Veronica Mars star Jason Dohring has had a surprising career change since leaving the television world.
The 44-year-old appeared on the show for three seasons before it ended abruptly in 2007 due to low ratings.
After playing the character Logan Echolls, Dohring reprized his role in the 2014 fan-funded film and then appeared in the 2019 Hulu series.
But soon after, the former child actor became interested in farming and found that this hobby took up most of his time.
“I didn’t notice COVID for months because I was in my backyard gardening and stuff like that. It wasn’t anything big, but then I just got it [a bigger] interest in it,” the actor explained in an episode of the Don’t do anything podcast released Thursday.
Dohring married painter and artist Lauren Kutner in 2004 and the couple share four children; son Owen Riley, 16, plus daughters Lilly, 13, Ainsley Mae, 10, and Isla Avery, eight.
Veronica Mars star Jason Dohring explains why he left Hollywood
The former child actor became interested in farming and found the hobby taking up most of his time during the pandemic
Since the original series ended in 2007, his co-star Kristen Bell has had a hugely successful career, including voicing Gossip Girl and starring in a number of films and TV shows.
The movie star appeared in All Rise in 2020 and SEAL Team in 2021, but he has acquired three farms over the years.
He explained that he started taking the “cool” hobby seriously about three or four years ago.
“We just make good food for people, because I really realized that people get sick from the food they eat,” he explained of his love for agriculture.
“I just really wanted to change that and the taste of food can be so amazing and there’s also art that you can create, like the way your farms are built and all that. I said to my officers, “I’m just going to the farm.” They said, “Well, we’re still going to send you stuff.” I said, ‘Okay, fine.'”
Dohring is a Scientologist who lives near the company’s headquarters in Clearwater, Florida. In the past he has said that it has made him a better actor.
He hasn’t completely given up on his acting skills yet, so fans can expect him to step back into the spotlight for certain projects.
“I got a call a while ago to make someone’s short film, and I was going to do it as a favor to them [and I enjoyed] that,” he said. ‘I love art, and when I come into contact with art, I even find it exciting to talk about it. … It’s really great.’
He continued, “I think there is something in everyone that is aesthetic, that means beautiful, or wants to create. I think that obviously, because when they see that, they feel it, so there’s something in them that resonates with that, you know. I just love it.’
He explained that he started taking the “cool” hobby seriously about three or four years ago
Dohring, who has four children, is a Scientologist who lives near the headquarters in Clearwater, Florida, but the star has three farms in different locations for various reasons
Dohring seen with Kristen Bell in Veronica Mars
Dohring has worked on farms across the country. He said on the podcast that he has personally planted about 3,500 trees on his 40-acre property in West Virginia.
“We made apples, pears, peaches, cherries, nectarines – all the cool weather things that you can’t do here in Florida because those trees need a certain amount of cold weather to make fruit,” the star explained.
He revealed that he once spent three months “covering all our trees with landscape cloth” instead of using chemicals.
“We haven’t sprayed once on our farm,” he said. ‘And we do it with great success.’
Now Dohring wants to grow food for 5,000 people and create its own market for “people who care about really good quality food,” as compared to a private wine club, “but about exceptional food.”
He added: ‘Honestly, I just want to help people in any way I can, whether it’s farming, gardening, education, art – I just love it.’
