True Blood Season 3 Spoilers: Alan Ball and the Writers Reveal

Alan Ball, writers Raelle Tucker and Alexander Woo spoke with SciFiWire recently and revealed 12 major spoilers points for season 3 of True Blood.  So get ready True Blood fans for some major spoilers news. Remeber if you do not want to know DO NOT read any further.

Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer): Alan confirmed that the storyline of Bill’s kidnapping will last for”about six episodes.” However we don’t know if that means that it will be back-to-back from episodes 1-6 or will be spread out throughout the season.  This is one fans are definitely going to be talking about.

Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell): As stated before, in season 3 Sam will be busy trying to find his family which Raelle Tucker will get to write their characters a lot in episode 2. She states that:

“I’m getting to write Sam’s family, which is a lot of fun, and, really, I feel really satisfying as a character arc,” she said. “I really am glad that he’s taking this journey and he’s learning about himself. I find that interesting. They aren’t the brightest people, maybe. At least they appear that way. They’re fairly dysfunctional, but like anybody else, they have their good things about them and not so good things. They’re still getting to know each other. Sam’s still getting to know them and so are we.”

Werewolves:  Alan states that the werewolves in season 3 are going to be just wolves.  They will be people who can transforms into wolves who will be bigger and stronger with their eyes glowing orange a little bit.

Supernatural World:  Alexander Woo explains that season 3 is not only about the supernatural world of vampires, werewolves and shapshifters but he is also excited about the expanding world that will occur in the next season.

“The entire world is going to get a lot bigger,” Woo said. “Not only the human world, but in Sookie’s eyes, she’s going to see the whole supernatural world. Luckily, since this show is through Sookie’s eyes, as an audience we’ll get to see a much larger supernatural world.”

Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin):  Raelle states that Sookie’s powers will expand in season 3 to not only include her telepathy but her expanding powers such as her glowing hands.  “I think that Sookie is conscious of her abilities more this season than she’s been, and she’s questioning them more,” Tucker said. “We’re going to be exploring that more this season.”

Vampire King of Mississippi (Denis O’Hare):  Alan states that the Vampire King of Mississippi in season three will be a contrast to Sophie-Anne, the Vampire Queen of Louisiana (Evan Rachel Wood).

“He’s older,” Ball said. “He’s much more mature. He’s much more methodical and grounded. She’s kind of crazy. To me, she’s kind of like Paris Hilton/Lindsay Lohan, where she has a very short attention span and she’s very, very egomaniacal and very self-obsessed and doesn’t really think about her actions whereas the vampire king is very much an adult. He has an agenda. He has things he wants to achieve. I think he’s much more formidable than she is.”

Jason Stackhouse (Ryan Kwanten):  This season Jason seems to get a little break from all the mayhem he endured in season 2.  According to Raelle this season will focus on Jason NOT getting into trouble and staying out of trouble’s way.  This will be interesting to see how it plays out considering Jason was the one who shot Eggs at the end of season 3.

Queen Sophie-Anne (Evan Rachel Wood):  Evan will be returning in season 3 in her role as Queen Sophie-Anne who is engaged in selling “V” which may get her in trouble in some way.

“Well, Sophie-Anne, when last we left her, she was sort of behind this selling of “V” as a recreational drug on the streets pretty much,” Ball said. “That’s not something a vampire authority figure should be doing. If higher-up vampire authority figures figure that out, they’re not going to be happy.”

Biker Gang:  In season three we will see the introduction of a biker gang called Coot’s F–k You Crew which Raelle states that the new characters are still evolving and won’t be what they appear to be.  As Raelle explains this biker gang is very mysterious and has been around much longer then alot of people think.  Raelle wouldn’t elaborate any further, simply stating that “I don’t want to say too much about them right now because I think that we are in the early stages of figuring that out.”

Tommy Mickens:  Alexander Woo informed SciFiWire that he is writing the material for this new character which he states “will make a huge impact on our favorite characters.” Without giving too much away Woo states that Tommy Mickens will play a “very prominently in the emotional life of at first one, and then later several other of our characters. He’ll be the first domino to push the rest.”

Headgear:  Now this one I must admit has me wondering what the writers are referring to. Whether they are referring to actual headgear to be wore by the characters or a metaphor for a protective shell that the characters will place around themselves. Raelle explains helmets became a joke in the writer’s room with the writers becoming aware they were relying too much on protective headgear.

“There’ve been several moments that we’ve been pitching things and thought, ‘Oh, well, maybe she could be wearing a helmet and that would protect her. Maybe he could wear a helmet in that scene,’” Tucker recalled. “Suddenly we realized we had a whole bunch of characters wearing helmets for no particular reason. So we thought oh, that’s the theme of the season.”

Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgard):  With the Eric fans demanding more screen time for him and a big romantic link between Eric and Sookie, the writers state that does not occur until much later in Charlaine Harris‘ books .   As Raelle states:

“You know what’s funny is that he’s in the first two books, he’s a fairly minor character in Sookie’s universe,” Tucker said. “There’s a lot of fan pressure that they’re supposed to be this big romantic thing, which actually in Charlaine [Harris]’s books doesn’t happen until much, much further down. I think if we did that, we’d probably bore them all to death. I think part of the magic of Eric is some of the mystery of Eric and the inaccessibility of Eric. I think you don’t want to turn them into the nice romantic love interest who’s in every scene. I think his danger is important so not just throwing him up whenever somebody wants to see his bare chest is actually a more disciplined approach.”

So there you have it, the latest spoilers.  So now lets start speculating as we wait for the return of Season 3 of True Blood.

SOURCE: SciFiWire.com

(Photo credit: HBO Inc.)

Alexander Skarsgard Discusses Fame, Generation Kill, and True Blood

With his role as Eric Northman on True Blood, Swedish heartthrob Alexander Skarsgard has been catapulted into the spotlight, with a passionate group of fans to rival any other. On the show, he plays an 1,000-year old Viking vampire with a bad boy edge, a cool sense of humor, and a whole lot of hotness. In an extensive interview with the UK blog Unreality Primetime, Alex discusses his acting pedigree and his work on two major HBO projects, True Blood and Generation Kill.

The oldest son of renowned actor Stellan Skarsgard, Alex began working in Swedish films and television at age 7. Uncomfortable with the recognition he received, he gave up acting until he was 20. Feeling more prepared for fame, he began studying theatre in New York and got hooked on the profession. In addition to his father, two of his brothers are also actors in Sweden, so it seems to run in the family!

Like some of his True Blood costars, Alex didn’t know what to expect from a vampire show, but he was very interested to work with a talented storyteller like creator Alan Ball. He probably had no idea what he was getting himself into when he took on the role of Area 5 Sheriff and Fangtasia owner, Eric Northman. With it, he inherited an entire team of shippers from the books who want Eric to be with Sookie and bring to life some favorite scenes from Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire series. Alex has read the first few books and intends to finish the rest during the break from filming.

Alex explains how Eric’s 1,000 years as a vampire have made him very confident and somewhat bored with humanity:

“I think he’s got huge confidence, and also he doesn’t waste time. He’s been around for that long, so he cuts to the chase and gets down to business. And it’s hard to impress a guy like that, because he’s seen it all. That’s why he’s intrigued by Sookie because there’s something new here, something interesting and different about her that he can’t really put his finger on.”

From his point of view, Alex thinks that vampires are so fascinating to people because of their complex natures–they are beautiful and eternal, while dangerous at the same time:

“Immortality and eternal youth are so attractive, yet the fact that vampires are also lethal predators who could kill you in an instant creates great platforms for drama, I think. You have that duality. An encounter with a vampire could let you live forever, or you could become vampire food.”

Alex also talked about getting immersed in his Marine character, Sgt. Brad Colbert, in the HBO miniseries Generation Kill. He had some personal experience to inform him about the role, having been in the Swedish Marines to fulfill his country’s mandatory service requirement. The goal in making Generation Kill was to have it be as true-to-life as possible, with Marines consulting and involved in the process every step of the way:

“One of the actors is a real Marine, and plays himself on the show. We had two other guys from First Reconnaissance with us for the duration of the shoot, which was seven months in Africa. They were behind the camera for every single take every single day, making sure that everything was legit and was real, and what we say and what we do on the show happened for real. It was very important to us to show exactly what happened, and not make it into a Hollywood series or movie where everything is dramatised, and things are added or removed. We just wanted to tell it exactly as it was, and I hope we succeeded in doing that.”

Alex did not have the opportunity to visit with the real-life Brad Colbert before filming to gain insights, but that actually enabled him to create his own unique portrayal. When they returned from Africa, a fellow soldier of Colbert’s arranged a meeting for them. Alex calls it an amazing experience:

“I was with that character for a year. It’s his life. All the quotes and things I say on the show are his life. When I talk about my ex-girlfriend, and hookers in Australia, these are things that he actually said. And he never asked for this to become a huge HBO series, so I didn’t know how he would react when I met him. But I have a tremendous amount of respect and love for the man, so it was very important for me that he would be proud of what we did and how I portrayed him. And he didn’t kill me, so I guess I did okay.”

The camaraderie between the actors helped create that group dynamic crucial to true Marine life. Spending so much time with those guys and working together translated into the finished product of Generation Kill. It probably contributed to the miniseries going on to receive great critical acclaim and award nominations. Alex seems very proud of what they accomplished with the show, and is pleased by how the Marine community embraced it for its gritty realism.

The decision to portray such distinctly separate people like Sgt. Colbert and Eric Northman was intentional on Alex’s part. The challenge of a new character makes him excited and helps his creativity. Hopefully, after his recent work on Straw Dogs which he spent the last couple of months filming in Shreveport, LA, he will be ready to return to True Blood in December and throw himself back into Eric. Alan Ball will surely have many new challenges in store for him!

SOURCE: primetime.unrealitytv.co.uk

(Photo credit: fanpop.com)

Alexander Skarsgard Talks About What He Wants In A Woman

Let’s admit it True Blood fans, when we lay down our heads at night it is hard not to dream about that big, tall, Viking, of a vampire, Eric!  Ever wonder what it would take to be his kind of girl? Well, we found out! That’s right, Alexander Skarsgard who plays our handsome vampire, Eric, recently talked to People Magazine about what he looks for in a girl. The bottom line – Alex wants a girl with some brains and a great sense of humor.

“A sense of humor is number one for sure. Being funny and smart is very important.”

In his home country of Sweden, Alex is known as the sexiest man alive. The single, 33 year old owes a lot of that to the phenomenal show, True Blood. Alex is causing female fans everywhere to swoon!

“It’s very flattering. I turn a little pink!”

Alex explained to People some of the un usual encounters he has had with his female fans.

“I’ve gotten proposals and suggestions that are slightly inappropriate. It’s odd but very flattering!”

Right now Alex is looking forward to starting production on season 3 of True Blood next month and catching up with his fellow castmates, such as Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer. Alex had this to say about the recently engaged couple:

“They are some of my best friends back in L.A.. The cast and the crew is amazing and I can’t wait to get started again. I really look forward to it and I miss them a lot.”

Well we miss seeing you Alex and can’t wait till you bring Eric back in season 3!

SOURCE:  People Magazine

Photo Credits:  HBO Inc.

Alexander Skarsgard: A Look at This Rising Star

Forget the vicious, loathsome vampires of yore. The days of the repulsive vampire, played by Max Schreck, Klaus Kinski or Bela Lugosi are over. Today’s vampires have emerged from their coffins, glamoring humans into thinking that they are the new anti-heroes. Now that these gorgeous blood-sucking creatures have emerged from the shadows, they are busy sinking their fangs into every aspect of popular culture, books and movies. We seem to have sunk collectively into the throes of a vampire induced lust; witness the contagion spreading among us: Park Chan-Wook’s Thirst, the BBC’s Being Human, Tomas Alfredson’s Let the Right One In, The Vampire Diaries, The Strain, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant. New Orleans is about to host their Vampire Film Festival and Italian Vogue has recently succumbed to the charms of the vampire; in its June issue, models pose as spooky creatures of the night.

And the most famous vampires of all are currently stalking across our screens in HBO’s True Blood. It is a measure of the extent to which True Blood and, more importantly, vampires have seeped into our consciousness that even Snoop Dog has revealed he is a big fan of HBO’s True Blood, and wants to be part of the vampire action. In his new song Gangsta Luv, the first single from his new album Malice n Wonderland, he pays tribute to True Blood: “Everyday is the same thang, I creep in/ It’s like True Blood, I sink my teeth in / I gotta have it“. True Blood, notably Sookie, was even referenced in a recent episode of House.

Make no mistake, there is nothing chaste about True Blood; set against a vivid Southern Gothic mise-en-scene, it has captured viewers’ imagination with is gloriously gory, fiendish, darkly funny script. And, oh yes, how could I forget. It also happens to be populated by gorgeous looking vampires, notably the tall, blonde and un-dead Viking vampire, Eric Northman. This is entirely based on an un-scientific and utterly subjective evaluation, but judging from the heated responses of reviewers, readers and viewers, I think it is safe to say that this particular devilishly charismatic Viking vampire has captured the attention and hearts of viewers on both sides of the Atlantic.

Based on Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire Series, HBO’s True Blood universe is peopled by supernatural (or supes, to adopt the parlance of True Blood) creatures such as weres, shifters, witches, demons and a particular maenad, all of whom are re-imagined in a modern Southern Gothic idiom. And smack in the middle of this is Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic barmaid in Bon Temps, who seems to be the modern version of Nancy Drew. Oh, and did I mention that towards the end of Season 2, she finds herself caught between Vampire Bill and Eric Northman, the Viking vampire?

Judging from reactions to his charismatic performance as the 1000-year-old Viking vampire, Alexander Skarsgard’s profile as an actor is leaping forwards, upwards and onwards. Alexander certainly wasn’t prepared for the fans’ reactions to his Viking vampire, and he was caught by surprise at the 2009 Comic-Con event in San Diego. He admits:

“The real truth is, I was in Europe when season two started, and I had no idea how big the thing had gotten. I landed in L.A., went to Comic-Con and it was absolutely crazy”.

However, coming straight from another HBO miniseries, the critically acclaimed Generation Kill, one does wonder how he prepared for the role of two very different types of warriors, one the Viking vampire, the other a US 1^st Recon Marine. In both roles, his performances are typically understated and low-key. He has, for example, stated that he was drawn to the role as the Viking vampire because he gets to walk the line between good and evil – sometimes in the same breath:

“A 1000-year-old flying Viking is quite different from most of my previous roles [...] I love that he drains people with an innocent smile on his face”

Alexander Skarsgard’s take on Eric Northman is that the Viking is a little bit Gordon Gekko, from Wall Street (a manipulative, conniving businessman), mixed with a little Mr. Darcy (a misunderstood brooding man). Alexander explains how he approaches the role of Eric Northman,

“Well, I think he’s got huge confidence, and also he doesn’t waste time. He’s been around for that long, so he cuts to the chase and gets down to business. And it’s hard to impress a guy like that, because he’s seen it all. That’s why he’s intrigued by Sookie [the show’s heroine, Sookie Stackhouse, played by Anna Paquin] because there’s something new here, something interesting and different about her that he can’t really put his finger on. In general he’s not very interested in humans, they don’t impress him, he thinks they’re naive and stupid in general. But there’s something different about Sookie, and that intrigues him. That’s what gets his attention, basically.”

He admits that he was initially bemused about being asked to be in True Blood, revealing:

“I reacted like most people would do when I heard that it was a vampire show, I thought ‘Whoa, I have no idea what this is going to be like.’ But then they told me that he (Alan Ball) was behind it, and that made me very interested in working on it.”

He is also intrigued about the current fascination with vampires and he thinks this is because,

“It has to do with immortality and eternal youth. What creates a platform for good drama is that is so alluring and intriguing to people. Immortality and eternal youth are so attractive, yet the fact that vampires are also lethal predators who could kill you in an instant creates great platforms for drama, I think. You have that duality. An encounter with a vampire would let you live forever, or you could become vampire food.”

However, in spite of his growing celebrity status following his performances in Generation Kill and True Blood, Alexander Skarsgard remains low-key and unassuming. Prior to his roles in the US, Alexander delivered a string of impressive performances in European films and acted in several Swedish TV series. For example, he wrote and directed Att döda ett barn (2003), played Leonardo in Lorcas’ Bloodwedding at Gothemburg State Theatre in 2003, appeared on stage in Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf at Södra Teatern, Stockholm, Sweden (2002), starred in Om Sara (2005), Never Be Mine (2006), Kill Your Darlings (2006), Cuppen (2006) and Exit (2006), Leende guldbruna ögon (2207) among others.In 2003, he was nominated for a Guldbagge for male supporting role in the movie Hundtricket – The Movie (The Dog Trick).

Son of the actor, Stellan Skarsgard, Alexander has, in short, been acting nearly all his life. For example, one of his early roles was in the 1984 film version of the Swedish children’s book Ake och hans värld (Ake and His World), in which he played Kalle Nubb. This was followed by the lead role in 1989’s Hunden som log (The Dog That Smiled). He says,

“My parents never dragged me to auditions. They didn’t push me. Things just kind of happened, and I thought it was fun,”

But by age 13, he’d had enough.

“I was really self-conscious and I wasn’t comfortable with all the attention. Thirteen is a tough age. You’re trying to figure out if you are a child or a man. It’s a strange time. People on the street would recognize me, and I hated it. It was too much. I said to my dad and mom, ‘I don’t want to do this. I want to play soccer.’ I wanted a girl to like me because I was funny or cute, not because she saw me on TV. So I quit. If I didn’t quit at that time,” he says, “I would have crashed and burned, and I doubt I would be acting today.”

After he quit acting, he spent the next eight years turning down every offer he received. Instead, he studied Political Science in the UK, completed his military service as a Sergeant in the Swedish marines and planned on studying architecture in Stockholm. But his longing for the theatre and acting never left him; he moved to the United States in his early 20s to attend Marymount Theater School in NYC, but he soon dropped out after six months. He explains,

“I was lonely, I had no money, and I was in love,”

He packed his bags and flew back to Stockholm. Two days after he landed, he and his girlfriend broke up. What followed were more Swedish productions, and a small role in Zoolander, playing Meekus, a Eurotrash model who dies in a gasoline fire.

Who knows, these small roles would have continued were it not for his big U.S. break when he was cast as Sgt. Brad ‘Iceman’ Colbert in Generation Kill, the 11-time Emmy-nominated HBO miniseries following the exploits of the Marines’ First Recon Battalion during the early part of the Iraq War in 2003. The series is based on the book written by Evan Wright, an embedded Rolling Stone reporter, and Skarsgard plays the alpha male team leader Marine Sgt. Brad (Iceman) Colbert. Says casting director Alexa L. Fogel:

“Alex was definitely put through his paces, and there was a lot of discussion throughout the ranks about casting him.”

The Colbert role was a fine tightrope act: military brawn combined with intellect. In addition, there was the language issue. The entire seven-part series is peppered with a rich colorful shorthand of the Marine slang and phrases, such as “Oscar Mike” (on the move) and “Stay frosty” (stay alert). As Rudy Reyes, a former Recon Marine who played himself in HBO’s Generation Kill, indicates,

“In walks this skinny guy that looked like a really tall Kurt Cobain [...] But once the cameras started rolling, Skarsgard became Colbert.”

Of his role as Brad ‘Iceman’ Colbert, Alexander says,

“He’s a team leader, a sergeant, and one of the senior guys in First Reconnaissance, but he’s not as macho as the other guys. He’s a bit of a loner. He’s doing his own thing. He loves the first stage of the invasion, where he actually gets to sit down alone and plan the mission that he gets. He’s a perfectionist when it comes to that, and he really believes in the cause. He believes that they’re out there to help people, to liberate people, but throughout the series things will change. It’s hard for him to do his job, because he needs to be there and motivate the guys, and make sure they’re sharp and aggressive, because otherwise they’re more likely to get killed. But at the same time, he’s beginning to think ‘What the hell are we doing out here?’”

Alexander also indicates that his former experience as a Marine in the SakJakt-unit of the Swedish Navy helped:

“[...] It was very useful, just to help understand how you deal with your officers and peers, understand the group dynamic between the guys, and also how you handle your weapons systems and all that kind of stuff. It was very helpful to have gone through that.”

To date, his roles, such as Viking vampire and Marine warrior in both HBO series, have been varied. Importantly, they demonstrate his versatility as an actor and as Alexander indicates:

“[...] It keeps me on my toes and it keeps me motivated and creative. If I do something for seven months, and then I jump into a character that’s very similar to that, I think I’m going to get bored, and I’m not going to do a good job. I need to be challenged. I need to feel almost nervous about a new project and a new character. That gets me excited, and it definitely helps me in my creative process.”

In addition to True Blood and Generation Kill, Alexander can also be seen in the recently released David L. William’s Beyond the Pole Rod and Tariq Saleh’s Metropia, and the upcoming Rod Lurie’s Straw Dogs, currently in post-production. And he is about to return to Sweden to complete filming Trust Me aka Puss before returning to the US to begin filming the third season of True Blood.

Combined with his stellar performances in HBO’s True Blood and Generation Kill, the future does look bright for Alexander Skarsgard. And judging from his work to date, we can be assured that no matter what roles he takes on, he is bound to continue delivering fine performances, creating, at the same time complex, nuanced characters on both the big and small screen.

SOURCE: lastbroadcast.com

Photo credits: Chris Maluszynski and HBO Inc.

Modern Vampires: Are They Thirsting For Love Or Our Blood?

We are surrounded by vampires. They now roam among us. What began with Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula, published in 1897, has now evolved into the trendy Twilight sensation of Edward Cullen and Charlaine Harris‘ Southern Vampire Mysteries, which has, in the capable hands of Alan Ball, been translated into the hit HBO TV series True Blood.

Stoker’s Dracula has often been seen as the forerunner of the vampire genre, contributing to many literary and cinematic genres within vampire literature, horror films and gothic fiction. Although Stoker did not invent the vampire, the novel’s influence on the popularity of vampires has been singularly responsible for many literary and cinematographic interpretations in recent contemporary history. With the onslaught of recent media exposure ranging from best-selling novels to TV series to major motion pictures, the obsession with vampires has now reached new heights. From Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire, to Buffy the Vampire Slayer to HBO’s True Blood and Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series, it seems that the public’s appetite for the vampire is insatiable.

Based on the Southern Vampire Mysteries, HBO’s True Blood series opened last year and has been gradually building a cult following among fans. Season 2 premiered on June 14 in the US and was the most watched HBO show since The Sopranos series finale in June 2007. According to HBO, True Blood averages 10.8 million viewers per episode, up 39% from last season. Even Tim Burton has now entered the realm of the vampire with his upcoming movie adaptation of the classic vampire TV show, Dark Shadows.

The popularity of the vampire for both teenagers and adults is undeniable and it looks like these marvelous fanged creatures are now stalking us across literature, films, theatre, and our own television screens.

Literary and film critics have long examined the attraction of the vampire, analyzing several common themes popping up in vampire literature and films, such as the role of women, taboos about sexuality, as well as socio-political themes, such as immigration and racial segregation.

But what is undeniable is that taken collectively the vampires in True Blood, Twilight and the Vampire Diaries are barely recognizable, having changed so dramatically from Stoker’s 19th century classic depiction of the vampire. What then has changed, setting Dracula apart from the more sympathetic, humanized vampires such as Bill Compton, Eric Northman, Angel or Lestat?

In Stoker’s Dracula, the forerunner of our modern vampires, we encounter a vampire truly terrifying. He is the ultimate bad guy, and compared to today’s vampires, who we would happily ogle, Stoker’s Dracula is physically repulsive. Stoker himself described Dracula as having eyes that were blazing red, a deathly pale face, thick eyebrows that met over the nose, bad breath, long pointed finger nails and pointed ears. He’s not exactly the modern day vampire heartthrob we’ve come to expect in our vampires. According to Foster,

“What’s changed between new vampire culture and that of Anne Rice is that new literature and entertainment allows vampires to be seen in a softer light. In Rice’s Interview with a Vampire, written in 1973, the main character Lestat chooses to live his life eternally as a vampire. After he has made his decision he is forced to live a solitary life forever. Similarly, the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer is based on the premise that the blood-thirsty creatures are evil. Buffy, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, is the only person capable of killing vampires who are dangerous to mankind”.

It seems that today’s vampires are more intent on wooing us than draining us dry. Rather than eating us, the modern vampire of Bon Temps seems to prefer stalking, seducing and sleeping with us. They are now brooding, insecure, introspective, angst-ridden and romantic, a dangerously attractive kind of decadent aristocrat. And while Dracula was not a looker, Stoker did set the sexual tone of the vampire. Vampires have now progressed from outsiders to becoming objects of desire, famed for their powers of seduction.

Unlike Stoker’s Dracula, the Louisiana vampires of True Blood have been transformed into seductive figures. No longer the villain and outsider, our modern vampires are angst-ridden heroes. Bill Compton has, for example, been referred to as a modern day Heathcliff or Mr. Darcy. HBO’s True Blood shows a world where vampires have revealed themselves to humans, and attempt to live in harmony. In this world, romances between vampires and humans are allowed, and many other supernatural beings now walk among the inhabitants of Bon Temps. Unlike Dracula, these vampires are part of our world; the focus is now on their interactions with each other, and their social relationships with humans. These lions really do want to lie down with the lambs.

However, what True Blood, Buffy and Twilight have in common is a central female character; through her we encounter and experience our modern vampires.

Warner Brothers’ television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel dominated late 90’s television. While the series revolved round Buffy and her Scooby gang solving countless mysteries in Sunnydale, it also centered around the love triangle between Buffy and the vampires, Angel and Spike.

Similarly, True Blood revolves round a central female character, that of the trials and tribulations of Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress with telepathic powers in Bon Temps who falls in love with 173-year-old vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer). Unlike Twilight, HBO’s True Blood is fairly seething in sin and overt sexuality; blending murder mystery, drama and comedy. But it is undeniable that its main focus is exploring the nature of sexuality and romance within vampire-human relations. Anyone who has watched True Blood will know that its vampires have taken lessons from their famous ancestor. And so, the vampire has adapted himself to contemporary society. No longer following in the footsteps of Dracula, he has evolved from an utterly terrifying alien creature to a cosmopolitan being, a bon vivant of the night.

As Foster indicates:

“Vampires now have a chance at romance and love. They are no longer innately evil. Rather, they are good or evil based on their own decision. The new take on vampires allows interaction between the cold ones and their human opposites. Instead of underground lairs and in-home coffins, vampires are now lurking in high schools and Louisiana bars. The tensions between a vampire’s thirst and his desire to fit into the human world simply make for good entertainment”

In Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire Mysteries, we see, for example, the blossoming romance between Sookie Stackhouse and Bill Compton gradually becoming increasingly strained through a series of, shall we say, betrayals, tumultuous incidents and the increasing attraction between Sookie Stackhouse and Eric Northman, a 1000-year-old Viking vampire.

In HBO’s True Blood, we encounter the vampires Eric Northman and Bill Compton who could be described as hommes fatales. In Bill Compton and Eric Northman, we encounter the modern day vampire who isn’t entirely evil, unlike their forebears. The formerly fearsome creature of the night has now become more sympathetic to humans. No longer the bloodthirsty predator, they are now fashion conscious creatures, intent on entertaining intimate relationships with humans. Rarely have monsters looked so sultry and alluring. The vampires in True Blood are charismatic, powerful, dangerous and devilish. Not only are they beautiful, immortal but they are titillatingly libidinous. They can defeat death, seduce anyone of their choosing, obliterate their enemies, play yahtzee and stay up all night. What’s not to like? Unlike our horror for Dracula, we empathize with our vampires in True Blood. And based on viewers’ reactions to the vampires in True Blood, we humans can surely say that we recognize in the Louisiana vampires a dangerous sexuality that is truly something wicked.

SOURCE: The Daily Orange

Photo credit: HBO Inc.

Fan Encounter with Alexander Skarsgard

Many True Blood fans love Alexander Skarsgard.  Most of us probably dream about getting the chance to meet the sexy star, right? Well one lucky fan got that opportunity. She runs a website dedicated to the star and was recently traveling in Shreveport with her friend Lilia when she ran into the hunky viking. Here is her friend Lilia’s account of the blissful meeting:

“Well, I saw him Thursday night wearing his Hammarby Jersey speedwalking thru the lobby as I was having a drink. I contemplated yelling Hammarby sucks (but I don’t think that would have gone over well), so the next night, Friday, Jenn and I were heading to the hotel bar when we spotted Alex, Billy Lush, Rhys Coirso, Drew, James Woods, and Dominic speaking in the lobby. We sat down at the bar and drank, all the while keeping our eye on the man of the hour. He came over to the bar area to talk and take pictures with some other women who were there. As he turned to walk away, Jenn and I said his name and motioned for him to come over. My top is kinda low cut so I was re-positioning my boob and I’m PRETTY sure he saw me groping myself as he walked over… whoops. Well, he sat and chatted with Jenn while I just stared and smiled at him while I drank my beer. Finally I said something along the lines of “And you probably don’t remember me,” and he looked at me for a second and then leaned down and gave me a hug (SIGH!) and said, “I didn’t recognize you, you’re all dolled up!” Ah, I could’ve died right there. As we were standing to take the first picture I said that we should do a funny one and he made a little face as I stuck my fingers behind my own head (I couldn’t reach his if I tried). We took our pictures, he stayed to talk for a few more minutes and then left to get his beauty rest. I swear I fell in love with this man all over again. He is so gracious and sweet to his fans and he was wearing ANOTHER see-thru shirt but in grey this time, he must buy them in packs of 3 or something, not that I’m complaining!”

Wow, what I wouldn’t give to have been in her shoes that evening. What an amazing experience! If you would like to see their incredible pictures of Alex, you can visit the site here. Thanks again to the fans for sharing their amazing stories!

SOURCE:  AlexanderSkarsgardFans.com

Photo Credit: SookieStackhouse.com

Alexander Skarsgard Talks About True Blood and Generation Kill

Alexander Skarsgard recently sat down with the Telegraph to talk about being on the phenomenal hit series, True Blood, and having a famous father. Alexander also discussed his other series, Generation Kill. Both of these series are produced by HBO but that is about the only thing these two shows have in common besides the sexy, talented Alexander Skarsgard. True Blood is about vampires coming out of the closet and has a modern gothic feel to it. Generation Kill is about an elite attachment of Marines during the first phases of the Iraq War. It is based off real life people and events. We all know Alex plays the 1000 year old vampire sheriff Eric Northamn on True Blood, in Generation Kill Alex portrays a US Marine Sergeant.

In True Blood Alex’s character, Eric, is more the anti-hero than the hero. He is confident and has a business side to him as the owner of the nightclub, Fangtasia. In Generation Kill, Alex’s character, Brad Colbert is nicknamed Iceman and for good reason. This character proves over and over that he is a steady handed leader amongst the other marines. Alexander filmed both series one right after the other and the two roles could not be more different for him.

“To go from Generation Kill, which is a very real, dark, gritty series, to True Blood, which is flamboyant, crazy, was way out there… I couldn’t ask for two better jobs.”

Alexander is the also the son of Stellan Skarsgard, one of Sweden’s most famous actors who was recently seen in the movie, Mamma Mia! Alex was a child actor in his home of Sweden, starting at the young age of seven. When he was 13 he starred in the Swedish film, The Dog That Smiled, which gained him countrywide recognition. Instead of being thrilled, the new found fame actually turned him off from the family trade.

“The fame was scary to me,’ he says. ‘When people stare at you and you read about yourself in papers – at 13 it just got very confusing. I thought that if this is what it’s like to be famous I don’t like it one bit.”

So for the next seven years Alex did what he described as nothing. We wouldn’t exactly say nothing Alex. During those seven years Alex served as a Sergeant in the Swedish Marines. A job that he decided to keep from the cast of Generation Kill. He also did some carousing in Leeds. Alex describes that period of his life:

“I was watching football, hanging out, getting drunk and into trouble for six months. But it was then that these thoughts came up – what do I want to do with my life? Acting came up again and I thought maybe I should give it a last go. So I went to New York and went to theatre school and as soon as I started I knew I really missed this.”

In 2004 Alex moved to Los Angeles and spent the next three years bouncing between LA and Sweden making movies. By 2007 Alex felt like he was in a rut, unable to find any decent scripts.

“I was an unknown guy from Sweden who kept playing the boyfriend in a teenage horror movie who gets killed halfway through by a guy in a mask. I felt – is this it?”

Alex had finally decided to pack it up and head home to Sweden when he received a call from his agent about Generation Kill. Alex spent seven months filming the series and claims the work he did on that show he is the proudest of.

“It was such a profound experience for me. Being away that long, the friendships I created with the other guys out there, and how important it was just to tell that story. People don’t know much about what’s going on on the ground in Iraq: what you see in the media is heavily censored. I’ve never worked on a project like that before and I don’t know if I’ll ever get the chance to do it again.”

Alex does credit True Blood with giving him the most attention. Three weeks into shooting Generation Kill, Alex was given the contact information for the real Brad Colbert. Alex decided to wait until filming was finished to contact him. Once production was over, Evan Wright, who wrote the book on which Generation Kill is based, organized a barbeque for which the actor was able to meet the Colberts. Alex remembers the experience:

“I was very nervous. He never asked for this, to become an HBO series. So I didn’t know how he’d react to it if he felt that I’d messed it up. Plus I had so much respect for him – it was tremendously important for me to get his acceptance. Did he feel accepted? Well, he didn’t kill me so that’s a good sign I guess. He’s the freakin’ Iceman – he could have done.”

Nowadays with the success of Generation Kill and the phenomenal reaction to True Blood Alex finds himself with the same status as his father. The two still remain close.

“Of course we discuss work a lot. If your dad is a carpenter and you’re a carpenter you’d probably talk about it. But for me it’s always been important to make my own mistakes and not have him guide me in Hollywood or open doors. I need that to build my confidence and really feel like I deserved the parts – that it’s not because of my name.”

Alex’s father has seen his son in both Generation Kill and True Blood and could not be happier. Alex explains:

“He’s very, very happy and proud.’ And right now, probably just a touch jealous.”

SOURCE:  Telegraph

Photo Credit: HBO Inc.

Alexander Skarsgard Featured In Newsweek

How are we going to ease the suffering of the nine month wait for season three of True Blood? Probably by watching and reading as much of our beloved actors as we can until their characters return.

It looks like Newsweek has already begun to do just that, as we can see in their recent article on Alexander Skarsgard. People love him as bad boy vampire Eric, but they love him even more when they find out that in real life, Alexander Skarsgard is modest, laid-back, sweet, and cool.

There are thousands, maybe millions, of women out there who are smitten with Alex (as I like to call him). He also charms the pants off men, like his costar Nelsan Ellis:

“He’s very humble, extremely talented, and so freaking Mount Olympus good-looking that sometimes I just want to be him…But, I want to say, ‘Brother, please don’t stand next to me.’ “

While this level of celebrity status is new to Alex–he didn’t even realize how popular he was with True Blood fans until he stepped into Comic Con in July–he has been dealing with acting and fame since he was young. The son of actor Stellan Skarsgard (Good Will Hunting), he did some Swedish film and TV work beginning when he was 8 years old:

“My parents never dragged me to auditions. They didn’t push me. Things just kind of happened, and I thought it was fun.”

A few years later, it stopped being fun, and he gave up acting to have a normal life:

“I was really self-conscious and I wasn’t comfortable with all the attention. Thirteen is a tough age. You’re trying to figure out if you are a child or a man. It’s a strange time. People on the street would recognize me, and I hated it. It was too much. I said to my mom and dad, ‘I don’t want to do this. I want to play soccer.’ I wanted a girl to like me because I was funny or cute, not because she saw me on TV. So I quit.”

It’s a good thing he took that break. Alex thinks he wouldn’t be acting today if he had not quit and then returned to it when he was ready. He did several Swedish films in his 20s, as well as a tiny role as the model Meekus in Zoolander. He made his first mark on the U.S. entertainment world when he was cast as Marine Sgt. Brad Colbert in the HBO miniseries Generation Kill. It was a complicated character, one that required “military brawn combined with intellect” and the ability to deliver dialogue full of Marine slang. One of Alex’s costars, a Marine sergeant who played himself, remembers:

“In walks this skinny guy that looked like a really tall Kurt Cobain. But once the cameras started rolling, Skarsgard became Colbert.”

Then he got the part of Eric Northman on True Blood, and here we are! America has just begun its obsession with Alex, scouring the internet for his former work (including a particular shower scene, that has gotten 200,000 hits on YouTube). Sweden, however, has named him their Sexiest Man five times, so at least all the adoration hasn’t come as a complete shock to him!

Alex wants to continue doing projects in the U.S. and Sweden. He is currently in Shreveport, LA (how appropriate!), filming Straw Dogs. He also might seek an opportunity to work in theatre, to get that experience of closeness with the audience. But most immediately, he looks forward to returning to his job on True Blood in December:

“I really miss those guys. It sounds so stupid, but these guys really have become my family.”

That doesn’t sound stupid at all! It makes it that much more enjoyable for us to watch, knowing that they love the work their doing. It’s exciting to think that we have just started seeing all the layers to Eric. Season three will certainly gives us a lot to look forward to in Alexander Skarsgard’s performance.

SOURCE: newsweek.com

(Photo credit: fangedlove.wordpress.com)

Metropia Comes to the Venice Film Festival

Alexander Skarsgard’s new film, Metropia, premiered September 3rd at the Venice Film Festival. The film also stars Juliette Lewis and Vincent Gallo, among others. It is directed by Tarik Selah.

IMDb offers this as a plot synopsis:

METROPIA is taking place in a not-so-distant, terrifying Europe. The world is running out of oil and the net of undergrounds has been connected, creating a gigantic web underneath Europe. Roger (Vincent Gallo) from a suburb of Stockholm tries to stay away from the underground. He thinks it’s unpleasant and sometimes he hears a strange voice in his head.

One day Roger finds out that his life is controlled in every detail. He tries to break free. To succeed he needs super-model Nina (Juliette Lewis) to help him. Or is it maybe Nina that needs Roger?

Not much is out there in terms of movie reviews, perhaps because the film is so new. The website THReviews.com says “Bottom Line: Ambitious, sleek sci-fi animation loses itself in story’s twists and turns.” The reviewer goes on to say that the animation for the film is “highly stylized”. She also mentions that Alexander Skarsgard’s character, Stefan, is based on his face (yay – who doesn’t love to look at his face?!?!?) rather than a composite of photos. Stefan’s role appears to be that of omniscient narrator – he monitors people through microchips embedded in their brains.

In addition to its September 3rd premiere at the Venice Film Festival, Metropia will premiere on September 20th at the Helsinki International Film Festival, and will premiere in Sweden on November 9th. No word on when the US premiere is.

Here is a little preview of the movie — what do you think? I’m impressed that Alexander took a role that really stretched is abilities. It is so different from his current role as Eric Northman!

Source: IMDb.com, YouTube, THReviews, Skarsgard Fans

Photo Credit: Skarsgard Fans

True Blood Cast Talk With Fangoria

During the production of season 2 of True Blood, the website, Fangoria.com got a chance to talk to the stars of True Blood about filming the series and about wrapping up season 2. Fangoria was on the set of True Blood as cast members continued filming for season 2. Fangoria noted that even though the cast was filming a scene full of drama and conflict the cast and crew looked happier than ever! Fangoria talked to Anna Paquin who plays our beloved, telepath, Sookie Stackhouse, about filming her scenes for True Blood and how she has been involved in some pretty physically intense scenes. Anna had this to say:

“On this show, I get beat up all the time. I mean, I’ve always been really active and I’ve done a decent amount of that [physical action] before. Not a lot, but that’s fun to me. I love that stuff.”

Anna also commented on how thrilled she is about the show’s phenomenal following:

“You never really know how people are going to react, but even just from people who enjoyed the books and were fanatical about that, there was a pretty good indication that people might be pretty into the show and they were, and that was awesome.”

Fangoria also talked to Stephen Moyer who plays Sookie’s vampire love interest, Bill Compton, and is also Anna Paquin’s real-life fiance. Stephen spoke about the diversity of the vampires featured on True Blood:

“They look fantastic, the Dallas vampires. We’ve got amazing tattoos, we’ve got big bad guys, we’ve got small Asian guys, we’ve got a 6-foot-6 blonde woman, we’ve got everything. We’ve got every kind of vampire you can imagine.”

Fangoria also talked to Stephen about his portrayal of a very burnt up vampire, when his character Bill ventured out into the sunlight in an attempt to save his beloved Sookie. Stephen explained that in order to turn into a crispy vamp the crew had to create a full mold of his head. Stephen explained the process and how sometimes they leave it on too long and they have to wrangle you to get it off – Ouch! When asked about playing Bill on True Blood, Stephen had this to say:

“Every week, it changes—I think I add to it. The more that Alan [Ball, series creator and show runner] gives me—all of us—to do—it might be a twist on a character that you haven’t thought of, so you end up adding layers, rather than changing. It’s like, ‘Oh, right, here’s another facet of Bill’s character that we’ve only ever hinted at before.’ So in this season, we see him go back to the ’20s—we see a different Bill in the ’20s—and then we see a different Bill again in the ’30s. I think one of the great joys of playing a vampire is that you can flash back to any point in that person’s history and see things that they’ve done, which obviously people now will never see. So we’ll get to know more about him than perhaps Sookie ever will.”

Fangoria also asked Stephen about his co-star Deborah Ann Woll, who plays teenage vampire, Jessica, on the show:

“I’ve ended up with a teenage vampire daughter who’s a nightmare,” Moyer laughs. “Not even Eric can handle this little thing. Sookie and Bill become these kind of odd surrogate parents for this girl, Jessica. [Woll] is amazing. She is just phenomenal to work with.”

Fangoria also spoke with Ed Quinn, who plays the human hating Deputy Stan, a member of the Dallas Coven, and discussed wearing “fangs”. Ed explained that it is hard at first especially when you go from talking normal to almost instantly having a lisp. Ed went on to say that they are a bit hard to put in but once you get used to them its not so bad.

“The first scene I actually shot, [Alexander] Skarsgard did, so I got to watch him [talk with fangs in his mouth]. They’re kind of tough to get in, but once you get them in, they’re amazing. They’re kind of scary. They feel dangerous. My lips are really bruised today, because I’m such a rookie with them, but yeah, last night, I had to do the whole, ‘Stop, fangs!’ “

This phrase is heard pretty often on the True Blood set when the cast is told to stop the action and place their fangs in their mouth. Ed helps fans out by describing the all too famous “fangs”:

“They take about two weeks to make. You go and they take a mold and they build this retainer, and they fit up over your gums and they fit above your teeth and they’re really, really secure and they’re wickedly sharp. They actually have little holes—they’re actually hollow, I can actually suck through them—I could drink a bowl of soup through them. I mean, they look amazing, they feel amazing and they’re pretty fun. So, to be a fan of a show like this and then to get to work on it, to get to show fangs and get to run around at vamp speed, is pretty cool.”

I guess running around at vamp speed would be pretty amazing. Have you ever wondered how our vampires seem to be able to move at the speed of light? Ed also explains this amazing feature:

“You run just like a typical goofball and they speed it up,” he laughs. “They go, ‘Run’ and you go to a certain place, you stop, and then they say, ‘Reset and action,’ and you start again. So it’s all the magic of filmmaking that makes you run around real fast, but it’s nice to know that they’re going to cover me in post.”

Fangoria also spoke with Michael McMillian who plays Fellowship of the Sun Founder, Steve Newlin.

“I have to end up in a certain place so the camera can see me, but there is actually quite a lot of freedom on this show, and one of the things I love about acting on it is there’s a lot of freedom for play and a lot of freedom to try things differently each time. So that’s been one of the most rewarding things and I get to work with a cast that loves to try new things each time. One of the first days I worked, I worked with Ryan Kwanten, and he was great to work with, because every time he did a take, it was something different and all brilliant and all usable.”

And no interview would be complete without speaking to Alexander Skarsgard who plays vampire sheriff, Eric Northman. Fangoria asked Alex about the show’s fanbase and how phenomenal the response has been and Alex had this to say:

“I was kind of overwhelmed, I guess. I wasn’t surprised, because I knew that it would be good, but I didn’t realize that there were that many hardcore fans out there,” he laughs. “And so it was very flattering and overwhelming. I was out of the [U.S.] when TRUE BLOOD premiered, so I didn’t really understand how crazy things got.”

When asked about his character and portraying Eric on the show Alex commented:

“I have gotten to explore the character a little bit more and go deeper. I was just basically introduced in season one, so season two has been great for me. It’s been a lot of fun, because it’s involved a lot more, in many ways. It just keeps getting better and better. I’ve had some great, great moments that I’ve enjoyed tremendously.”

Well, us fans are gearing up to enjoy the season 2 finale of True Blood tremendously, and we are sure that this cast will not disappoint!

SOURCE: Fangoria

Photo Credits: HBO Inc.

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