The cast of True Blood appeared at the PaleyFest on Monday, April 13, 2009 at the Arclight Hollywood Cinerama Dome and Laura Saltman from Access Hollywood “Dish of Salt” had the opportunity to speak with Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Ryan Kwanten and the rest of the cast members who revealed secrets about the upcoming 2nd season of the hit HBO series, True Blood. To watch the video interviews click the link here.
SOURCE: AccessHollywood.com
Matt Fowler from IGN.com had the opportunity to interview the men of True Blood during the True Blood PaleyFest’09 panel discussion held at the Arclight Hollywood Cinerama Dome on Monday, April 13, 2009. Many thanks to Mr. Fowler for giving TrueBloodNet.com permission to post his interview in its entirety here for you. The following report has several season 2 spoilers so do not read any further if you do not want to be spoiled.
April 14, 2009 – Waiting in the press line at The Paley Festival’s True Blood night, one could still see the line of fans outside the interview tent. They were a mix of local hardcore fans and people from all over the world who had flown in to see the stars of their favorite bawdy vampire soap – and most of them had been waiting there since the morning.
I got a chance to have some few choice words with some of the featured players on the show. Nelsan Ellis, who played the fan favorite character of Lafayette, in Season 1, was in attendance. There are a ton of people that hope that one of the ways that the writers of the show will deviate from the books is by keeping his character alive – even though the last scene in Season 1 played out just like it did in the first book, with the discovery of his dead body. Still, he was there so I decided to ask him what his, hands down, favorite scene was as Lafayette. “AIDS burger. I loved loved loved that scene,” Said Ellis. “We did five takes and for all five I just loved doing it. You know, it’s always fun to beat someone’s ass.”
Up next was one of the stand outs of Season 1, despite his small amount of screen time, Alexander Skarsgard (a name that’s hard to say out loud without the female fans squealing with glee). Skarsgard plays Eric, the Nordic hunk of a Vampire leader, who gets to boss the character of Bill around. For fans of the Charlaine Harris books, Eric winds up becoming a way more interesting enticing character than Bill. It’s clear that that design might not hold up on the TV show however. How does Skarsgard feel about being on a show like True Blood? “It’s a lot of fun,” said Skarsgard. “It’s a tremendous character to play, and it’s also kind of scary, because when you’re on stage or shooting a movie you have the whole arc. You see the beginning, the middle and the end of the character so you know where you’re going. On a TV show, I don’t know what we’ll be shooting two weeks from now. It’s kind of scary, but it’s also very exciting.”
As Season 2 plays out, there are rumors that Skarsgard’s Eric might make a play for Sookie herself. “I just think that, in general, he’s not very interested in humans,” Skarsgard smiled. “In the beginning of this, it’s a very professional relationship. He’s an entrepreneur. He’s a business man. He thinks “alright, I can use this girl.” But as it goes on then…you know, of course he’s interested. There’s something about this girl. There’s something kind of intriguing about her. And, to tell you the truth, I don’t know where it’s going to take us. I don’t know what Alan and the other writers are up to.”
Next up was the very prim, polite and Australian Ryan Kwanten, who is absolutely nothing like the character of Jason Stackhouse that he plays. This is being said, of course, to the actor’s credit as a thespian. How did Kwanten go about making such a flawed character into someone actually lovable?
“That was sort of a concern for me that there people might not see any redeeming qualities in him at all,” said Kwanten. “I felt that it was important that I give him a certain vulnerability. So that even when he is, you know, backhanding Sookie or letting his nether regions lead him astray and into bad situations, there’s always a truth behind him. Everyone, in some bizarre shape or form, knows someone like him.”
Coming up in Season 2, Jason will actually be off on his own, in his own story with the Fellowship of the Sun. Was it hard for Kwanten to not be acting with the regular cast he’d grown accustomed to? “Because we sort of bonded so strongly in the first season, it was a little sad to leave them – consistently now,” remarked Kwanten. “It was also nice to know that the writer’s trust me enough to sort of have my own little side storyline going on.”
Next we got to talk to the very English Stephen Moyer, who plays Brooding Bill Compton. It might be interesting to see a ladies “cheer off” between Moyer and Skarsgard one, day. And then again, it might not. Skarsgard might have a bit of an international advantage, but there were a ton of ladies in the crowd wearing “Bill Sired Me” shirts – which is something I shared with Moyer in order to make him blush. What’s in store for Bill in Season 2? “We’ve already got three characters that aren’t really in the books,” Moyer revealed. “And I’m not even talking about Jessica. We go back again, as we did in the first season, and see a bit of Bill in the past. We pursue the Dallas element of the book, but there’s also a lot of other stuff going on. Crazy other stuff.”
Did Moyer think that the show was going to be such a sensation? “One always hopes, you know,” laughed Moyer. “When I read this I though “this was the one.” When I read it, I was in England at the time, and I wasn’t ready to head back to America for a job at that time. But then I read it and had to come. It was so amazing. I personally am not surprised, because I think it’s incredible.”
And finally, I had a chance to talk to Sam Trammell, who plays, well…Sam. I asked him a few questions with regards to how the series was going to treat Bill, since in the book series Bill kind of gets sidelined a bit and Sam almost takes off as the one to root for. “I think they’re jimmying it a little bit and that Bill is going to be more of a character than he is in the books,” said Trammell. “Alan tries to respect the books as well as he can, but I know that those two are a great element on the show and they play off well with one another to a great degree. I think Bill is going to be around more on the show than what happens to him in the books. He’ll be more present.”
What was Sam‘s favorite moment coming out of Season 1? “There was that fun and poignant moment at the end, when Sam got to see Maryanne,” said Trammell. “Just because it was so titillating and intriguing. There’s so much great stuff to mine with Sam because Sam was abandoned when he was a very young guy and there’s a bunch of questions. How did he become who he is? How did he get all that money? How did he start Merlotte’s? Where was he that whole time? He’s a shapeshifter, so what has he done to survive, leading such a hard life as a kid to an adult. There is a lot of good stuff that we bring out in the second season. That’s really fun. It’s fun to read and see what they come up with.”
SOURCE: IGN.com: True Blood Cast Q & A
(Photo credit: Kevin Parry/The Paley Center for Media)
Matt Fowler from IGN.com had the opportunity to attend the True Blood PaleyFest’09 panel discussion held at the Arclight Hollywood Cinerama Dome on Monday, April 13, 2009 and presents in his article what transpired during the evening. Mr. Fowler describes in his report the questions and answers that were presented and information regarding season 2. Now if you do not want to know anything about season 2 do not read any further. Many thanks to Mr. Fowler for giving TrueBloodNet.com permission to post his article in its entirety here for you.
April 14, 2009 – The Los Angeles branch of the Paley Center for Media is currently conducting their annual William S. Paley Television Festival, AKA Paley Fest. This two-week event spotlights a group of noteworthy television series and television luminaries, with each night devoted to a different show or person. Be sure to check out the rest of IGN TV‘s coverage of Paley Fest 2009.
I was given the chance to attend True Blood night at the annual Paley Fest and I’ve got some quotes and reveals for all of you about the much anticipated Season 2. If you’re someone who doesn’t want to know anything about anything with regards to the upcoming second season of True Blood, which will kick off on June 14th, then read no further…
During the Q & A panel, series Creator Alan Ball (Six Feet Under) told the story of how he first came across the Charlaine Harris book series. He was waiting around for a dentist appointment, and had about 20 minutes to kill when the first novel, Dead Until Dark, caught his eye. He was hooked from the beginning. He then said that he went through to following books in the series “like crack.” “This wasn’t a book I would normally read, but I couldn’t put them down,” Ball confessed. Ball has a strong desire to stay true to Harris’ vision and spirit, but also added that it was important to flesh out the supporting characters from the book, and add extra stories in order to transform it into a viable TV series. The books are only told from Sookie Stackhouse‘s (Anna Paquin) perspective, so there was some work to be done. One of the big changes was adding in the character of Tara, who doesn’t even appear until Book 2, as a main character in Season 1.
“There are some things from the books that aren’t going to make it onto the screen,” said Ball, “but there will also be things not from the books that are on the show that when you see them, your jaws will be on the floor.” Heading into Season 2, we’re also going to be experiencing the character of Maryanne (Battlestar’s Michelle Forbes), the mysterious and seemingly generous “naked with a pig” lady, even more. Without giving too much away, Ball stated that “she is trouble. She’s more trouble than anyone ever thought she’d be.” He also seemed to relish in the fact that her character “celebrates chaos and destruction” and will somehow play a part in “opening up a doorway to hell for everyone to get sucked into.”
What else do we know about Season 2? Well, as they did with Season 1, the writers will somewhat follow the corresponding Harris novel – this time around being book 2, Living Dead in Dallas. We know that it will incorporate a ton of the book, but also leave out some stuff in order to provide more of an overall story for each of the characters. Sookie and Bill (Stephen Moyer) are heading down to Dallas at the behest of their Vampire Sherriff, Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) to help a vampire named Stan (Ed Quinn) find a missing bloodsucker. The rest of the characters will stay back home and deal with new hellacious creatures of the night. Werewolves perhaps? Sookie‘s brother Jason (Ryan Kwanten) will have a separate story from the rest of them, at least for the first six episodes or so. His character has joined up with the anti-vampire church, The Fellowship of the Sun, which is sort of a story that’s downplayed a bit in the book itself. Eventually, after their dealings in Dallas, Sookie returns back home and will find everything turned upside down and in a state of ruin and it will piss her off, leading her to try and set things straight. The cast is busy filming episode 7 at the moment, and Ball himself said that he will be writing episode 11.
During the Q & A, the entire cast seems to express their love for their job and their roles. Carrie Preston loved how her character Arlene always speaks her mind. Rutina Wesley, for whom this is her first real acting gig, loves Tara‘s loyalty and good nature. Alexander Skarsgard says that he thinks Eric is a “sweetheart” to those he’s friends with, but that he’s just not friends with many people. Sam Trammell, who plays Sam on the show, admitted that his least favorite scene to shoot was the “running naked through the woods” scene. “It’s tough to watch yourself naked. But running? That’s tough to watch,” laughed Trammel. “And it was tough to do because I was running naked in beige colored jazz shoes.”
Paquin herself loved the scene when Sam wakes up naked on Sookie‘s bed, and the whole “shapeshifter” story. She also made a joking reference to the men’s “sock,” or “sack of destiny” as they refer to it on the set – which is the cover-up apparatus that the men don when they’re in the buff. She also admitted to really loving getting the sh*t kicked out of her. Or being projectile vomited on by a vampire. Stephan Moyer really enjoyed the history behind Bill and the backstory that he got to shoot which took place during The Civil War. “As an English schoolboy, you don’t learn about The American Civil War. Or Independence Day. I never knew what that was for.”
Carrie Preston‘s husband, Lost’s Michael Emerson, was also in attendance, and I even got to hear him, on my way out, speaking to another gentlemen about his own desire to get a role on True Blood, possibly after Lost concludes. I would assume, since he has expressed his longing to be back home with his family in interviews, that he would love to share the screen with his wife.
We were all shown a scene from Season 2, which I will do my best to describe to you here. Again, if you don’t want anything spoiled for you, then don’t read the specifics that I get into here about the clip.
The scene opens with Bill driving frantically down the road at night. Sookie, in the passenger seat, tells him to slow down. Jessica is curled up in the backseat, crying tears of blood. Bill is furious.
Apparently Sookie had taken Jessica back to see her family, but it was against Bill‘s wishes. She’s a vampire now and she’s not supposed to see her old family. Bill is angry and tells Sookie that she undermined his authority as her maker.
Sookie tells Bill to stop the car, because she’s had it with him. She gets out and walks off down the road. Bill calls after her, but then gets back in the car. Jessica tells Bill that Sookie wants him to go after her, and kiss her. Bill chooses not to, saying that Sookie will come back when she’s calmed down.
Sookie, walking in the woods at night, hears rustling. She thinks it might be Bill trying to scare her so she’ll go back to the car. It’s quite evident that it’s not Bill, it’s some other creature.
Sookie looks down a wooded path and sees, a giant monster, with curled horns. Almost like a bull’s horns. It chases her down, she screams. The monster, which still cannot be seen fully, slashes with his claws and takes a chunk out of Sookie‘s back, knocking her down. Bill senses that she’s in danger…
Again, True Blood‘s second season kicks off on HBO on June 14th.
SOURCE: IGN.com: Bloody Bites from True Blood Season 2
(Photo credit: Kevin Parry/The Paley Center for Media)
The cast of True Blood attended the PaleyFest’09 on Monday, April 13, 2009 at the Arclight Hollywood Cinerama Dome for a panel discussion and Q & A period with fans. Alan Ball and the rest of the cast discussed the show, their roles and gave fans little tidbits of what we can expect to see on the screen when True Blood returns on HBO for season 2 on Sunday, June 14, 2009. Here are a series of videos from the panel discussion, but please remember these are very amateur videos and may seem jumpy at times.
The True Blood panel discussion at the Paleyfest’09 was a sold out event packed with anxious fans to see and hear their favorite stars talk about True Blood and perhaps get a sneak peek into what we can expect to see for Season 2. The anticipation for the event has been building among fans for several weeks and as the final moments approached everyone who could not attended were on their twitter trying to get some details as to what was being discussed by the actors. Brian Ford Sullivan from The Futon Critic attended the event and presents on his blog a play-by-play of how the evening unfolded and some tidbits about season 2. To read his report please read his enlightening article here.
SOURCE: The Futon Critic
(Photo credit: HBO Inc.)
The cast of True Blood attended the Paleyfest’09 panel discussion on Monday, April 13, 2009 at the Arclight Hollywood Cinerama where they were greeted by their fans and sat down to discuss the show and aspects of their roles. Upon the cast’s arrival they were bombarded with countless photographers during the photo session to which we include several of the photos here. To see the full set of the True Blood cast arrival photos visit our gallery here. Through the next several days we will be adding photos to our gallery as our contributors send them in for us. So enjoy and don’t worry we will have more!
(Photo credit: iCelebZ.com/credit: Nikki Nelson/WENN.com)
True Blood‘s Ryan Kwanten and Sam Trammell attended TV Guide’s Sexiest Stars Party held at the Sunset Tower in Hollywood on March 24, 2009. True Blood‘s own Ryan Kwanten was listed on ET and TV Guide’s Magazine 10 Sexiest Men on TV List. It was a star-studded event with the other men and women from TV Guide’s list in attendance. If you want a recap of who the other actors are who made the list, visit our previous post with the list here. Here is a good photo of Ryan and Sam at the party and TV Guide’s “Teaser of the Sexiest Stars on TV” video.
SOURCE:
TVGuide Magazine.com
Queerty.com
(Photo credit: Lisa Rose)
The latest news about True Blood at the Paley Fest’09 is that the tickets to the True Blood panel discussion is sold out! This is a testament to how hugely successful and popular the series is and everyone who is fortunate to attend are ensured a wonderful opportunity to see and hear Alan Ball and the cast of True Blood. Other exciting news is the Paley Center for the Media has contacted us to inform everyone that the PaleyFest’08 Reunion Event with the cast and creative team of Buffy The Vampire Slayer is available for sale from the Paley Center Online Shop. The uncut, Paley Center-produced PaleyFest’08 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reunion DVD presents Joss Whedon, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, James Marsters, Seth Green, Michelle Trachtenberg. The PaleyFest’08 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reunion DVD is full of laughs and extras, including backstage video and photos from the show. To order this fantastic video and see a sneak peek at the trailer click the link here.
As a reminder the True Blood cast members that will be appearing at the Paley Fest’09 on Monday, April 13, 2009 at 7:00 pm PT at the Cinerama Dome at ArcLight will be:
To contact the Paley Center and order tickets for the other panel discussions participating in the Paley Fest’09 click here.
If you will be attending this event we are looking for guest writers or photographers to have their work featured on this site in a Special Editorial on True Blood at the PaleyFest09. If you are interested, please contact us at admin@truebloodnet.com for further information.
SOURCE: The Paley Center for Media
(Photo credit: HBO Inc.)
Update information on the True Blood panel list at the Paley Fest’09 has been posted on the Paley Center for Media website. The True Blood cast members that will be appearing at the Paley Fest’09 on Monday, April 13, 2009 at 7:00 pm PT at the Cinerama Dome at ArcLight Hollywood will include:
There are several different ticket packages available for the festival.
The Festival Pass
Guarantees one premium seat to all twelve evenings and three after-parties, plus many other benefits! To learn more about what is included in the Festaival pass and to purchase the ticket click the link here.
Premium Festival Packages Are On Sale Now!
Packages include two premium seats to four events and two invites to one after-party.
Package A: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, 90210, The Big Bang Theory, The Hills
Package B: Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Dollhouse, Battlestar Galactica/Caprica, Fringe
Package C: True Blood, The Mentalist, Desperate Housewives, Big Love—plus bonus evening, Swingtown!
To learn more about the Packages A, B, and C and to buy tickets click the link here.
Individual tickets sales to Paley Center Members begins February 26 and tickets to the general public will be made available March 1. Tickets often sell out to Members!
To become a member click the link here.
If you will be attending this event we are looking for guest writers or photographers to have their work featured on this site in a Special Editorial on True Blood at the PaleyFest09. If you are interested, please contact us at admin@truebloodnet.com for further information.
SOURCE: The Paley Center for Media
(Photo credit: HBO Inc.)
The True Blood cast will be appearing at the PaleyFest 09 on Monday, April 13, 2009 at 7:00 pm PT at the Cinerama Dome at ArcLight Hollywood. The cast to attend the panel discussion are:
Additional panelist may be announced later on.
There are several different ticket packages available for the festival.
The Festival Pass
Guarantees one premium seat to all twelve evenings and three after-parties, plus many other benefits! To learn more about what is included in the Festaival pass and to purchase the ticket click the link here.
Premium Festival Packages Are On Sale Now!
Packages include two premium seats to four events and two invites to one after-party.
Package A: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, 90210, The Big Bang Theory, The Hills
Package B: Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Dollhouse, Battlestar Galactica/Caprica, Fringe
Package C: True Blood, The Mentalist, Desperate Housewives, Big Love—plus bonus evening, Swingtown!
To learn more about the Packages A, B, and C and to buy tickets click the link here.
Individual tickets sales to Paley Center Members begins February 26 and tickets to the general public will be mad available March 1. Tickets often sell out to Members!
To become a member click the link here.
If you will be attending this event we are looking for guest writers or photographers to have their work featured on this site in a Special Editorial on True Blood at the PaleyFest09. If you are interested, please contact us at admin@truebloodnet.com for further information.
SOURCE: The Paley Center for Media
(Photo credit: HBO Inc.)
Several “True Blood” cast members have been busy with various projects or roles during their hiatus from “True Blood” before coming back to shoot Season 2. Alexander Skarsgard had the opportunity to be involved in several productions including lending his voice to the character Stefan in the Swedish SciFi animation “Metropia” and as well as starring in “Beyond the Pole” which is currently in post-production.
Ryan Kwanten had also been keeping himself busy by starring in a movie entitled “Don’t Fade Away” co-starring with Mischa Barton, Beau Bridges and Ja Rule. Ryan also is the voice of Soren in the Australian animated feature entitled “Guardians of Ga’Hoole” in which he co-stars with fellow Aussie Hugh Jackman and Hugo Weaving.
Golden Globe winner Anna Paquin seems to constantly have many projects on the go and her ability to find time to play these many roles during “True Blood’s” off-season is impressive. Just recently Anna finished filming the “Hallmark Hall of Fame” presentation in Latvia entitled “The Courageous Heat of Irena Sandler” which will be airing on CBS on April 19, 2009.
Nelsan Ellis recently was featured in the movie “The Express’ and will be seen in another upcoming movie “The Soloist’ co-starring Robert Downey Jr., Jamie Foxx and Stephen Root (Lafayette’s vampire blood donor). Kristen Bauer was involved in the movie “Subject: I Love You” which was filmed in Manila prior to starting her shoot on “True Blood” season 1 and it is currently in post-production.
Sam Trammell, Jim Parrack and Michael Raymond-James have been busy guest starring on various TV series before the start of season 2. Sam Trammell appeared as a guest star on “Medium” starring Patricia Arquette, Jim Parrack was able to take a different approach then his usual Hoyt character as a guest star on “Supernatural” and Michael Raymond-James played an absent and irresponsible father in a guest spot on “ER”.
SOURCE: IMDb.com
(Photo credit: HBO Inc.)
One of our readers informed us that on Monday, February 9, 2009 at 10pm (EST) Sam Trammell from “True Blood” will be making a guest appearance on “Medium” in an episode entitled, “Things to Do in Phoenix When You’re Dead”. We would like to give a very special thank you to Jewels for providing us with the information to share with other True Blood fans.
(Photo credit: HBO Inc)
True Blood’s Sam Trammell is interviewed on TV Water Cooler and discusses the differences between his character on Alan Ball’s hit TV Series “True Blood” and werewolves. He also talks about the shows tremendous success considering in its first year it was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best TV Drama. He also mentioned how the show tried to keep the audience guessing as to who the killer was by throwning in “red herrings.”
TV Guide interviews Sam Trammell plays the the role of Sam Merlotte who owns a bar in a small town called Bon Temps in Louisiana on Alan Ball’s hit TV series “True Blood”. Sam discusses the conflict that occurs on the show between his character and vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) who comes to town and catches the attention of a telepathic waitress, Sookie Stackhouse, (Anna Paquin) who works art the bar. In the interview Sam discusses the various plot lines that occur in the show without revealing to much.
(Photo credit: HBO Inc.)
The True Blood cast walked the red carpet at the 66th Golden Globe in Los Angeles on Sunday, January 11, 2009. In this video TV guide interviews Stephen Moyer, Ryan Kwanten and Sam Trammell talk about there work on True Blood and their experience on being at the Golden Globe. All three of the men looked spectacular in their suits. At one point the interviewer mentions that Ryan is a golden Globe virgin and he said that she was de-virginizing him. Stephen goes into detail about we may expect for Season 2.
(Photo credit: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)
Jarett Wieselman from The New York Post’s PopWrap spoke with Sam Trammell and discussed with him his experience working on Alan Ball’s hit HBO TV series “True Blood”. Sam answers the usually questions regarding how he got the part and how he prepared for the role. However, what I found interesting were Jarrett’s questions regarding the men of “True Blood” and they prepare for the filming of the various “revealing” scenes in the show. It is quite refreshing to hear since most shows focus on their female cast . To read Jarett Wieselman’s interview please click on the link below.
SOURCE: “True Blood” Star: ‘Sam Has A Whole Life Nobody Knows About!”
(Photo credit: HBO Inc.)