Ryan Kwanten Featured in Celebrity Portrait Book

Ryan Kwanten who plays the sexy Jason Stackhouse on True Blood will be featured along with 100 other celebrities, in the new book, “About Face”. This is a limited edition (1500 copies) book of portraits done by top celebrity photographer, John Russo. The book is scheduled to be released February 2010 by Pixie Press Worldwide. The book consists of 160 pages of black and white photos shot with Type 55 polaroid film. Jordana Woodland Goguen who is the publisher with Pixie Press Worldwide said she was immediately intrigued when she found out Russo was shooting the portraits. “When Russo showed us the first prints, we were struck by their bold simplistic beauty and our About Face collaboration began,” explained Goguen. The mission for Russo was to capture and record the raw beauty, intrigue, and power of the male face. Type 55 film is now extinct, but it will live on through the beautiful images in Russo’s book.

SOURCE:  Yahoo Finance

Photo Credits:  John Russo

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.)

Ryan Kwanten Starring In New Superhero Movie

Ryan Kwanten, who plays Jason Stackhouse in the hit HBO television series True Blood, has taken a break from vampires to take on other activities. For example, he recently appeared in a photo-shoot for 2Magazine earlier this year. The 32-year-old actor is also portraying a superhero in the new Aussie movie Griff The Invisible which he is now filming in Australia.

The movie has started filming in Sydney and is a debut feature by writer and director Leon Ford. Kwanten, who plays Griff, works in an office by day and is a superhero by night. His world is turned upside down when he meets Melody (played by Maeve Dermody), a scientist who shares his passion for the impossible. Griff The Invisible is produced by Nicole O’Donohue, with executive producers Jan Chapman (The Piano) and Scott Meek (Velvet Goldmine). Griff The Invisible is expected to be released in late 2010. Director Leon Ford said:

“It is a superhero movie and it is a comedy [...] But at its core it’s a simple love story about two very unique individuals finding each other and giving the other strength to be what they want to be.”

Ryan Kwanten added:

“By day, Griff works in an office. By night, he is a superhero – or is he? It was this question that attracted me to the role. Griff is such an original and boundless character to play. Every boy dreams of being a superhero and I’ve accepted my mission to bring this to life.”

Kwanten, an Australian actor, appeared in the Aussie soap, Home and Away, before rising to international fame through his role as Jason Stackhouse on Alan Ball’s hit HBO TV vampire series True Blood.

To see the complete set of photos of Ryan with Mitchell Nguyen McCormack click here.  To see more of Mitchell Nguyen McCormack fantastic photoshoots please visit his official website here.

Source: JustJared

Photo credit: Mitchell Nguyen McCormack from 2-mag.com via JustJared.buzznet.com

Ryan Kwanten On Jason Stackhouse and Dating

During the hiatus from True Blood, Ryan Kwanten has been filming the movie Red Hill and spending time with family. Soon he will be back in L.A. to begin work on Season three of True Blood. In the meantime, though, he helped promote the show’s first season as it airs on Channel 4 in the UK by doing an interview with OK! Magazine.

When Ryan has to get naked for one of his sex scenes as the womanizing Jason, his first concern is making the actress feel comfortable:

“I’ve always been comfortable with my body and I think Australians have a fairly liberal and open-minded point of view when it comes to sex and nudity. More often than not, the girl is going to be far more nervous than me, so I’ll approach the girls beforehand and say: ‘Any questions, qualms, concerns that you have, just come to me.’ The more comfortable they are, the more comfortable I am and the scene will work better.”

As for what he thinks about the vampire obsession, Ryan offers an insightful reflection:

“Albert Einstein said the most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious, and for many people vampires represent the absolute epitome of mystery. They have these other worldly qualities like a sixth sense–and they’re apparently fantastic in bed, they have years and years of experience.”

Clearly, the thoughtful and down-to-earth Ryan is drastically different from the character he portrays, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t found qualities in Jason that he can use in his own life:

“I tend to be far too cerebral and totally over-analyze things. But he is the polar opposite in that there’s no will power of thought, he jumps off the cliff without thinking, he dives into any situation with no recourse whatsoever. So I’ve learnt to loosen up my mentality and go with the flow a little bit.”

Still, Ryan admits to being a quiet, observant person as opposed to a highly extroverted actor. He prefers interacting with others one-on-one, but says that he’s “pretty terrible when it comes to women.” He’s not really dating at this point in his life:

“That concept has always eluded me, that whole dating thing. What I’m amazed at more than anything is marriage, the lack of thought that goes into marriage. Maybe it’s just like going to buy a sandwich: ‘How about we just get married?’ And then the next week they break up, like it was nothing.”

That’s an interesting comparison to make… Perhaps one day the woman will come along who changes his mind. For now, though, Ryan appears to be wholly invested in acting, saying that work is his number one priority. He never intended to move to Los Angeles, but now that’s where he belongs:

“The passion for the business and the craft is cemented in my veins.”

This is evident to us True Blood fans who have seen how talented Ryan is an actor! He manages to play a frequently dumb character like Jason and make him endearing to us. I am looking forward to seeing more of Ryan, in future projects and on True Blood!

SOURCE: ok.co.uk

(Photo credit: Cory Sorensen / Muscle & Body)

Ryan Kwanten in Sydney for The Inside Film Award Nominations

Handsome, casual, and sporting slightly darker hair than True Blood fans are used to seeing, Ryan Kwanten (Jason Stackhouse) was in his native Australia where he attended the nomination announcement ceremony for the Inside Film (IF) Awards 2009 at the Pavilion Cafe in Sydney on Monday (October 12).

The IF Awards celebrate and champion Australian film and creative talent and are voted on by the general public. This year’s ceremony takes place Wednesday November 18^th at Sydney’s Luna Park.  The full list of IF Award nominees is available at the Inside Film Awards site.

Ryan is pictured below with fellow Aussie actors Jessica McNamee, Maeve Dermody and Alyssa McClelland.

JustJared.com has more photos of Ryan at this event.

SOURCE: Inside Film Awards and JustJared

(Photo credits: JustJared)

Ryan Kwanten Shares Some Fun With Jimmy Kimmel

This week Ryan Kwanten made a guest appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. While on the show Jimmy learned quite a few things about our sweet, southern, Jason Stackhouse! Ryan explained to Jimmy how he got into acting quite accidentally when he was 15 years old. Ryan’s brother, Mitchell, was the one that was actually into dancing and acting and Ryan was more of an athletic boy. At one of Mitchell’s auditions, Ryan was waiting in swimming attire and a casting agent happened to see him and grabbed him up – who wouldn’t, right – and because of that we now get to enjoy Ryan every Sunday night on True Blood.

Later in the interview Jimmy discussed with Ryan how throughout the first season of True Blood he was seen naked more than clothed. Jimmy did the math for us and figured it to be a total of 250 times we have seen Ryan naked on the show. Ryan talked about how he has gotten used to wearing a modesty sock on the show and then pulled a signed one out of his jacket and presented it to Jimmy. The sock was signed “Ryan Kwanten was here 2009″.

Jimmy graciously accepted his gift and went on to say that Australians must like to have fun more than anyone else in the world. This got Ryan talking about his love of pranks! Jimmy brought up one so-called “war” Ryan is involved in with a camera man, Simon, on True Blood. Ryan described how he laced Simon’s water bottle with hot green chilies and Simon would continue trying to get water to cool his mouth off and would then in turn continue to taste the hot chilies. Ryan, you are such a naughty boy! Simon did get some revenge by filling Ryan’s car up with foam peanuts. Ryan admits that he is still trying to get them all out of his car to this day. Who knew our Jason Stackhouse was such a prankster!! Don’t forget to tune in this Sunday to see Ryan on the season 2 finale of True Blood!!

SOURCE:  Seacoast Online

Photo Credit: HBO Inc. and Seacoast Online)

Remembering Favorite True Blood Moments

The countdown to the season two finale has definitely begun! As the excitement grows until we finally get to see the resolution to Maryann and her sacrifice, IGN TV recounted their favorite moments of True Blood up to this point.

“Couple of the Year,” referring to Bill and Eric – “The southern gentleman and the euro-hipster in a tracksuit”– at the clothing store. The saleswoman might have gotten the wrong impression when she saw these two together but it’s not a bad idea! Especially when you look back at the scene from season one where Eric is waiting in Bill’s bath (”I texted you three times. Why didn’t you reply?”) Forget Sookie — man love is clearly on the horizon and the formation of a new team: Team Bill-n-Eric.

“Eddie’s End,” the inevitable demise of the pathetic vampire who was just looking for companionship and ended up getting used for his V juice. He brought out a new side in Jason:

Not only were Jason’s scenes with Eddie touching but they showed us how quiet and successfully emotional this show could be when it tried to.

If only Amy hadn’t staked him and reduced him to a messy pool of blood and guts…

“Bill’s Beginning,” the flashbacks to human Bill from “Sparks Fly Out.” The weary soldier’s goodness and loyalty to his wife and children showed Lorena that he was worthy to stay alive but she turned him into a vampire so that he could be hers.

Seeing Bill watch his family from a distance and ultimately say goodbye with a bloody tear, was heartbreaking.

“AIDS Burger,” Lafayette’s memorable outburst against bigotry. The fry cook may wear have some effeminate qualities but he can stick up for himself. Alan Ball says in an episode commentary that he didn’t think Lafayette would have survived as a gay black kid growing up in rural Louisiana if he weren’t tough. And the beatdown of Royce, followed by the comment, “Tip your waitress,” was enough to show us that True Blood wouldn’t be the same without Lafayette.

“Sex and Candy,” Jessica’s entrance into Merlotte’s when she finally found herself free of her mainstreaming maker, Bill. She may be an annoying, impulsive young vampire but she proved that there was still some sweetness in her:

She entered Merlotte’s with the worst of intentions and met up with a young man with the best of intentions. Hoyt.

“The Other White Meat,” dream scene or not, seeing Eric and Sookie naked in bed together drove the fans wild. Stephen Moyer’s Bill has been much more prominent than the book character but that doesn’t mean that Eric is not going to be part of Sookie’s romantic future. Who knows when the relationships will actually shift but until then, there’s this scene, where you get to see the big Viking “smile and act cuddly.”

“Three Dog Night,” when Sookie went to sleep with a dog and woke up with naked Sam. After learning her friend’s secret and getting over the initial shock, it brought them closer together because they could relate in their shared weirdness.

“Kablammo!,” the bomb going off in the lair of the Dallas vampires.

It was a powerful and unexpectedly grim turn for the Fellowship of the Sun, who up until this point, thanks to its leadership, seemed like a bunch of soft, although impishly wicked, evangelical twits.

Luke walked away from the almost-battle in the church when Godric broke things up but he showed how strongly he felt about his cause. Plus, Eric had the opportunity to shield Sookie and trick her into drinking his blood.

“Digging the Grave,” when Sookie decapitated Rene with “a freakin’ shovel!” She’s gotten kicked around quite a lot over the two seasons but Sookie is not a helpless victim. She will fight for her loved ones and her town. Her hand giving off that energy against Maryann was just another sign of how strong Sookie is becoming.

“Make Up Sex,” Bill and Sookie show their passion for each other after fighting in the season two premiere, “Nothing But the Blood.” Sure, there are lots of sex scenes in True Blood but IGN TV picked this one as the best because of how it re-invested viewers in the show.

It’s what we all want to see when we watch an adult show about vampires.

For myself, I would have put Bill and Sookie’s first time on here instead because of the moment when his fangs come out — he thinks she won’t want him anymore but she kisses him anyway, truly accepting him for the vampire that he is. But I agree that the make-up sex is hotter.

“Sunspots,” Godric’s farewell on the hotel roof. Eric’s tears and pleading with his maker showed a depth of emotion that we can only imagine, after their 1,000 years of connection. Godric’s gentleness made us feel the loss of him, even though we had only seen him in a couple of episodes.

A couple moments that I would add to this list: When Jason and Andy save Sam from the possessed mob by pretending to be “the god who comes.” Also when Eric punishes Royce for the silver and asks Lafayette if there’s blood in his hair.

What are some of your favorites that aren’t on here? And I don’t know about all of you but the only way I’m going to get through the long months of True Blood withdrawal will be to watch these scenes repeatedly.

SOURCE: tv.ign.com

(Photo credit: HBO Inc.)

Ryan Kwanten Interviewed by People Magazine

Jason Stackhouse often acts like he doesn’t have a brain in his head but Ryan Kwanten, who plays Jason on True Blood, is not like that at all.

In a recent interview with People Magazine, the Australian actor discussed his work on the show. Like his fellow castmates, Ryan was surprised by True Blood’s tremendous success:

“It’s not something that you set out expecting [because of] the amount of factors that have to fall into place for a show to even be picked up.”

The show appeals to him because it combines such a wide range of elements:

“It doesn’t limit itself to one particular genre. It can go from comedy to supernatural to thriller to drama all in the space of an episode.”

With a teasing vagueness, he calls the season two finale an “amalgamation of pretty much the entire season.”

Although Ryan has very little in common with Jason, he does see the good in his character and tries to apply it – in moderation, of course – to his own life:

“He’s taught me not to think so much and not overanalyze because he’s the type of guy who just sort of jumps into things without really thinking and obviously that gets him into trouble.”

Just last Tuesday Ryan attended the grand opening of the Katsuya L.A. Live Restaurant at the Nokia Theater Complex, to benefit After-School All-Stars where he was asked about his approach in portraying Jason.   Ryan stated to People Magazine that:

“I pride myself on my half-sentences, that’s how I get by.” It’s always, dot-dot-dot after everything that I say, it just makes things easier. I’ve always loved the notion that stupidity won’t kill you, it will just make you sweat. So, I think that Jason lives in this perpetual state of sweating.”

As to whether he is influenced by a particular president in playing the role of Jason, as some believe, Ryan points out that there are a few models that he uses but he would like to keep them to himself.  However Ryan goes on to state that many people may recognize some components of Jason in people that they know and “if people want to read George Bush into him, I think that’s fine.”

Ryan has gotten to do so many different things as an actor since being on True Blood and he makes no suggestions or wishes for Jason’s future. He trusts the writers to keep things exciting:

“I don’t really care what they do. I really just love receiving the script and seeing what happens. I don’t care if he’s in a relationship or not because either way he’s just fun to play and dive into his skin.”

Whenever the filming takes them to Louisiana to add some of that genuine Southern setting, Ryan enjoys the people, the food and even the heat:

“I actually have a soft spot for people from the South or even just from Louisiana just because they tend to tell it like it is and I think quite often in L.A., people are a little scared to do that… Also, I found it quite extraordinarily beautiful. People complain about the heat but I don’t mind the heat at all… You just have to be prepared for a lot of fried food and the seafood’s really good. The crawfish are amazing.”

Ryan has developed his toned body from doing lots of different activities:

“Whether it’s running on the beach or swimming in the ocean, yoga, tennis — I could go through a whole list of things — I just pretty much keep myself on my toes and try not to get bored.”

Currently Ryan has three films coming out which is causing him to only get four hours of sleep a night, leaving him little time for a personal life and dating.

“Work is my priority at this point, and I’m fortunate enough to have a stable of friends that put up with my ridiculous schedule, and still love me, so that’s what they’re there for.”

However, Ryan does mention that the type of woman that he is attracted to is  a woman “who’s not afraid to be herself,” so ladies, remember that for if you ever meet him.

SOURCES:

People.com: True Blood’s Ryan Kwanten On Playing Jason Stackhouse

People.com:  Ryan Kwanten Loves to Play Dumb

(Photo credit: Jeff Frank/ZUMA via People.com)

Ryan Kwanten Talks About His Role as Jason Stackhouse

Ryan Kwanten, who portrays Jason Stackhouse on True Blood, spent most of season one with his clothes off.  Ryan has no issues with exposing his body on screen.  He says:

“I feel like it’s something Jason, my character, would actually do. I never feel like I’m putting myself out on a wire, because the writing is always so good as well. And most of the time the actresses are more nervous than me anyway.”

The 32-year-old Australian actor tries to stay in good physical condition for the show.  Ryan says:

“I just try and cater the body to the role, obviously Jason is someone who looks after himself. He’s very vain. He’s aware of his looks, so it’s important that I stay on top of it but I also just enjoy fitness in general.”

Ryan was a star on the Australian soap Home and Away before taking on the role of Sookie Stackhouse’s brother.  Ryan says most fans are surprised that he is Australian.  He says:

“It’s a nice compliment to get even American people or people from the South coming up and saying where in the South am I from, and then when I actually talk they think I’m putting this accent on.”

Though season two of True Blood is coming to a close for fans in the U.S., the season does not begin until September 15th in Australia.  The Australian fans may be disappointed to find out that Jason Stackhouse remains clothed for most of season two.

Source: dailytelegraph.com.au

Photo credit:  HBO Inc.

MTV’s Hollywood Crush Applauds Jason Stackhouse as a “Genius Character”

While True Blood’s Jason Stackhouse (Ryan Kwanten) may not be the smartest guy in Bon Temps, MTV’s Hollywood Crush still says he’s “A Genius Character” and should be nominated as “The Man of ‘True Blood‘!”

“No, Jason doesn’t turn into a dog to get out of hairy situations. He doesn’t have fangs either. And, fine … he hasn’t lived for a thousand years. But what Jason lacks in supernatural ability, he makes up for in unbelievable entertainment value.”

While actor Ryan Kwanten is also definitely easy on the eyes, there is much more to praise about his portrayal of Jason Stackhouse. Kwanten’s Jason is not the typical dumb jock character. Hollywood Crush lists five great reasons to praise Jason Stackhouse.

First, Jason makes a charming “Village Idiot.” He may be lacking in brains, but he is honest, “when he’s not lying about abducting vampires and sneaking V tabs.”  That “refreshing” and almost childlike honesty makes us forgive his many faults.

Hollywood Crush also says that just like Forrest Gump, when it comes to Jason Stackhouse, “Stupid Is As Stupid Does.”  Though Jason makes a lot of mistakes, he owns up to them and “fights for what’s right.” That fact makes up for a lot of the times when he doesn’t use his brain.

And then there are his mighty smiting skills.  In episode 10, we saw perhaps one of the most hilarious scenes of the season:

“Jason proved his acting chops by pretending to be Maryann’s horned God — and with just a few road flares, a gas mask and an antlers-shaped branch, he pulled it off! Thanks to Stackhouse’s award-winning performance, and a little shape-shifting assistance from Mr. Merlotte, the whole town believes Sam has been “smitten” by the God… even if Jason himself doesn’t know what “smitten” means.”

In addition, Jason is also a fiercely loyal American hero, who showed that sometimes brawn is more useful than brains when he “snapped an American flag in half and used it to stake a vampire, even if it was just during a training session.”  We saw that national pride flare up again in Episode 10, when Jason tells Andy Bellefleur (Chris Bauer) that even though their friends and neighbors are zombies, “they’re still Americans” and that still means something to him.

Finally, if you’ve heard actor Ryan Kwanten speak out of character, you know that he is Australian, though you’d never guess it just from watching the show.  Kwanten is totally believable as Jason, and his fantastic work is just one more “reason to love the Bon Temps Bloke.”

Source: MTV Hollywood Crush

(Photo credit: HBO.com)

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