Maggie Grace Remains ''Very Good Friends'' With Ex Ian Somerhalder—but Dating Actors Takes Energy She Doesn't Have Anymore

Taken 3 star opens up to New You about the perils of dating actors, working with Liam Neeson, doing her own stuns and more!

By Natalie Finn Jan 28, 2015 1:33 AMTags
Maggie Grace, Ian SomerhaldeGetty Images

Hey, Shannon and Boone always had a bond that couldn't be broken, even in TV death.

And Maggie Grace remains close to Ian Somerhalder, her former Lost co-star and real-life ex-boyfriend, to this day.

"Ian Somerhalder and I are still very good friends," the Taken 3 star says about her recently engaged ex in the latest issue of New You, in which she also divulges that she is currently dating someong—and it doesn't sound as though this one is a fellow actor!

WireImage/Audi

"I haven't dated too many actors," Grace, 31, explained to the quarterly lifestyle magazine. "I did when I was really young, for a couple of years...but it's nothing against actors...You can certainly reconcile schedules with actors but it takes some doing, and I just don't have that energy."

Asked how she balances her career and a personal life, she admitted that it's "sometimes a dance, managing my time, but since I have a secure base and feel anchored, I'm able to take risks in work and life. I think of relationships as having a really safe place with someone where you are, and making an effort to show up every day—to see them and feel seen, especially as an actor when you're already pretending to be other people all the time. It's an incredible gift to feel seen by one person; a culture of two."

One man who has seemingly been a constant in her life for the past seven years is Liam Neeson, who plays her ferociously protective dad in what is now the Taken trilogy.

FOX

"Two movies ago I did some wire stunts, doing these backflips in midair, and it was so exhilarating," Grace recalled. "You feel like you have superpowers, like you can fly. But they don't let me do the really dangerous jumps." 

She keeps herself in peak stunt-ready condition, meanwhile, by following a green-as-possible diet and keeping her exercise routine portable.

"I center my meals around green things, unless I'm cooking for a crowd," Grace said. "I stock my fridge with food that makes me feel great—veggies and lean protein, and don't even have anything that I couldn't really go to town on. On a rushed day, my quick snack options are a spoonful of almond butter or veggies and hummus. I love cooking with coconut oil, and don't eat processed foods at all...For exercise, I like kettle-bells a lot, especially when I travel. I also love to be outdoors and hike when I have the luxury."

The new issue of New You is on newsstands Feb. 10.