."
Ian Somerhalder was the first actor cast in the series; while the role demanded he adapt to a challenging, unconventional lifestyle, the actor's upbringing on a Louisianan ranch provided him with practical experience in wilderness survival.