Bill And Sam Rivals With A Common Goal?

Both Bill Compton and Sam Merlotte may have more in common than you think.  Both of these guys are searching for acceptance, compassion, tolerance and ultimately, love. They have both struggled with who and what they are.  At the onset, these men seem to be rivals, opponents, if you will.  Bill asks Sam to watch over Sookie while he must stand before a judge of a vampire court and be disciplined.  What I find interesting is that when Bill returns to find Sookie and Sam in a most impassioned embrace, he fights Sam aggressively as if he wanted to kill him, however, Sam fights back fiercely and bravely.

I was taken aback by this since Bill has the immortal strength of a vampire; anyone one else would have been killed or seriously injured. Sam fought valiantly I thought, for someone his size, and showed his hostility and apparent rivalry towards a vampire. The fight causes Sookie to rescind Bill’s invitation, ejecting him from her home. For a moment, It looked like Sam had won out, as he had tried to turn her against Bill, mostly out of jealousy.  It seemed from the onset that these two guys were rivals and opponents  and yet at the end of the first season, Sam helped Sookie to save Bill. Similarly, at the end of the second season, Bill helps Sookie to save Sam.

I believe that they were motivated out of  love and concern for Sookie’s welfare to come together for her sake and briefly join forces. However, to me, Sam and Bill are not so dissimilar because they both want the same things:  recognition, acceptance, compassion, tolerance and certainly not least to be valued and loved for who they are.   Certainly, Sam along with Bill and Sookie were able to collaborate and put forth a joint effort to vanquish Maryann. Although Bill is my favorite character, I tend to favor Sam a bit more because I can empathize with his struggle. He tries so hard to fit in, to make a difference and he does.  Both Bill and Sam truly put forth a heroic effort in saving the townspeople from the diabolical plots of Maryann.

I feel badly for Sam because it seems he always gets the shaft. At least Bill has Sookie, but Sam is left alone.  A prolonged affair with Tara Thornton has fizzled and a seemingly promising romance with Daphne Landry, who was a shapeshifter like himself, ended in betrayal and heartbreak.  Sam’s feelings for Sookie were nearly totally non-reciprocated, not to mention being hounded and hunted by Maryann. It seems that Sam can never catch a break.  He’s always a target for trouble or hardship or heartbreak

Obviously there are differences. Bill is a vampire. Sam is a shapeshifter or shifter for short. Another thing, Sam is human, at least more so than Bill, who is a vampire and can be quite a predator; who can and does kill for blood or in defense, mostly of Sookie. Both Bill and Sam are looking for some meaning in their lives or un-life as is the case for Bill. Rivals at first, now I think it has progressed to an uneasy friendship if that.  Bill gave Sam his blood to save his life after he sacrificed himself to take down Maryann. Surely, after that they now have some kind of a bond, if an uneasy one. [Editor's Note: Will there be dreams of Bill in Sam's future?]

Perhaps now they can bury the hatchet and become friendly?  The common goal here is then to evolve and become the best beings that they can, not just for Sookie, but for themselves. If these men are not already fast friends they should be closer this season at least.  They are different to be sure, but they are also very much alike.

I would like to dedicate this article to Stephen Moyer and Sam Trammell: two incredibly gifted actors.

(Photo credits:  HBO Inc.)

Our Obsession with Vampires and Sex

Vampires and sex: they seem inextricably linked. Perhaps the title should have been re-phrased to ‘Why have Vampires started us obsessing over sex’? Whether it’s Dracula, True Blood, the Vampire Diaries or Twilight, vampires seem to have become synonymous with sex, sexuality and the forbidden. Given that the orgasm has been referred to as la petit mort (the little death), should we find it surprising that the act of vampirism is associated with sexuality?

Really, we can’t seem to escape these fanged creatures. They’re lurking everywhere and have become our newest obsession, or should I say, addiction? But why is this so? As Yvonne K. Fulbright suggests:

“In two words: vampire sex”

While some might throw up their hands in horror over the steamy hyper-sexuality exhibited by the inhabitants of HBO’s True Blood, vampires in books, films and television are and have always been associated with sex. The act of vampirism is, to put it mildly, an intimate one. It involves the mouth, an erogenous zone in itself, biting and sucking the victim. Need I say more? Hardly surprising then that this is intimately linked with forbidden acts, especially if we cast our minds back to Dracula’s Victorian London where sex and sexuality were as constrained as the corsets women had to wear back then.

As we now know, vampire legends predate Stoker’s Dracula; the traditional image of the vampire as a bloated creature feeding off decomposing corpses gave way to Polidori’s and Stoker’s re-imagination of the vampire. Through them, the vampire became linked with the aristocratic predator, which is also a staple of several fairy tales. For example, the character of the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood was a thinly disguised caricature of Louis XIV’s younger brother the Duke of Orleans, who ruthlessly seduced both men and women. The writers of Gothic fiction, such as Sheridan le Fanu, Polidori and Stoker probably devoured Baring-Gould’s account of the ruthless female serial killer Countess Elisabeth Bathory. Convicted in 1610 for murdering 80 young women, she became known as ‘The Bloody Lady of Cachtice’ for her bathing in her victims’ blood in the twisted belief that this would help her maintain her beauty and youth.

Polidori, Lord Byron’s physician, published The Vampyre in 1819, subsequently re-casting the blood drinking vampire as an attractive, charismatic anti-hero. Polidori, as we now know, based the vampire Lord Ruthven on his patient Lord Byron. Lady Caroline Lamb, Byron’s former lover, once described Byron as ‘mad, bad and dangerous to know’, also calling the villain in her novel Glenarvon Lord Ruthven. It’s widely believed that both Lady Caroline Lamb and Polidori were settling a score with the famous poet.

But it was Bram Stoker who gave us the image and characteristics of the modern vampire, although the book’s influence only grew in the 20^th century. Dracula also embedded the allegory connecting blood with sex whereby the sexual implications of the blood exchange between the vampire and his victim provides highly powerful psychosexual and erotic overtones. When Mina Harker drinks Dracula’s blood, giving Mina her first experience of sexual ecstasy, the sexual overtones are unmistakable,

Of course, F.W. Murnau’s German Expressionist Nosferatu undoubtedly returned the vampire to a gruesome monster. In Max Shreck’s performance, we see a vampire as a grotesque loathsome creature, not the charismatic fanged creature. But it was Bela Lugosi performance in 1924 that vampires are again re-made as the irresistible, polished, seductive and good-looking villain. Through Bela Lugosi, the modern vampire is rehabilitated, and now appears forever youthful inhabiting an in-between world where they are neither dead nor alive. As Y.K. Fulbright indicates:

“Bela Lugosi made vampires irresistibly handsome for modernity. But beyond hot bodies and good looks, it’s the male vampire’s depiction as the James Dean of Goth that holds the greatest appeal [...] these rebels are far from pure in thought and deed. Women can’t help but be drawn to these mesmerizing, misunderstood, moody bad boys.”

Moreover, unlike the earlier vampires, our modern bad boys are noticeably deviant and hyper-sexual involving

“Subtle storylines of sexual deviants flirting with fetishes [...] Since the 1950s, stories have become more overtly “sexplicit”, with more recent movies and TV shows depicting or alluding to frenzied, frantic sex with aggressive appeal.”

I guess we shouldn’t mince our words here because what the appeal modern vampire alludes to, how shall we say it…is that of S&M. As Y.K. Fulbright again notes:

“Vampires like it rough. They like to bite. And their victims love the bites, scratches and handcuffs as depicted in shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Sometimes sadomasochists attract what are known as “fang bangers” [...] people who have a thing for manhandle-me vampire sex role playing. The bondage, domination and submission themes mixed with ‘true love’ are perfect reason for stripping off your neck scarf or turtleneck.”

In short, these modern vampires allow us to get in touch with our primal side of sexual desires, which seldom see the light of day.

“The dangerous lust of a vampire torn between staying in control with very lick of his prey revs up your body much like a sexual response. And it’s delicious [...] When it comes to longing and lust, we love being preyed upon. Vampires go for one of the most sensitive erogenous zones, the neck, becoming even more magnetic as their victims beg for life, for death, for sex. ”

Needless to say, the vampires of HBO’s True Blood fulfill all these modern fantasies about vampire sexuality. Fascinating, dangerous, ambivalent and lustful. Yes, Vampire Bill and Viking vampire Eric Northman are all those. Creatures of uncensored sensuality, yes, the vampires who inhabit the Southern Gothic world of True Blood are all those too. Beautiful, immortal and titillatingly libidinous, these vampires aren’t afraid of their lustful natures. Nor do they fight them. They happily give in. They feel no guilt or shame. They are indeed bad and dangerous to know. In fact, these creatures of the night don’t ever need to do the walk of shame. These creatures don’t ever have to deal with the ‘morning after’. No sane human could ever be so free.

But let’s face it, they aren’t human either. Instead, they are something defiantly other, defying pragmatic reality, the creatures of our nightmares or fairy tales, depending on your leaning of course. And we are enthralled and obsessed by these wonderful creatures.

Source: Foxnews.com

Photo credit: HBO Inc.

Stephen Moyer Opens Up about Work and Family

With production on True Blood’s third season set to begin in a matter of days, Stephen Moyer took a break from filming the futuristic thriller Priest to discuss the path that has brought him to happiness and success. Sitting down with Red Magazine, Stephen talked about finding fulfillment as an actor and in life, with fiancee and co-star Anna Paquin.

At age 40, Stephen tries to dispel the notion that fame happens instantly. It is only because he was a steady working actor that he got the coveted part of soulful, brooding vampire Bill Compton. Alan Ball had been searching for five months without finding the right person. At the insistence of his agent, Stephen read the pilot script and was instantly drawn in. He never would have been in that position, however, without effort and motivation to continue developing as an actor:

“I haven’t had to take a bar job since I left drama school. People like to think that you’ve suddenly been discovered, but if I hadn’t been working all along, I would have had to give up by now.”

Quite unexpectedly, his new job on True Blood became another source of joy when he met, and fell in love with, his leading lady, Anna Paquin. Stephen knew how talented she was, having seen her perform on stage in London, in addition to her Academy Award for The Piano when she was only 11 years old. He was thrilled to be working with her:

“I’m excited by it, more than intimidated. It helps you bring your A-game, doesn’t it?”

From the very first time they met, they were constantly joking around. He loved her sharp wit, sense of humor and straightforward manner. With Stephen and Anna being the only out-of-towners in the True Blood cast, HBO put them in the same hotel during the pilot shooting and the two of them spent a lot of time together:

“I knew some people in town, but wasn’t based here. So, I’m basically alone and the other person I’m doing all my scenes with happens to be seven doors along. HBO has only themselves to blame.”

I’m sure HBO is pleased by the match! Since disclosing their relationship early this year, the paparazzi have been following Stephen and Anna all over the place. The show certainly benefits from the publicity of its likable, engaging stars.

But the pregnancy rumors do not seem welcome to Anna. Stephen tells the story of one red carpet event to which she wore a loose-fitting dress, sparking talk that she was hiding a baby bump. His sweet but clueless response:

“I was like, ‘Can’t you just be flattered that they think you would be [pregnant]?’ But the next time we went out, she wore the most fitted dress!”

The couple divides their time between homes in Los Angeles and London. Having grown up in England, Stephen’s parents are still there, and they are incredibly proud of his success. Imitating his mother, with what the interviewer calls “a touch of Ricky Gervais,” Stephen rambles:

“I always knew he had such a good eye for the ball. He could have been anything, he could have been a footballer — lovely shoulders — could have been a swimmer. Could have been anything.”

Well, his mom’s confidence was not misplaced. Stephen found his calling as an actor and excelled at it, arriving at this point in his life where he has a dream job on True Blood.

He’s also got the support of his family, which is soon to include Anna. Stephen’s daughter, Lilac, has recently moved to L.A. with her mother but his son, Billy, still lives in England with his mother. Stephen says that they talk on Skype every day. It is perhaps understandable, then, why he offers this wisdom:

“There is this idea that home has to be one place and I’ve only just realized that home really can be as many places as you want it to be.”

When the people you love are spread across continents, you make each one your home. A beautiful thought from a beautiful man. And he does indeed have lovely shoulders, just like his mom said.

SOURCE: Red Magazine via The Vault

(Photo credit: paquinanna.com)

Sam Trammell Radio Interview in Florida

Sam Trammell recently did a radio interview in Florida shortly before EyeCon. The interview opens with the playing of our favorite theme song, “Bad Things”. Sam is asked how he came to be involved with the show.  He explained that there had been a lot of buzz about a new show that Alan Ball was creating with HBO and his agent got him a copy of the script for the pilot episode, then he went and auditioned for the part. It was about a week and a half long process of auditions and call backs and then he found out he had received the part.

Sam was then asked if he had been a fan of the Sookie Stackhouse books before he started working on the tv series and Sam admits that he was not familiar with the books at all but he did start reading them after he got the part. He said the books helped him to better understand who his character Sam was.  He also goes on to talk about performing nude scenes and the rigor of trying to stay in what he calls “nude shape”.

Also, Sam spoke a bit about his past acting performances and his background in theater before talking about EyeCon and his appearance for the first fan convention for True Blood. Sam explains what an amazing feeling it is to get to meet the fans face to face and to see just how many people love and enjoy the show. We sure do love our True Blood and Sam is one of the reasons why we love it so!!

To listen to the interview click here to be taken to the EyeCon website and click on Sam’s interview.

SOURCE: EyeCon

(Photo credit: Tina Gill / PR Photos via monstersandcritics.com)

Alexander Skarsgard Discusses True Blood and Dating Rumors

Alexander Skarsgard, the Swedish hunk who plays bad boy vampire Eric on HBO’s True Blood, is excited to return to work soon and be reunited with everyone on the show. He was recently interviewed by Sweden’s TT Spectra, and as a sign of just how popular Alex has become in the last year, the interview was translated into English over at alexskarsgard.net so that his millions of adoring fans could read it.

Alex says that all the people working on True Blood have become his surrogate family. It seems that they know they’re part of something special, although there was that initial shock when they realized just how many devoted fans they had. It wasn’t until Alex went to San Diego for Comic-Con in July of this year that he witnessed how big a hit the show was:

“It was totally absurd. People had flown in from other countries. We just laughed; it was impossible to understand what had happened. I’m still confused.”

He doesn’t mind how his heightened celebrity status has affected his daily life:

“People come up and want autographs and take pictures. But they are cute and humble and apologize. I have no crazy stalkers after me (laughs). And I am flattered that they think so much about the series.”

Of his castmates, Alex spends most of his time with Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer since his scenes are often with them. He also enjoyed doing the press conference with Michelle Forbes in Paris, who he had never worked with on the show.

Alex just finished filming Straw Dogs with James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, and James Woods. He describes Woods as “totally cool, eccentric, and intense as hell.”

He also lent his voice to the Swedish animated movie Metropia, along with his father, acclaimed actor Stellan Skarsgard. The Swedish film Puss is another recent family collaboration, between Alex and his brother Gustav.

Alex’s widespread fame beyond Sweden is certainly due to his portrayal of Eric in True Blood and his part in the HBO miniseries Generation Kill. Both tough characters, he hopes that he doesn’t get typecast but rather wants the opportunity to keep playing lots of different roles:

“After ‘True Blood’ and ‘Generation Kill’ makes it quite a lot of alpha males. Which is funny, one reason I went from Sweden was that I always had to play the misunderstood, gentle high school boy. Puppies. But now I’m afraid to get stuck in the second slot. Once it becomes routine it takes the creativity out.”

As for his personal life, Alex is not interested in all the rumors flying around. He declined to comment on whether he was dating Evan Rachel Wood or Kate Bosworth. As much as we want to know, you have to respect the guy for wanting to keep some things private!

SOURCE: alexskarsgard.net

(Photo credit: socialitelife.celebuzz.com)

Nelsan Ellis Offers Season 3 Theories

Not that he’s willing to break the True Blood code of silence and risk getting fired by Alan Ball, but Nelsan Ellis does have some ideas about where the show might go and what he’d like to see for Lafayette. He shared his insights with Digital Spy while he was at the MCM Expo in London.

Nelsan heard Alan Ball say that he’s planning for Lafayette to have a boyfriend, but he doesn’t think that his character is ready to be in a relationship:

“I don’t want a love interest, though, because I think Lafayette doesn’t have time! He has his businesses to deal with. Plus, it would take a special creature to pin him down.”

A special creature, indeed! Not only is Lafayette still traumatized from his time in the Fangtasia dungeon, but he doesn’t seem to put finding love at the top of his priority list. Whatever Alan decides to do will probably be a surprise to Lafayette, as well as Nelsan!

Nelsan does admit that he would feel uncomfortable filming sex scenes, but jokes that he would love to see some of those dreams Lafayette has about Eric! Since drinking the Viking vampire’s blood, Lafayette is forever linked to him, which will probably continue to play out with the V-distribution storyline from the end of Season two. Nelsan thinks that Eric is using Lafayette because he is so resourceful:

“He wants to take advantage of Lafayette’s skills, because Lafayette can maneuver in the environment and take care of himself pretty well. I think Eric knows that and so he will use him, because that skill is pretty rare in Bon Temps.”

Nelsan thinks that another interesting plot twist would be to turn Lafayette into a supe, but he thinks he’s already crazy enough as a human:

“It’s not appealing to me to be a vampire. I haven’t put too much thought on being a werewolf either. Because Lafayette is so eccentric as he is, how far can he go really? Also having all that hair on his face would mess up his makeup.”

Anything could happen! Especially since Lafayette is a character now completely disconnected from the story in Charlaine Harris’ books where he was killed.

Alan Ball can, and has, taken the show to new extremes. Nelsan says that he has gotten a script before and been completely amazed by the insanity:

“The pig and the witch. I was like ‘okay, really?’ I still don’t understand the whole pig situation. It wasn’t quite made clear why the pig is just chilling with her.”

On the subject of Bill’s kidnapping, Nelsan has read the books and knows that Russell, the Vampire King of Mississippi, is responsible, but he suspects Alan will mix it up to keep fans guessing. He shares his theory about it being Queen Sophie-Anne:

“Because if you remember, Bill’s found out that Eric’s been selling vampire blood. But Eric’s been selling vampire blood because he’s been ordered by the Queen to do it, and she didn’t like the fact that Bill knows. This is all just speculation on my part though!”

It’s fun to see the actors trying to figure things out just as much as we are. Of course, soon they will be back at work and know secrets that they still won’t tell us, but we can enjoy all the theories in the meantime until Season three!

SOURCE: digitalspy.com

(Photo credit: tvguide.com)

Kristin Bauer on Pam’s Future Love Life

Who else thinks it’s time for everyone’s favorite snarky vampire, Pam, to get some loving? Kristin Bauer, the actress who plays her, definitely agrees! In an interview with SheWired, Kristin discusses Alan Ball’s recent comment that Pam has a “lesbian vibe,” as well as how much she loves her job and why she is so vocal about animal rights.

When Kristin was asked the question we all want to know the answer to–What’s going to happen in Season 3?–she insists that she is in the dark as much as the fans!

“The writers tell us nothing! When I see the rest of the cast I’ll go, ‘Hey, what do you know?’ Or they’ll come up to me and say, ‘Do you know anything?’ [The writers] are very smart because I think they realize we’re all fans as well and we’re all excited and we’d probably talk. All we can sort of guess is what happens in the books and what Alan gives us.”

Kristin wouldn’t be surprised if Alan gave Pam a female love interest. She thinks it makes sense with the writing for her character so far. Who would she choose to get together with?

“I’ve been asked that and in every interview I just say somebody different because there are so many hot women and hot men on the show. If it were multiple choice, Choice A would be Sookie; Choice B would be [Fangtasia waitress] Ginger (Tara Buck); Choice C would be Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll). I would go all the way down to the multiple choice Z where it says ‘everyone’ and pick that one! I could see Pam with anybody and everybody, which I guess is really her character.”

Kristin also thinks it’s possible that Pam might join in on any new intimate relationships that Eric has. Having recorded Pam’s commentary of Season 2 for the Blu-Ray DVD special features, Kristin recalls saying, “I don’t think Eric would share Sookie with me.” It seems like Pam has remained closer and more loyal to her maker than we even realized! Kristin is just really excited to see what happens. She has complete faith in her executive producer to make the best story:

“Oh my gosh! Watching the show? With Alan Ball? The sky is the limit with him in the most wonderful way because he never sacrifices the plot or the theme for sensationalism. I just have full trust that he’ll do something that will entertain us all.”

If Pam were to have a female lover, Kristin hopes that she would also get some attention from female fans:

“That sounds amazing! Especially because of the screaming throngs of women that I encounter are screaming for Alexander and at a certain point, I’m like, ‘What am I, chopped liver?’ (Laughs) How about a little love for me?! Alexander doesn’t get all the chicks!”

Kristin talks at length about how much fun she is having on True Blood. It is her first project as an actor where she feels such great energy and excitement from the fans. Her favorite things about Pam are her clothes and her attitude:

“She’s such a composite being–[Costume designer] Audrey Fisher and the writers and the directors. I just love seeing what Pam is going to be dressed in. That’s really half of the fun for me. And the hair and makeup team. When I come out of that trailer after getting dressed it’s so much fun […] I think they’ve created a real interesting being. I think it’s logical and natural her viewpoints, which may be as frightening as she may be. But I think if you left the human race and became immortal and lived history and lived outside the bounds of convention, that this is exactly who maybe even I would become.”

If True Blood follows the same pattern as Charlaine Harris’ books, Kristin will begin having a more prominent part to play in the show, hopefully in Season three so that we can get more hilarious one-liners from Pam.

As we know from Kristin’s participation in IFAW’s Tails for Whales campaign, she is a big animal lover, which comes from growing up on a farm in Wisconsin and being close to nature and animals all the time. She tells a story about when she became more active in protecting animal rights:

“One day in 1996, I was going to the gym and there was a little Rottweiler puppy in the street, so I picked him up and took him home and that was it. I went to the shelters to get another dog for him and just walking through a shelter, I thought, “Oh this is wrong.” Then I volunteered at a shelter and I would see 20 dogs be put to sleep every single day. And that’s just one shelter. Sweet, beautiful dogs, there’s just not enough room. So I started thinking about it more and more and I realized where these dogs come from that are in pet stores. I just don’t like the hidden injustice here where if you just scratch below the surface you see that this isn’t right. That is again the same issues that Alan Ball is trying to address in True Blood: there’s just meanness and in turn, sadness. I just can’t stand that in any regard, whether it is for any minority, the rights of a group or the life of an animal.”

Kristin is clearly a very caring person, and she deserves all the happiness she has gotten working on True Blood!

SOURCE: shewired.com

(Photo credit: Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos)

VIDEO: Stephen Moyer Talks to PRIME about True Blood

Stephen Moyer’s  video interview with New Zealand’s PRIME network began with a discussion about how True Blood is one of the most intelligent and clever shows on TV right now. Stephen agreed saying that even if he was not a part of the show it is definitely something he himself would have gotten into. He claims a lot of the show’s success is due to the fantastic writing of Alan Ball and how he has such a talent for creating amazing hooks that get the viewer coming back for more.

The interview continues with a discussion of the complex relationships depicted in the series and the structure of the vampire society. Stephen explains that the way the vampires behave and the way one vampire will not disrespect another vampire brings a very old timey feel to the vampire culture. The humans on the other hand are the ones who are frail and are dealing with insecurities and addictions. Stephen thinks these differences between the two cultures is what makes the show so clever.

PRIME then asked Stephen what it is that he likes about his character, Bill Compton. Stephen goes on to talk about Bill’s background and how he feels that Bill is just trying to be a good person. He has felt great loss and to some extent has been able to recover from that but, he still carries it around with him which gives him this melancholy sense about him. Stephen thinks it is also important to note that even though Bill is doing his best to be a good person, the ultimate truth is that he is still a vampire. Bill tries not to kill the innocent but more over chooses those that are bad. Stephen even coined a little phrase for this, “crimes against Sookie“, since most people who try to cross or hurt Sookie won’t be around for long.

This led PRIME to ask Stephen about Bill’s relationship with Sookie. Stephen thinks the reason Bill is so attracted to Sookie is because she enables him to feel something that he thought was long dead to him, the ability to love. Stephen goes on to talk about some of Bill’s supernatural qualities and how he was very disappointed that Bill was not given the ability to levitate in the show as the character does in the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Stephen was then asked why he felt the show was so successful, not only in the United States, but all over the world. Stephen answered by saying that he feels Alan Ball has created a world that is just really fun. Stephen also said that the characters bring something to the show and how Alan keeps bringing in new characters and the story just continues to twist and turn. Stephen also talked about how he foresees Eric becoming Bill’s nemesis and vying for the love of Sookie. We will have to wait and see!

SOURCE: PRIME

“True Blood’s” Unsung Heroes

HOLLYWOOD—Nelsan Ellis, who portrays the flamboyantly gay Lafayette Reynolds in Alan Ball’s and HBO’s hit vampire series True Blood, is a distinguished actor who attended the prestigious acting program at Julliard and in 2008 the actor won  the Satellite award for Best Supporting Actor for his work on True Blood. Ellis also won raves when he wrote a play called “Ugly,” an almost autobiographical piece about the devastating effects of domestic abuse, after his sister Alice was shot by her husband in 2002. Nelsan staged the play while a student at Julliard and received the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’ Martin E. Segal Award for his efforts.

Sam Trammell, Sam Courtesy: Link 81 Collection

Today Ellis is involved with a film called “Secretariat,” which involves the life story of Penny Chenery, owner of the racehorse Secretariat, who won the Triple Crown in 1973. Nelsan is also producing and acting in the film, which is set to be released next fall.

From “The Soloist” to “The Express,” Nelsan Ellis is making his mark as an actor and performer in films and has made many television appearances on hit shows like “Veronica Mars,” “Without a Trace” and “Lost.” Fans, however, have come to love Ellis in the over-the-top fem role as the gay queen of Bon Temps. Ellis embraced the role and throughout his character’s troubled storylines, which have included selling V [vampire’s blood], which is used as an illegal drug in the True Blood series, being kidnapped by Eric and used as food for the vampires for weeks before being saved by his childhood friend Sookie, who is played by Oscar winner Anna Paquin, to dealing with the Maenad Maryann and her coven of evil doers.

Nelsan Ellis, Lafayette, Courtesy: HBO

Fans can always count on Ellis’ strong performance and comedic delivery of lines, which even helps to break the tension of the sometimes overly intense yet incredibly written drama. When cousin Tara, played by Rutina Wesley was being abused by her boyfriend Eggs, you could see the pain in Ellis’ eyes and know that because of the tragedy of his sister due to domestic violence, Lafayette would never tolerate his cousin being treated that way.

In a show with hunks like Ryan Kwanten, Alexander Skarsgard, and Stephen Moyer, unsung heroes like Ellis and Sam Trammell, who portrays shape shifter Sam Merlotte, are important as supporting actors on the cult classic series. Trammell’s career and training is also very prestigious. Trammell made waves and received raves early on in his career when he appeared on the New York stage while building a maverick career in mostly independent features. Sam also attended Brown University where he caught the acting bug in his senior year.

While doing “Ah, Wilderness!” on the Broadway stage in 1997, he received a Tony award nomination the following year for the revival of the great Eugene O’Neill play. His TV work includes,“Numb3rs,” “Judging Amy,” “Cold Case” and Medium,” to name just a few of the prolific actor’s appearances.

However, on the HBO series True Blood, Sam is a shapeshifter, able to turn into any creature once he sees it, then imprints on the species, which came in handy a lot last season when the evil Maryann was chasing him down the dark road ready to devour him, but he was able to see an owl, imprint on it and quickly change to one and fly away for his own safety. Still battling Maryann, he was able to turn into a fly while in a jail cell, before Maryann could get to him.

Outlandish plots is what Alan Ball’s True Blood is all about. Though these two actors, Sam Trammell and Nelsan Ellis, are such capable and brilliant thespians, they keep the show popular as the unsung heroes who not only save the day, but make fans laugh and cry every week while rooting for them to win over evil.

“True Blood” airs on HBO.

[Editor's Note: Interestingly both of these guys along with Tommy's friend Ashley Jones (Daphne), Allan Hyde (Godric) and Todd Lowe (Terry Bellefleur) will all be at Eyecon next weekend!  See you there!]

Source: Tommy Garrett at Canyon News

(Photo credit: HBO and Link 81 Collection)

Conversation With Alexander Skarsgard

One of the people over at AlexanderSkarsgardFans.com had a great opportunity to serve as an extra on Alex’s film, Straw Dogs, and to do an exclusive interview with him for their website.

At the time of the interview, Alex was in the final days of shooting the Rod Lurie’s film Straw Dogs in Shreveport, LA. He was pleased with the work they had been doing but understandably tired. The story of the film is pretty intense, as those who have seen the original Straw Dogs will know, but Alex says that their version is distinct and interesting.

He seems to have enjoyed the time he spent in Louisiana. It’s funny that his True Blood character, Eric, runs the vampire bar, Fangtasia, in Shreveport, but most of their filming is done in Los Angeles. Now Alex has actually had a chance to live for a few months in the South, and he gushes about the atmosphere of the culture, especially in soulful New Orleans where he spent a fun weekend with some of his costars.

Alex also compares making movies in America and Sweden, with the biggest difference being the budget and the number of people involved in production. He doesn’t seem to prefer one over the other, and says it really depends on if you’re working with the right people.

When asked about playing such different roles, from Eric on True Blood, to Sgt. Colbert on Generation Kill, to Charlie on Straw Dogs, and so on, Alex says that he finds things to personally relate to with each of them:

“I think it has to come from inside of me. It has to begin within myself. And there is always a bit of myself in my characters.”

On the subject of fame, Alex doesn’t seem phased by all the recognition he’s getting for True Blood now. After all, he’s been well-known in Sweden for all the work he’s done there, and his father, Stellan Skarsgard, is also a popular actor. He mentions that it’s just important to cherish what’s private—to know who you are and who your friends are.

He also talks about his interest in architecture, what he loves about Sweden, and other projects he’s working on.

To read the full interview, visit alexanderskarsgardfans.com

(Photo credit: fanpop.com)

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