Ian Somerhalder finds 'Common Ground' in new documentary

ATLANTA - Star-studded documentary "Common Ground" will screen at Atlanta’s Tara Theatre on Monday night — and actor and activist Ian Somerhalder says the best early birthday gift he could receive is a packed audience for the film.

Somerhalder — whose birthday is Dec. 8, by the way — is part of the team behind "Common Ground," a documentary centered on a concept called regenerative agriculture. The actor, who spent years living and working in metro Atlanta while filming the hit series "The Vampire Diaries," says his passion for the environment began early in life.

"You know, growing up in Southeast Louisiana, it’s such a delicate ecosystem," says Somerhalder. "When you grow up in those areas, you learn very early [of] an incredible delicate balance of nature, right? If humans take more than they put back, that imbalance goes up, things go awry."

"Common Ground" also features fellow Hollywood heavyweights Laura Dern, Jason Momoa, Woody Harrelson, Donald Glover, and Rosario Dawson, and explores the global movement toward regenerative farming. 

"Regenerative agriculture is just the use of planned grazing methods, and using living, growing plants — literally, agriculture at scale — to sequester enormous amounts of carbon dioxide out of the air, and store it safely back in the ground where it belongs," says Somerhalder. 

The Atlanta premiere of "Common Ground" is set for tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Tara Theatre (2345 Cheshire Bridge Road Northeast). Doors open at 6:00 p.m., and there will be a discussion following the film featuring speakers including Rosario Dawson and Laura Turner Seydel.