Ian was in Nashville, Tennessee during November and December 2001 to film the independent  movie Changing Hearts.  Lauren Holly as Amber Connors and Ian as Jason Kelly

 

Movie Summary

Changing Hearts focuses on the moving relationship which develops between Amber Connors (Lauren Holly), a beautiful idealist faced with a powerful, personal challenge who's determined to transfer her sense of hope and wonder to Jason (Ian Somerhalder) a severely disillusioned young man - before it's too late.  The film also follows Betty Miller (Faye Dunaway), a bossy, cantankerous older woman Amber befriends.  Betty has spent her entire adult life building her defenses, only to have them systematically worn down by the town's resident philanderer, Johnny Pinkley (Tom Skerritt) - an aging charmer and hopeless romantic determined to win back Betty's love after breaking her heart decades earlier by going off to the Korean War.  A story of resilience in the grand Southern tradition, Colored Eggs explores what it is about life that inspires people to fight for it.

The ensemble also includes stellar performances by character actors Edie McClurg as the quirky and helpful Nurse Rollins and Janet Carroll as Mrs. Lane, head of the Baptist Women's League and hospital do-gooder.  In addition to the ensemble cast, the film features musical performances by veteran recording artist Rita Coolidge and Earl and Randy Scruggs, alongside Grand Ole Opry country singers Jan Howard and Jeannie Sealy.

More About The Changing Hearts Story

Changing Hearts is a charming, quirky Southern tale of a group of people brought together by less than ideal circumstances. Much in the vein of "Steel Magnolias" you find yourself laughing through tears as you see the growth, resilience and rebirth of the human spirit. A story about facing death, yet finding life.

Jason Kelly has decided that his life is no longer worth the effort. Joy and happiness have always eluded him. As a last resort before ending it all, he gives up his career to become an orderly in a Cancer Treatment Center in Arkansas. His only hope is to find what exactly it is about life that makes these people want to hold on to it so badly. The answers elude him. His days there are made even more miserable by a cantankerous old lady named Betty Miller, who has little patience for his questions or morose outlook. Enter Amber Connors, a beautiful woman, filled with a vibrancy and love of life that emanates to those around her. Amber, decimated by a prolonged battle with breast cancer, makes it her mission to transfer the love that has changed her life to her new sad friend Jason.

An outstanding variety of characters abound in the hospital. Johnny Pinkly in the neighboring nursing home has set his sights on wooing Betty. Nurse Rollins, whose purpose in life seems to center on Betty's intake of bran, thus ensuring a healthy colon. The "Baptist" ladies who visit, "smiling like a opossum eating yellow jackets" in the words of Betty.

There is a little bit of everything here. All delightfully portrayed through a unique "southern" lens that will not only entertain, but touch your heart. An elaborate children's Easter program that Amber has organized is always on the verge of turmoil thanks to Nathan, a little boy with heart trouble and a proclivity to peeing in flower pots. A patron at Amber's salon is certain that she receives messages from EMs through her Sony Walkman. A young man who finally remembers who he has always been. By pushing through Jason's inhibitions and fears, Amber reaches him in a way he has never known before. Through tears and laughter we see the transference of this "secret" from one person, ravaged by disease, to another, ravaged by despair.

Slowly the frightened young man comes out of his shell. A new world is opened to Jason. A world he is terrified will end when Amber dies. Through a children's story and pageant, Amber teaches Jason how he can always keep that love alive, even after she has left him.

If you have ever lost someone you know, only to find that their spirit surrounds you still, you will be able to relate to Changing Hearts. Through the transference of love, we see the power that one person can have on every life they touch. This move will change the way you look at fear, death, and this incredible "experience" we call Life.