Sam Trammell at Eyecon

What follows is Sam’s great Q & A session from Eyecon. Unfortunately I was so busy clapping and taking pics that I didn’t get the recorder turned on until he’d already started but we have most of it transcribed thanks to Cyrenna’s hard work!

From Eyecon ‘09:

Q: The scene with you and Arlene’s kids, it’s one of my favorite scenes. What were the kids like to work with? I love those kids I think they’re real talented.

Sam: They’re really cool, those kids are really cool. And you know what’s funny? At the scene at the bar when I’m talking to them…The way they put the camera, I couldn’t look at their faces, they put X’s on the mat box which is this thing right around the lenses so I had to act to the X’s. I was so bummed because they’re kids and you always get such good stuff from kids. They had really cute accents, too. They put on Southern accents. They were so cute.

Q: What was the hardest scene to do?

Sam: A really tough one was the one was in the last episode where I had to go and see my adoptive mom who gave me up. That was a tough one. I don’t know why it was tough, maybe because I didn’t want to be too “I don’t like you, I’m mad at you.” I didn’t want to play the obvious thing. But at the same time it was written that I was angry at them and my character didn’t want to be angry he just wanted to get information on how to find his biological parents. So that was a tough one. One of the toughest things, honestly, and this is a technical thing, is wearing short sleeves or being naked when its cold and then having to be pretend that you’re not cold. That’s always really hard. Seriously! Because you’re thinking “Oh my God, I’m really cold!” and they say “ACTION” and you have to act like “Yo, what’s up!? I’m chilling out in Louisiana and it’s hot!” ~laughs~

Q: Do you think we’ve seen the last of Maryann?

Sam: That’s a good question… I know she’s bad…really bad. I don’t know though because she’s a weird energy and even though she died I wouldn’t be surprised if Alan brought her back in some weird way, like her energy through someone else. I think for now we have [seen the last of Maryann] but I wouldn’t count her out because she’s like the devil.

Q: Is it difficult for you to get into character and do have a favorite line?

Sam: The character is not too difficult. It’s not as easy because I have to do a Southern accent but I’m actually from the South so that comes back fairly easily. But whenever your putting on an accent or a limp that adds a little bit of a, ya know, it’s an extra thing to do. I’m not that far away from the character. I mean I am not quite as much of a loner as he is but I’m kind of a private person and I did move around a lot as a kid. I wasn’t abandoned by my adoptive parents but it’s not too terribly much of a stretch.

Q: When you’re not filming and you have down time what type of hobbies do you have and what do you like to do?

Sam: I like to surf and I took that up when I moved to the West Coast. My brother lives in St. Augustine and he surfs on the East Coast and he always said you’re an idiot if you don’t surf in California because there’s great waves there and he was always jealous.
So I started doing that and that’s a weird hobby because you get up really early in the morning and the waters always really cold and you’re always like “Why am I doing this?” And then, it’s really fun once you start doing it.

Q: Do you have a favorite book?

Sam: I’m reading a book right now that’s pretty good called “A Shadow of the Wind”. It’s a Spanish writer. It’s kind of a mystery-thriller. It’s really well written. But you know one of my favorite books, this is kind of random and I don’t know why this came into my head, is “Beloved” by Tony Morrison. ~applause~ Anybody read that? Yeah, because I’m from the south and it’s really well written and it’s heavy, it’s so intense. And I’m going to sound so pretentious now, I like Dostafski a lot but it takes a little work to read him and I haven’t read him for a while. I’ve been lazy.

Q: Who’s your favorite supporting actor?

Sam: Well one of my favorite people for sure is Chris Bauer who plays Andy Bellefleur ~applause~ You guys like him??? Yeah he’s good. But I knew him because I used to live in New York so I knew him before and actually we go surfing together. Whenever I work with him I just try not to laugh because his character is so funny. Like… there was a scene in the first season where I’m telling him, “I’m a naturist,” remember that??? and I swear we would do that scene and I would walk up to the table and say “Well, you know Andy, I’m a naturist” and he would just look at me and we would literally just try not to laugh and they would say cut and we would totally laugh. And then this season when we were in the refrigerator and he’s telling me about his nanny named Annie and I was like, you’ve got to be kidding me, you’ve got to be kidding me. I was SO trying not to laugh. I love working with him. He’s a lot of fun

Q: First of all I just want to say thanks for being here.

Sam: Oh! You’re welcome it’s great to be here.

Q: Did you have any second thoughts about playing the role of Sam?

Sam: Oh did I ever have any second thoughts like, “Oh, was this a bad choice?” or something??? No ~laughs~ No, No Way!

Q: The naked scenes did you have any problem with that?

Sam: No, not so much. I kind of knew, whenever you work for HBO they’re like, “If you’re going to work for us you’re going to have to sign a thing that says you’re going to show your butt.” and I said “Yeah, fine.” That was totally fine. So, not really. It is kind of tough doing the naked scenes, kind of, it’s not too bad, but just when it’s cold. But I was always psyched and when I got the script and it said Alan Ball and HBO, I said “I want to do that!” I hadn’t even read it because Alan Ball is such a good writer and HBO is the best place to work. So I’ve been pretty psyched about it.

Q: I know Charlaine has already decided who Sookie will end up with in the end. What are your feelings on that because I would love to see Sookie and Sam end up together.

Sam: Aww that’s nice. So are you saying that Charlaine’s already decided that in the books? Oh, she has, but she hasn’t written it yet?

Well, I think that would be good because, you know, I’m not a vampire ….I’m alive! I turn into a dog, but I’m alive, so that’s a good thing! You know like a live man right? I mean vampires are sexy, I guess. They bite you and everything….I can bite! Just because you’re a vampire does not mean you can’t bite! Alright…you should know that! You should know that! Dogs bite…exactly! So I think it would be good. I think that I’m good for her. Team Sam!!! [Spotted a woman with a Team Sam T-shirt on in the audience] Oh my god I’ve never seen that! I’ve never seen that! Got one member! Two members! Ya gotta start somewhere!

Q: What season did you like better? Season one or season two?

Sam: I kind of liked season 2, I mean I loved season 1 but season 1 felt a lot to me like me pining after Sookie and saying “Don’t go to the Vampires. Stay with me. Don’t do this, don’t do that” like “Mr. Rules guy”. Like, “Oh that’s bad, that’s bad.” Then season 2, I kind of stood up to her a little bit and I felt like I was a little bit more of a man. And then I got to squeeze the heart and save the town! So I kind of like season 2 a little bit more in that sense.

Q: How were you inspired to pursue a career in acting? Were you influenced by anyone?

Sam: You know it’s interesting I never ever thought about acting. I went to college and I’d never acted and I went to be a physics major of all boring things. But I wanted to be an astrophysicist and ended up being a philosophy major. I was a musician. I was always in bands since I was like 13. I played guitar in bands and this friend of mine who is now a musician was an actor then, and my last semester of school he said, “You should audition for the new plays festival. They need a bunch of actors because they do like 8 new plays by graduate students.” It just took somebody saying to do it because I always thought it looked kind of fun, like playing house but like really taking it seriously. Like really pretending whatever you are. So that’s all it took was somebody saying, “You should do that.” and I was like, “Yeah, yes I should.” And then I auditioned and got a part and that was my last semester of college and I just did a couple more plays and I had already applied to graduate schools and I said, “Forget that, I’m going to move to New York.” And I literally moved to NY on a bus with some sort of suit case I could hold in my hand. A classic story. And that was it. I got a late start.

Q: Is there another character on the show that would be interesting to play for you?

Sam: Yes I think there are so many good characters. Jason has a great part, Bill has a great part. I mean, Bill’s part is tough because he’s playing a vampire. There’s so many good ones like Alexander, you know ~applause~ Love it ~laughs~ I think Rutina’s part is great, Tara’s part its so good. A really good part isn’t it? ~applause~

Q: Lafayette?

Sam: Lafayette! Yes! You know, Nelson, he brings so much to that part. It’s not just on paper, he brings like a whole new level to that part.

Q: Could you do it? Could you do a part like that?

Sam: Probably not ~laughs~

Q: Do you think you’ve got it in you?

Sam: I don’t know if I’ve got it in me, you know? ~laughs~

Q: Since you’re a shifter and you can only turn into something you have come in contact with, do you think in season 3 in at least one scene can you shift into an alien or a predator from your past movie?

Sam: Wow, that’s a good question, that’s a good question. Maybe a predator!

Q: Do you watch the show every Sunday when it airs and where do you watch it?

Sam: Oh yes, I have to. I mean it’s really hard for me to watch myself, it’s very hard and I’m very overly critical. I usually like to watch it alone first, because the first time you watch it… If there are other people you are just so embarrassed and you want to get used to it. I usually watch it at home, sometimes we have people over.

Q: We had a contest and asked our readers what they would most like to know from you and what they answered was, they want to know “Has True Blood changed you and if so how?”

Sam: I don’t know if it’s changed me but it’s changed my life a little bit because I just get recognized a little bit more, especially after the second season and especially in places where there’s a lot more people like New York City. And it’s definitely fun. There’s no question it’s great. People come up and say they love the show or they like my part and it feels good and I’m not going to pretend like “Oh, I’m over that”, it’s pretty great. I don’t know that it’s changed me at all. It hasn’t changed me but it’s definitely changed my life a bit.

Q: Do you like people coming up and asking me for autographs or just coming up to you?

Sam: I really don’t mind it but there’s definitely every once in a while you’re just like not in a good mood as you can all imagine and you just kind of just want to be alone or you’re just not feeling confident or not feeling like you have it in you to be friendly. But those times aren’t that much; I just don’t usually mind it that much. No. I don’t mind it at all.

Q: If you could be stranded on a desert island with anyone from the cast who would it be and why?

Sam: Wow, did I really hear that question? Sorry, trying to buy some time… buy some time. Wow, like stranded on an island forever? Forever…wow. Well if was going to be forever it would have to be a woman. Wow. I don’t know who do you think? Daphne?

Q: She would probably hit you.

Sam: Hit me? No you know who hits me all the time is Anna. You know, she hits me all the time because she knows I won’t hit her back. It would be a woman from the show. I don’t know who.

Q: How did you land the roll on TB and how do you do the CGI scenes?

Sam: Okay so I landed the roll pretty normally. I just got the script and I read it. And then I went in and auditioned and they put it on tape. And Alan saw it and liked it. And then you have to go to a final audition in front of the President of HBO and all the big executives. And that’s so nerve racking because you have to sign contracts before you go in and it’s just very nerve racking.

And then I found out the same day that I got it! Which was great! Oh yeah, and the CGI…it’s kind of complicated. What they usually do, for instance in that scene in the shower where the dog stood up and then I stood up and you see my butt? They shot the dog first, I think, and they had that somehow on film and they had to line me up exactly with the dog. I’m not exactly sure how they do it. I had to be in an exact spot and stand up in a certain way.

Q: When you have naked scenes do you wear something in the front?

Sam: Do I wear something in the front….yes! We call it ‘the sock’. It’s not an actual sock but it’s this thing that you tie and it goes over your whole situation. And it’s beige.

Q: How much does it cover?

Sam: How much does it cover? Just the tip. No! It covers up pretty much the whole situation. Oh God, I’m embarrassed now…wow! Ryan has to wear that a lot and I have to wear it…but different ones! I have a larger size ~laughs~ I am so embarrassed now! Wow!

Q: How much is Alan Ball involved with the series from season 1 to season 2 and how much do you work with him on set?

Sam: That’s a good question. He’s really involved. He’s not on set as much as you might think. One of the many things that he’s really talented at and great at is he hires really good people, like department heads. So he really trusts the directors and the director of photography and the actors. He trusts everybody. And he sees everything in editing. So he’s not on the set a lot but he’s always in editing. And of course he’s writing all the time and he’s casting so his day is totally full. He kind of puts his energies where he needs to and he’s very involved. I think he re-writes almost every script and like I said he’s in the editing room.

Q: Does he pull like a 24 where you have no idea what happening until the next script and you read it that morning?

Sam: No, not all actually. He likes to shoot everything before the season comes out. Now that didn’t happen last year but it happened the first year. So he likes to have everything done ahead of time. And he’s really cool because he’ll give us scripts when they’re done. Most TV shows they’ll just give you the script that week. I don’t know why, either they’re behind or they just don’t want you to have the information and they play weird power games. But he’s so cool. When they have it done they give it to you. It’s really helpful because it helps you prepare when you know what you’re going to be doing in the 5th episode when you’re working on the first.

Q: How does the feeling or the adrenalin rush you get from filming a television series vary from when you’re on stage?

Sam: That’s a good question. It’s definitely different when you’re on stage. Obviously you get the immediate, “Oh my!” people who are out in the audience and you can feel it and then you do the whole thing and you’re done and you’re like “Yes! It was brilliant.” and you bow and everybody claps for you. But there is sort of an excitement when you’re filming for the show. Sometimes it’s really mellow though. You’re shooting a lot of scenes that day and there may be only a few people in the room where you’re shooting. And maybe you shot a really intense scene and it kind of goes without any fan fare. But then obviously TV reaches out to so many more people so there’s this delayed gratification where you shoot that episode like 5 months ago and you’ve forgotten it. You’re trying to remember that scene and then it comes on and you see it and everybody else sees it and then people are saying they like the scene that many months later, so it is really different.

Q: I know they have “The Vampire Musical” the Series; what about a ‘True Blood Musical’ with your background?

Sam: Wait a minute, you want to see a True Blood Musical?

Q: Would you be interested in doing it if they ever came up with it? What would Sam sing about?

Sam: If there were a musical, what would I have be singing about? I don’t know. I would have a song about turning into a dog and getting to sleep with Sookie or something. I don’t know. That’s pretty funny. That would be a weird musical wouldn’t it?

Q: As we see in Season 2 Eric’s been messing with Sookie and Lafayette. I’ve heard rumors from a couple people in Alan’s camp that they’re planning to have Bill mess with you.

Sam: Are you serious? What does that mean????

Q: The same way he’s messed with Lafayette and the same way he’s messed with Sookie.

Sam: Am I going to be dreaming about Bill now?

Q: Something like that.

Sam: Man you never know. You never know what they’re going to do on the show. Oh boy. Well I have to go back to that question whether I ever regretted doing this part!~laughs~ No, I’m totally kidding.

Q: What projects did you do while on break from True Blood?

Sam: I did a movie called “The Details” over the break. It’s a really cool script. It’s this independent kind of dark comedy that Toby McGuire and Laura Linny star in and Elizabeth Banks, too. It’s a really good script, it’s really good. I have a part in that so check that out. It will come out next year some time.

Q: God bless the man who made those jeans because I’d wear him like a scrunchy…

Sam: I forget who I was talking to last night. The woman who gave that line, that was an improvised line. And she’s kind of a comedian and they were just totally ripping and they were so funny. They were saying the funniest stuff.

Q: I still laugh at that

Sam: I know you’re laughing now ~laughs~ I know! And she said a lot of other pretty racy stuff that didn’t make it. I wish I could remember what it was.

Q: You could have been stranded on the island with Eric…he could have flown you off the island.

Sam: He could have flown me off the island; I knew there was a better answer, like someone who could cook.

Q: I was wondering is there any chance that you’ll do another play on Broadway?

Sam: Oh, yeah, I would do another play on Broadway for sure. The last play I did I think was 3 years ago. Yeah, I would love to do another play.

Sam: Do I go to New York City? Yes in fact I flew in from New York. I was their visiting friends and seeing some plays. I love New York and I love the theatre and for sure I am definitely going to do another play.

Q: What’s your favorite line?

Sam: What’s my favorite line? That I have said in the show? Oh gosh that’s a tough question, geez I can’t even remember. Like I forget all of my lines once I do them. What are some good lines that I’ve had?

Q: “Smite me, Motherfucker!!!!”

Sam: Oh….”Smite me, Mother Fucker!” So that’s my answer, you gave me my answer.

Yeah “Smite me, motherfucker!” that was a crazy scene. That scene, I swear when we saw that written we were like this is ridiculous…totally ridiculous! But it turned out pretty good I think. People are definitely into it.

Q: HBO has disappointed us with Carnival and Deadwood. I know you can’t predict but how long do you think True Blood is going to go?

Sam: First of all I can’t even tell you how grateful and psyched we all are that we didn’t end as quickly as Deadwood and Carnival and the surf show. But anyway, to answer your question, how long? I know that Alan Ball is having the best time of his life doing this show, he’s said. He loves doing it. He wants to keep doing it. We all want to keep doing it. Charlaine keeps writing books so hopefully we’re going to go on and on. And I know HBO’s psyched so hopefully we’re going to go on. It just depends on whether people are watching it. But if you all keep watching it and telling your friends to watch it, it could go for a while. I think there’s a lot of stuff to explore. There’s so many, it just kind of seems endless, like the different relationships and supernatural creatures and that world is so rich. I think we can explore that world for a while.

Q: I know you mentioned something about how you landed the show and so forth. I know sometimes the actors they audition for different parts in the show. Did you only audition for Sam’s part or different parts?

Sam: I did. I just auditioned for Sam. Yes that was the one.

Q: You also mention traveling through different countries and stuff; I am originally from Brazil so I was wondering if you plan on doing travels throughout the world?

Sam: I hope so. I just went to Paris. I would hope so because I love to travel. It’s funny because I was just tripping out the other day because I was in New York and I was in a restaurant and these two women from Brazil came and asked me for my autograph! They were really pretty, too. And that was one of the only times that people have come to me in a restaurant and asked for an autograph. But just the fact that they were from Brazil and knew me from watching the show in Brazil… just freaked me out.

Q: Everyone asks about your relationship with your human co-workers. I was wondering about your relationship with your little furry friend on the show? If you’re a dog lover?

Sam: I’m a total dog lover. I’m definitely a dog lover. I grew up with dogs. I love dogs. The dogs on our show are great. They’re not the smartest dogs. The one who I had to work with is actually a little bit brighter. They’re sweet dogs, they’re just not… Working with dogs is tough. Working with animals and kids is always very tough, like little kids. But they’re sweet. There are two of them. It’s like Dusty and Rusty or something like that.

Because they get tired you work with one for a while, and then you have to work with the other. But they have all kinds of tricks. They’ll hide treats in my hand when I’m trying to talk to them but inevitably you have to edit the scene and cut around it because they just don’t get it. They don’t get that they’re on “True Blood“. It’s like, “Come on, be serious!” ~laughs~

Q: I know that you have read all the books.

Sam: I’ve read four of the books.

Q: Do you plan on reading more or are you just going to stop because it’s so different?

Sam: I think I’m going to stop for a while. I wanted to read them because I wanted to make sure that Sam wasn’t like a crazy transvestite. And thought “Oh well, there we go.” But I kind of want to be surprised now. I’m always asking my friends who read the books if I’m still alive because still alive is good! But I’m probably going to take a break from them for a little bit. But I am sure I will ultimately read all of them, just for fun.

Q: Are there any practical jokers on the set and can you tell us about some of the jokes made behind the scenes?

Sam: Oh God, well I know Ryan has this whole thing with our cameraman, and they’re always doing stuff to each other. I think one of them filled the other’s car with little Styrofoam snakes, like the whole car! Which is pretty crazy and they have a lot of that kind of stuff going on.

Q: If it were your preference, what would you prefer to turn into?

Sam: That’s a good question. Well dogs are good; the bird is good because you can fly. The thing that I haven’t done yet is water, under water. Like a deep-sea fish or something. I don’t know. It would be good to be able to breath under water.

Q: Do you belong to any charities?

Sam: There’s a group called Oceania that I’m involved with that protects the ecological integrity of beaches and oceans and also Surf Rider, which also does the same thing. So those two organizations I’m involved with. But I am very into preserving the environment. That’s kind of my big thing

Sam: Next Question, yes, Team Sam…

Q: Long board or short board?

Sam: Mostly short board right now but I always have a long board available for when the waves are smaller.

Q: I have two questions. Do you have a MySpace or a Facebook where you keep in contact with your fans?

Sam: I don’t but I’ve been trying to get something like that going. So I’m not on Facebook or MySpace yet but we’re working on that.

Q: What about Twitter?

Sam: Twitter I haven’t done. Should I do Twitter?

Audience: Yes!

Sam: Because I don’t know how to do that, I’ve thought about doing that. And you just type “I’m hanging out at the thing, I’m on stage right now”, is that what you do? You just tell people where you are? Is it good, would you guys follow it if I did it???

Audience: Yeah!

Sam: Maybe I’ll do Twitter because it seems like the most available. Wait a minute, she has another question.

Q: You were talking about how two fans from Brazil came up and asked you for an autograph, is there a weird question that a fan has asked you?

Sam: Is there a weird question that a fan has asked me? You know, not so much. I mean there’s always a question of what I want to turn into. I mean, that’s not that weird. No, not so much. I need to make up an answer for that question because that’s just a boring answer isn’t it. No, not really ~laughs~

Q: In the last episode you turned into a bull and a lot of the sites in the blogs they wanted to know how did you turn into a bull because you had to imprint it, like, see it. Isn’t that correct? So a lot of people were writing to us and said that they were like, “How did he turn into a bull?”

Sam: So the question is, “How did I turn into a bull if the bull wasn’t there and I couldn’t map my genes off it?” Well the answer to that is that I think the way they wrote the story that there was a bull there. What happened was Bill brought the bull. When he came and he said he had that idea for me in the bar, he had gotten a bull. So actually, maybe, they didn’t make that clear enough in the episode. Did they not do that? Because that was the idea behind it.

Q: It just seemed like….

Sam: Because he said, “I have an idea.” I said, “Well I’m not really interested in it.” and he said, “You better!” and I’m like, “Alright! Don’t bite me!” So, yes that’s what happened. He brought a bull and then the idea was to let me die almost and then give me his blood. That would hurt. Like I really sacrificed myself. I feel like I really sacrificed. But that was the whole idea so that’s a bummer that it didn’t get across.

Q: How did you prepare to express that feeling of dying because you really looked scared and how do you prepare for something like that?

Sam: Well, you know, gosh. Because I did a Dexter where I got killed and that was such a horrifying situation. You know what I did, I got this video tape. Have you ever heard of “Faces of Death?” Terrible, terrible! I think some of it is fake but they show real people dying sometimes and that’s always been like a taboo thing for me. I don’t want to see that. It’s horrible. I don’t know why that exists. But I thought if I could watch some of that… for the Dexter role. So that’s what I did. So I could have that kind of horror when seeing him. Now with “True Blood,” I kind of pulled on a little bit of that for the scene where they struck me through the heart and then a lot of it is just instinct. Like when you’re a kid playing cowboys and Indians, just pretending. What would that take? Would it take the energy out of you? Or would it be really painful first. Then some of it’s just pretend, just playing pretend.

Q: Will it always be so long between seasons and any chance for a movie?

Sam: Interesting. You know why it’s so long between seasons? It’s because we only do 12 episodes, so it’s only three months of a great life of “True Blood” and then a terrible life 9 months without. And it is it’s always going to be 9 months because we have to have time to shoot it. I know it’s a bummer, I wish we shot more. I kind of wish we shot more maybe. And then a movie… maybe if we do it forever then it would be kind of cool.

Q: Two words for you Sam, “Nice balls”

Sam: ~Laughs Wow I’ll take that, I’ll take it. I don’t know where you got that but I’ll take it! Was that in the episode????

Q: Yes

Sam: Oh! I forgot that, “Nice rack” to you! That’s right I totally forgot about that. That’s a good answer for my favorite line, too.

Q: Congratulations on the Scream awards. Is it weird having the same name as your character?

Sam: Not really, it’s kind of easier; in a way it kind of does make me feel closer to the character unconsciously. So it’s kind of good and it’s easy for everybody.

Q: Do you ever read a script for an episode where you’re like, “Can we really do that?”

Sam: Yeah. Like every episode, every week. I’m thinking “Are people really going to be coming at us like “Dawn of the Dead”? You know, originally for that scene they had me burning down the bar – burning down half the bar to get all the people out. And then they would have to rebuild it but they were like, “We can’t do that, that’s too much work”. So then they changed it.

Q: Beyond True Blood is there any role you would like to play?

Sam: Gosh you know as far as plays go, I would love to do Checov or Gibson, those two Russian dudes, I would like to do that on stage. I would probably do any super hero.

Q: Aqua man?

Sam: Aqua man, yes….

Q: I was wondering if you could do a good Bill Compton impression?

Sam: Do Bill Compton? ~laughs~ “Sookie…where have you been Sookie…I want you Sookie.”

MC: As much as I worship you on Sunday nights I hate to tell you I have to cut it off .

Sam: Awwwww I hate being this person…you’re the bad guy…

MC: I’m Mary Ann

Sam: You gonna rock us out later? [MC was lead singer in the band]

MC: Yes. Give it up for Sam!!!!!!

TrueBloodNet.com wants to thank Sam for helping us fill in some blanks and Cyrenna for the tedious work of transcription and Kenny for making all this happen!

Transcription credit: Cyrenna
(Photo credit: Kasandra Rose)

VIDEO: True Blood’s Terry Bellefleur at EyeCon ‘09

Back at EyeCon in November, Todd Lowe took the time to chat with Allison Walker for Central Florida on Demand.

The interview started with Allison introducing Todd and asks about his character, Terry Bellefleur.

Todd responded that in the books, Terry is a Vietnam vet, but for the sake of True Blood, that was updated so Terry is now a veteran of the war in Iraq. Todd also said that Terry is having a really hard time dealing with knowing that he killed other people while at war.

Allison continued by asking Todd to leak information about Season 3 of True Blood. Unfortunately, that really didn’t help us at all. Todd was incredibly close-lipped about what’s coming up, except when it came to generalities. However, Todd did mention that he already had received the first two scripts by the time the interview was held, and that they were really good, and he was dying to tell someone about them, but that he isn’t allowed to share. (Anyone else dying of anticipation about how little we’ve been given in snippets?)

Apparently realizing that Todd couldn’t say much, Allison turned to a question about the Season 2 finale and Vampire Bill’s fate. Todd did answer that fans will learn very quickly of Bill’s fate, who has him, etc. in the first episode of Season 3.

Next, Allison asked Todd about the sexuality of vampires and True Blood. Todd was really cute when he answered this question. He somehow went from talking about all the new vampire movies and novels that are coming out to getting a little political and talking about how the administration of the previous eight years in the US may also have something to do with it. (I’m not going to directly quote Todd here, as I really don’t want to offend anyone. I’ll just say that I can easily agree with his point.) After that comment, Todd quickly backtracked to less heavy comments and mentioned that women in particular love vampires.

Allison continued by asking about what Todd had seen in Florida since he arrived there, and Todd responded by talking about some place where you can go play Put Put Golf with live alligators (a place I’m sure I’d happily stay away from if I ever went to Florida myself). Todd said he wanted to go back and actually play a round of Put Put Golf with the alligators. Allison also asked what else Todd had done since he arrived in Florida, and Todd mentioned that he has a brother who lives in the Palm Bay area, so he was going to visit him. Todd seemed pretty excited about seeing his family.

Interviewer Allison liked to jump around in the interview questions. Her next one was about the metaphors on True Blood. Todd took the stance that it seems the entire cast does about vampires and who they stand for. Specifically, Todd said that vampires can stand for any minority, and people can put their own layers on top of the vampires portrayed on True Blood, and that’s part of why True Blood is so successful.

Allison then asked for Todd’s thoughts on his first ever True Blood convention, and Todd talked about how much fun he was having meeting the fans, that he’ll answer any question he’s allowed to (so that meant no Season 3 questions). Todd also talked about how happy he was with the scripts that he’d been given at the time.

Todd said that the cast would start filming Season 3 of True Blood on December 3, and that True Blood is a summer show, so no matter how hard we fans beg HBO, we’re always going to get True Blood during the summer.

Finally, Allison asked Todd about why he thought Season 2 of True Blood did so much better (in terms of ratings) than Season 1 did. Todd said he had no idea, and actually said that he’s a bigger fan of Season 1 than Season 2! (Yay! I’m not alone in preferring Season 1!) Of course, Todd did give Season 2 some much deserved praise about how he had more work in Season 2 as well as the Maryann storyline, which then became a little story about how everyone had to wear those black contacts, and many of the actors got stys in their eyes from wearing them for so long (usually about 9 to 10 hours a day). Todd then got back to the question, and basically repeated himself when he said he really had no idea why Season 2 did so much better than Season 1 in ratings. (My suspicion is that it had to do with people who watched Season 1 telling all their friends about it, so those friends tuned in to Season 2. After all, I’m positive I’m not the only person who talked about the show to their friends!)

Allison’s final question/comment was about how Todd had just woken up for the day (it was past 2 o’clock), and why was Todd waking up so late? Todd made the question into a joke about how he was a vampire and how he’d seen the sun rise so he’d rushed to bed. Got to love a guy who is as quick on his feet as Todd is!

All in all, this was a really cute interview and it was great to see Todd’s sense of humor. He seems to be the type of guy a lot of us could hang out and laugh with!

Many thanks to Michi for putting the video up on Youtube!

SOURCE: Central Florida on Demand

(Photo credit: HBO Inc.)

VIDEO: Interview with Allan Hyde at EyeCon

Allan Hyde, a Danish actor who plays Godric in Season 2 of True Blood, gives us his insights into his character Godric, who’s a two-thousand-year-old vampire and Eric Northman’s (Alexander Skarsgard) maker.

During the interview, Allan Hyde conveys his delight on working in Season 2 of True Blood:

“I just came on in the Second Season [...] I thought the second season was amazing [...] the stuff I liked was [...] the different storylines branching out [...] you got to see different sides of [characters].”

On Godric’s accent, Allan Hyde explains,

“The role of Godric [...] he’s supposed to be two thousand years old [...] he’s been all over [...] he probably speaks a dozen different languages, if not more [...] his accent [...] you can’t really trace it back to somewhere and also it’s [...] a hybrid form [...]”

When asked about his character Godric in Season 3, Allan indicated that he’s excited about reading the scripts for Season 3, but when asked about spoilers, he said,

“I think they already did leak it a little bit [...] I don’t know what it’s going to be but I know that I’m going back for a flashback [...] or flashbacks.”

Allan explains how he draws on his youthful experiences in portraying Godric,

“I had a point in my life where I was young and I had a problem with authority. It wasn’t a big thing [...] and I was really, really bad and [...] I made life really miserable for a couple of people back then and I really regret it. [...] and that was what I applied to the character of Godric [...] I had one day where [I had] kind of like an epiphany [...] I just realized [...] that this was all wrong [...] and I took that [...] and applied it to the Godric character [...]”

Fans of True Blood might like to know that as of this week, Alan Ball and the True Blood cast are back in the studios filming Season 3 of True Blood.

Many thanks to Michi for putting the video up on Youtube!

SOURCE: Central Florida On Demand

Picture credit: HBO Inc.

A Bat’s Eye View of Eyecon!

A couple of the fans who won tickets from TrueBloodNet.com agreed to write up their experience at the convention.  We’re so glad they had a good time and agreed to share their experiences with us!  Thank you Beatrice and Sharon!
Their Eyecon Story:

Our journey began when I came across the TrueBloodNet.com contest. I wanted to win so badly I could taste it. All I had to do was state the question I would ask the cast if I had the opportunity. My question was “What character on the show would you most want your character to do bad things with?” I checked my email several days later after accepting defeat, and lo “ I was a winner”! I jumped up, grabbed the phone at 12:30 am and called my friend Sharon, and told her we won. Oh, but that was just the tip of the ice burg. Reality set in. We had to figure out transportation and lodging on a budget that was so small it was almost invisible. I broke the news to my husband and he broke the news to me that he had Guards the same weekend. Crap now I had to find someone to help out with the kids too! Ok, I called the campground that I have a membership with and asked if they had any openings. After the representative was done laughing she sounded surprised that she actually had exactly the days we needed. Sharon and I pawned the kids off on different friends and family. Things were starting to fall into place.

Thursday night we got a late start and it was pouring down rain .The kids and husbands were fairly easy to pry off however the family dog had to be bribed with a biscuit to move away from the magical vacation door. We jumped in the car making sure our families didn’t go on recon missions to bring us back. We drove from New Jersey through seven states, torrential rain storms and a set of wiper blades going nonstop, with no sleep.

Eighteen hours later we were in Florida driving around in circles. After threatening the Evil GPS and all its components we found our way to the campground. We pitched the tent took a well-deserved shower and ventured out to the Conference center. We registered at the Eyecon convention and were recruited to donate blood. Because they rarely allow us out of the state of New Jersey and we are women on a True Blood mission we saw fit to have more fun giving blood than anyone has the right to. By the time we were done we each had a T-shirt, extra cookies and juice. Now were talking, breakfast and lunch! I can guarantee the vamps there [red cross] will never forget our names.

Our next stop was the vendor room. Our first table was for the Choroideremia Foundation, which Deborah Ann Woll supports. It raises money for research on this degenerative genetic eye disease that causes irreversible blindness. I bought raffle tickets, not thinking I would win but feeling good that I was donating to a good cause. To my surprise I did win one of the prizes, a T shirt!  There were only a few more tables to visit and we left the convention feeling a little disappointed that there weren’t more vendors.

After an evening of fighting a GPS for directions and a demon possessed flashlight that kept blowing bulbs and leaving us in the dark, we devoured our cookies and juice and called it a night.

On Saturday there were quite a few more people at the Eyecon convention but not enough that it was overcrowded. This was great! We talked with members of the band Nova Echo and got an autograph and pictures. Next we moved on to the Q & A’s. The first one was with Sam Trammell. Yes, I asked my winning question. Sam turned red and laughed but never really answered the question saying he would get in trouble. This question had the same effect on Todd Lowe, however he answered saying Arlene. The autograph sessions were great we were actually able to talk directly to the stars. Sam couldn’t believe my last name was truly Blood and I pulled out my license to prove it. After the autographs we once again fought the demon GPS back to our campsite, had Chinese food and relaxed. About 7:30pm we started getting ready to go to the Fangbangers Ball. We got to the Conference center about 45 minutes before the ball so we went to the Nova Echo concert and sat in the back realizing most of the people were not in costume yet. (Talk about awkward). The music was good and not that many people showed up. It was to our surprise that Todd Lowe sang two songs with the band and then we looked to our left and right next to us stood Allan Hyde, Ashley Jones and Sam Trammell. Can you say “We’re in Heaven!!” We did not bother them; we continued to watch the concert and smile. We went to purchase one of Todd’s CD and he autographed it and took a picture with us and then Sam, Allan and Ashley took one with us too. It was AWESOME!

Although we had fun at the Fangbanger’s Ball, it was not the same as the advertising of the event. The description in the advertising left one with the expectations of seeing Fangtasia or a representation there of. This ballroom fell a little short. On the upside it wasn’t overcrowded and one could stop and talk to the star of their choice. But I’m still wondering if the judging of the costumes happened or not [Editor's Note: It didn't, disappointing yours truly as well who went as an incompetent shifter].

Leaving the Ball at 1:00am, we popped in Todd’s CD, let’s just say: not for kids or the faint of heart. However, we found it twisted and entertaining.

Sunday, the last day for the Eyecon Convention and the final Q & A’s, with Ashley, Nelsan, and Allan. While Ashley was entertaining, Allan was genuinely sweet and innocent and opened up sharing many personal stories. But it was Nelsan who took the show. He was funny and almost fearless in his answers and stories about other cast members. He answered my question, but only after first trying to get clarity about “bad things”. Sharon and I both said “use your imagination”. Nelsan’s answer was he wanted to do bad [criminal] things with Eric and nasty things with Anna, also mentioning Stephen Moyer did good by her. On a more serious note he discussed his sister’s death and domestic abuse. All the stars were down to earth , humorous and pleasant to be around. After the Q & A’s we attended another autograph session where we met up with Kasandra from TrueBloodNet.com and thanked her. Overall, we had a wonderful once in a lifetime adventure. Now it was time to drive 18 hours and seven states home. Thanks again to the TrueBloodNet.com fairies [Editor's Note: We're shifters not fairies!] for sprinkling a little magic in our otherwise ordinary lives.

~ Beatrice Blood

~ Sharon DeHainaut

We at TrueBloodNet.com are thrilled that you got to go and had a good time.  You were very inventive and fun!  Wish we’d met up earlier!

Fans Mingle with Stars and Give Blood During EyeCon’s True Blood Convention

During the EyeCon True Blood Convention in Orlando last weekend, Central Florida News Channel 13 caught up with the stars in attendance, including Todd Lowe (Terry Bellefleur), Ashley Jones (Daphne), Allan Hyde (Godric), Nelsan Ellis (Lafayette Reynolds) and Sam Trammell (Sam Merlotte).

No Season 3 secrets were shared with the newscast, though Ashley caught herself nearly giving away something that happens to Lafayette, saying, “He’s gonna get…a lot’s gonna happen to Lafayette.”  Todd also was careful about the next season, telling interviewers:

I’m incredibly tight-lipped. I can tell you I got the first two scripts just before I came here to Orlando and I poured through them veraciously. They’re great and I’m dying to tell someone.

Lucky fans who attended the convention had the chance to talk to their favorite actors with photo ops, panel discussions, a buffet banquet, and Masquerade Ball. A blood drive was held during the convention as well at Florida’s Blood Centers.

Click here to be taken to Channel New 13 for an exclusive video about the event.

SOURCE: Central Florida News 13

(Photo Credit: Central Florida News 13)

VIDEOS: Nelsan Ellis Q & A at the EyeCon True Blood Convention

The following is a series of videos taken by a True Blood fan named TammyDevil666 on YouTube at Nelsan Ellis’ question and answer session during the EyeCon True Blood Convention that was held from November 13 -15, 2009 in Orlando, Florida.  In the videos Nelsan discusses how much his life has changed since being on True Blood and the some of the scenes from the show. Thank you so much TammyDevil666 for the videos so all those True Blood fans who could not attend can take in a little bit of the convention. Enjoy!

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

VIDEOS: Allan Hyde Q & A at the EyeCon True Blood Convention

The following are two videos taken by a True Blood fan named Belenski28 on YouTube at Allan Hyde’s (Godric) question and answer session during the EyeCon True Blood Convention being held this weekend, November 13 -15, 2009 in Orlando, Florida.  In the videos Allan discusses his experience shooting True Blood and his role of Godric.  Thank you so much Belenski28 for the videos so all those True Blood fans who could not attend can take in a little bit of the convention and Allan. Enjoy!

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)

VIDEOS: Ashley Jones Q & A at the EyeCon True Blood Convention

The following is a series of videos taken by a True Blood fan named TammyDevil666 on YouTube at Ashley Jones‘ question and answer session during the EyeCon True Blood Convention being held this weekend, November 13 -15, 2009 in Orlando, Florida.  In the videos Ashley discusses her experience filming some of the various scenes. Thank you so much TammyDevil666 for the videos so all those True Blood fans who could not attend can take in a little bit of the convention. Enjoy!

VIDEOS: Todd Lowe Q & A at the EyeCon True Blood Convention

The following is a series of videos taken by a True Blood fan named TammyDevil666 on YouTube at Todd Lowe’s question and answer session during the EyeCon True Blood Convention being held this weekend, November 13 -15, 2009 in Orlando, Florida.  In the videos Todd discusses some of the spoilers that have come out regarding his character for season 3 so we will have to wait and see how that is going to play out. Thank you so much TammyDevil666 for the videos so all those True Blood fans who could not attend can take in a little bit of the convention. Enjoy!

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