Let’s all raise a bottle of True Blood to Denis O’Hare, who plays the Vampire King of Mississippi Russell Edgington, on HBO‘s True Blood. Today is his 49th birthday. We can’t wait to see more of Denis in his next project, and we have thouroughly enjoyed his performances on True Blood!
From all of us here at TrueBloodNet.com – have a wonderful day Denis!
Image Credit: IMDb
Edited By: Taylor Usry aka LoveEric
To honour Halloween, TV Squad has announced the scariest TV monsters of all time. And it seems that True Blood’s King of Mississippi, Russell Edgington has rated rather well on the fright-o-meter. While the article lists only six, Russell, from Season three of True Blood, comes in at number four, ahead of Lost’s Smoke Monster and the mutants from the original V.
It appears that this newcomer to our small screens with his progressively scary newsreading abilities is enough to scare us in the middle of the night.
But while the catch phrase: “Now, it’s time for the weather, Tiffany,” will eat into our nightmares for quite some time, there were some monsters who were considered scarier than Russell.
Number three was the observers from Fringe, which was beaten by the emotionless child, Anthony Fremont from The Twilight Zone. Taking the top spot as scariest TV monster was the flukeman from The X Files.
So will True Blood be able to top the list next year?
Source: TV Squad – Scariest TV Monsters of All Time (That Actually Scare Us)
(Photo Credit: HBO Inc.)
He was wildly popular as the vampire King of Mississippi on HBO‘s True Blood. Now that the season is over, Denis O’Hare is making his way back to Broadway.
In a Broadway.com article, Denis was asked to compare the fans of True Blood with those of a Broadway production. He said it’s a toss-up.
“Broadway fans have to travel here to see their shows, so they have a level of commitment that’s more than just tuning in every week.”
However, with his successful TV stints, Denis is starting to hear such screams as, ‘Oh my God! You’re the King of Mississippi!’
Denis talked about the True Blood fan madness he encountered at Comic-Con in San Diego. While he was amazed at the attendance level of 130,000 people, it was his inter-galactic fans that surprised him – the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
But the question was asked about the return of Russell Edgington in Season 4 of True Blood. Although he was left buried ‘alive’ in concrete, the show’s creator, Alan Ball, doesn’t always keep characters dead and gone. Denis had this response:
“I love the show and really hope I’m back next year,” he said. “It’s a very good atmosphere.”
Guess we’ll have to wait for next season’s spoilers.
Source: Broadway.com
(photo credit – Broadway.com)
Denis O’Hare as Russell Edgington:As an actor, sometimes you watch a show and wish you had played one of the characters. For Denis O’Hare, that’s what he was thinking as a fan watching HBO‘s True Blood. He thought he could play the part of the magister, the one being played by his friend, Zeljko Ivanek. So of course Denis was ecstatic when his agent called and asked if he’d be interested in playing the vampire king of Mississippi, Russell Edgington.
Talking in an interview with Vulture, Denis explained his attraction to the hit TV show.
“It was about normal people in a part of the world that we don’t often see dramatized. They’re working-class people.” “So much of our TV viewing is upper-class or upper-middle-class. How can you relate to them? These people have basic problems, like how do I pay for my car insurance. I also liked the fact that there was this education about how the world works. How does it work when a vampire meets a human? What time do they actually have to go to bed?”
Getting accents right had Denis hiring a dialect coach to learn a correct, upper class Mississippi accent for the role. “I listened to Haley Barbour, a lot, the Mississippi governor.” Denis said he also learned a few Gaulish words – an ancient Celtic language – placing Russell‘s history “from about 5000 A.D to 1200 A.D. [I think Denis meant to say B.C.] in Charlemagne’s kingdon and the Frankish kingdom”.
Denis was surprised at having to take his character over the deep end. Although creator Alan Ball warned him, he didn’t see it coming. But when you have to pull a spine from a living human, well, you just can’t think your character is still sane! But in his mind, Russell is the hero, not the villain of the show.
“If you look at it from his point of view — if Eric, Sookie, and Bill are the villains — they do terrible things to him. They double-cross him, they lie to him, they use him. They kill his lover of 700 years. They take from him, then spurn his offerings. We always play the scenes straight-up. He’s desperate to believe he can have a friend in Bill. He truly decided that Eric was someone who thought like him and felt like him. He thought he’d found an ally. It’s incredibly hurtful.”
Well, okay.
Denis O’Hare’s Look at the Other Characters
When asked about any favorite scenes on the show, Denis mentioned Season 1 when Sookie‘s Gran (Lois Smith) had Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) speak about his experiences in the Civil War. It was a real historical person talking about events the audience only read about, that occurred 140 years ago.
When musing about the various True Blood characters he could have portrayed, did Denis ever picture himself as either Eric or Bill?
“No. They were all too sexy and too naked for me.”
Denis is such a fascinating person and absolutely perfect as Russell Edgington. He had more to say, so you must read the entire interview here. And as to how King Russell fares on the season finale, “anything is possible”.
Source: nymag.com – Entertainment, The Vampire King
(photo credit – Walter McBride /crisperanto.org)
It’s become general consensus that Season 3 of True Blood is chock full of amazing characters, who are played by some wonderful actors. However, the one character and actor who has surpassed all of fans and critics expectations has been Denis O’Hare and his portrayal of Russell Eddington.
Known for his work in theater, Denis is know known for his role as Vampire King of Mississippi for the HBO series. Hands down his character, though only present in Season 3, has developed and grown as a character. Fans have watched in awe and in horror, as Russell has slowly moved from a Southern gentleman hiding his ruthless quest for power to a vengeful and angry predator.
In a video interview with Comic Book Resource during Comic Con International, Denis discusses his view on the vampire king.
Source: www.comicbookresources.com — CBR TV @ CCI: “True Blood’s” Denis O’Hare
True Blood‘s Denis O’Hare, shared with Wired.com the concept behind the age, origins and history of the vampire King of Mississippi, Russell Edgington and the amount of research that went into creating the character.
SOURCE: Wired.com
Season 3 of True Blood has brought us a gang of villains, the most evil and entertaining being Russell Edgington played by Denis O’Hare. During Comic-Con 2010, Rebecca Murray from About.com snagged an interview with the King of Mississippi and was able to learn more about his character.
One of the first things Denis says about his character on True Blood is that evil is subjective. The character he is portraying has a goal and is very set to that goal; if anyone is gets in his way, they must be recruited or eliminated. On playing this powerful vampire Denis admits,
“it’s fantastic. I have a scene coming up where someone attacks me and I kind of like shrug my shoulder and they go flying into the ceiling. That was a riot to do. I love that. I got to give a look…I kind of gave a little irritated look.”
Aside from the physical demands of the show, the dialogue is also unique. The problem Denis faces with conveying the dialogue is saying it with his fangs in. However, the lines are beautiful and he cites the reason for this as the writers: Alan Ball, Alex Woo, Bucky [Buckner], and Nancy Oliver. For Denis there is a mixture of humor and philosophy in the words as well as a lot of heart. Apparently there is a fantastic scene in episode 10 that’s so heartbreaking that Denis couldn’t get the lines out. The beauty of the words, of the scene, kept him almost speechless. When asked who the scene was with, Denis simply said it was with a rent person.
It seems that everyone on the set is committed to the show as much as the writers and the actors. Denis happily remarks that everyone on the set is friendly and make you feel comfortable. He says,
“Everyone is a team and everyone kind of takes care of you. Joe Manganiello’s done this, you’re wearing a little tiny jockstrap or whatever, and I had my days. I was wearing a little tiny jockstrap and everyone’s totally cool. Everyone makes you feel normal as you’re running around and jumping in and out of these beds. So they’re fantastic people.”
It seems that True Blood fans will see more of Russell Edgington this season than fans of the books have ever seen. Denis believes that they’ve taken the fun and flippant character of the book and have expanded him into a powerful plot mover.
The fans of the books and the show have embraced Russell and Denis. Denis jokes about it, but says he’s never had people yell at him–beside his mother. He seems amazed that people are actually screaming for him. He admits its fun, though a little terrifying. Though the fans aren’t sure at first if it’s really the King of Mississippi they’re encountering, given he isn’t wearing the wig he puts on the for the show. He tries walking away while fans rack they’re brains, but like good fans they realize who he is and he is gracious enough to take photos with them.
Fans love vampires and the supernatural. Because of this, Denis has played some bizarre and crazy supernatural/scifi characters, but Russell ranks up there with the most bizarre. But what’s the fascination? Denis reveals,
“Because they’re not all about one thing. They are multi-layered and complicated so they may be a vampire, but they have emotional lives. They have fears. They have wants, they have needs, and they are not all bad or all good. They’re flawed like anybody else. They get tricked. They fall in love. They get infatuated. I think in this season I kind of get infatuated at least twice with two different characters – major characters – who then betray me. So it’s a very human thing in a lot of ways. I love that.”
This is only a small gem of the funny and wonderful things Denis said about True Blood.
SOURCE: video.about.com
(Photo Credit: Wikipedia)
Denis O’Hare talked with AP-Red‘s Jason Drew about his career, his method of character development and his role of Russell Edgington, True Blood‘s Vampire King of Mississippi.
Was he into vampires before his role as the 2800 year-old vampire king? At 8 years of age he pretended to be Dracula and even had a book titled “How to Care for Your Monster”. He also watched Dark Shadows as a kid.
What’s great about Charlaine Harris‘ story, he says, is that vampires come out into the open. That’s her invention and it’s great.
Denis described the differences between the soft fangs and hard fangs. The soft are for biting but not for talking. He actually lost his during one scene! They are not held in with adhesive. In addition to having a fang wrangler, Denis said he spends a lot of time creating the various sounds required for sucking blood and biting.
Talking about his True Blood role, Denis said it was decided before he was cast that they wanted a more charming, powerful and deadly king. That differs from the book’s Russell.
When the correlation between some of the vampire issues was made, such as the Vampire Rights Amendment and the current gay marriage controversy, Denis said it’s rather interesting that Russell and Talbot have the most stable relationship on the show. After 700 years together, they’re still committed to each other.
Watch the video. And do not miss True Blood‘s Episode 7 on Sunday on HBO.
Fancast.com had a few questions for the vampire king of Mississippi. True Blood‘s King Russell Edgington, played wonderfully by Denis O’Hare, is causing a great deal of angst this season for Bill and Sookie fans.
When asked about the king’s intended plans for the vampire blood addicted werewolves in his employ, Denis said that all his plans have to be revised due to certain events occurring in episodes 7 and 8. “Things start to go really crazy.”
Now we’re intrigued. What about more somewhat disturbing scenes such as the eating frenzy of the stripper in the king’s limo? All Denis would share is that Russell is in bed with someone in episode 10 when stuff happens. He would not say what things, nor would he admit to his bed partner being male, female, human, vampire or werewolf.
Of course playing with wolves has been one of Denis‘ more fun experiences on the show. He said working with real wolves is incredible.
“I got to meet one young wolf and actually sit down and pet him before he knocked me over on my ass. They’re fantastic animals.”
Stating that it is, indeed, good to be king, Denis admitted that Russell can do whatever he wants – order people around, eat who he wants. “It’s fantastic.” And yes, the show should move from Bon Temps to Jackson, where there are better restaurants and large plantation houses.
Asked if he was rooting for Bill or Alcide, with regard to Sookie, Denis put it simply. “I’m on Team Russell. My team.”
Watch more True Blood drama unfolding Sunday night on HBO.
Source: fancast.com
(Photo credit – afterelton.com)
True Blood‘s Denis O’Hare was interviewed at Comic-com 2010 and discussed his love for the show and how his character, the vampire king of Mississippi, Russell Egington, is covered in blood and deals with blood in many different ways on the show. Enjoy!
Mississippi has been very welcoming to the cast and crew of True Blood. Since the vampire king of Mississippi, Russell Edgington (played by Denis O’Hare) resides in Jackson, the area is now full of werewolves and vampires.
An article in clarionledger.com described the historic antebellum home of King Edgington. It is Longwood, located in Natchez. This beautiful home was discovered by production designer Suzuki Ingerslev when she visited Mississippi looking for the right location.
“We were drawn to the grandeur, the timeless elegance and the unusually octagonal architecture,” she said. “As far as we could see, Longwood was the most unique antebellum home we’d ever seen.
“There’s something about the land that surrounds Longwood that made it a little foreboding, but at the same time, it was absolutely lovely. It had to be the king’s house.”
Many stills were shot to get the flavor before building the set. The crew all commented on Longwood’s beauty. Seeing it lit up at night gave them a sense of magic.
Suzuki said that walking around and shopping in Natchez was as if she travelled back in history. It gave her the perfect ideas and props for the re-creation of the king’s house. From the photos they took they were able to produce the centuries old feeling with a true Southern flair.
In Jackson, Suzuki and art director, Cat Smith, visited the locations highlighted in Charlaine Harris‘ books, on which the True Blood series is based. “We just wanted a feel of what it looked like everywhere.”
Getting into the history of Longwood, tour guide Harry Boschieri explained that it is a great example of mid-19th century architecture and is the largest octagonal house in the United States.
“It features a six-story octagonal rotunda and a byzantine-Moorish dome with a 24-foot fenial.” “The 30,000 square foot structure is filled with furniture from the 1840s and 1850s.”
Construction on the home began in 1860 by a wealthy cotton planter named Dr. Haller Nutt. The Philadelphia architect, Samuel Sloan, left his tools and fled north a year later when the Civil War began.
Only the basement level was completed for living quarters (local workers were used). A year before the war ended, Dr. Nutt died of pneumonia, leaving his wife and children to continue living in the 10,000 square foot basement of the unfinished home. She died in 1897.
Longwood was occupied by 3 generations of the Nutt family until 1968. Today it is maintained by The Pilgrimage Garden Club.
The Natchez Convention and Visitors Burueau seem pleased to have the True Blood crew filming in their area. The scene where Russell and Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) rode together on horseback to the king’s house was described by Sally Durkin, media liaison for the bureau, “they really made Longwood look spectacular”.
The Natchez folks would like True Blood to come back and do more filming. The production designer said she would love to go back and hang out “because everyone was so nice”. Sounds like true Southern hospitality.
Source: clarionledger.com
(Photo credit – clarionledger.com)
Who would have thought that Mississippi was ruled by a 2,800 year old vampire king? In the HBO series True Blood, Russell Edgington is that vampire king and he’s looking to rule more than just Mississippi.
The king is played by Denis O’Hare, a Tony award winner for his role in Take Me Out; he is also known for his roles in Milk, as well as Brothers and Sisters. O’Hare sat on Bill Compton’s porch in between shooting to talk to iF Magazine.
O’Hare reveals he’s had some practice at portraying a vampire. When he was eight, O’Hare was a blood-sucker for Halloween, though he was also a werewolf at nine as well as Frankenstein at ten. As for playing a king, he portrayed the famous Scottish king, Macbeth. However, this is the first time he is playing a Mississippian.
During the interview, O’Hare kept his accent for the show, as he feels his own accent is boring. This led to a discussion about home, where O’Hare revealed he was born in Missouri, and raised in Detroit, Michigan before spending twelve years in Chicago and finally residing in New York. O’Hare notes,
” I’m from nowhere. I’m from everywhere.”
Many of the characters in True Blood seem to be from nowhere and from everywhere, which seems to help O’Hare in his portrayal as Russell Edgington. However, O’Hare hasn’t done much genre work as he has spent most of his career on stage and, in the last few years, in film. He does note that Changeling was a period piece and his new film, Eagles of the North, with Channing Tatum is a swords and sandal picture. He also did the horror movie Quarantine, where he was eaten by a dog in an elevator, but True Blood is O’Hare’s first taste of the fantasy genre.
Though he hasn’t been in this kind of genre piece and had no concept of how he’d portray a vampire, he was a fan of True Blood prior to being cast as the vampire king. For O’Hare playing a supernatural is a great experience. He muses,
“You’re always trying to explore the limits of your powers. ‘Can I do this, can I do that, can I fly, can I read minds, can I tell the future, can I read smoke?’ And this guy is particularly fun, because he may have anything, really. You can kind of be whatever you want to be… He’s king because he’s powerful. He’s king because he took it. And this is a guy who is 2,800 years old, who is more powerful than any of these other vampires, so he can do things physically that nobody else can do. I don’t think I have special powers, but my powers are more concentrated, so I’m just incredibly fast.”
For O’Hare, Russell Edgington can build and destroy. There is a depth to his character that makes him more real to the audience. Aside from creating a dynamic character, O’Hare believes the show is more than a plot driven monster fest; rather the show forces the viewers to ponder philosophical and ethical questions. For example, in a society where gay marriage is banned in certain parts of the country, True Blood showcases a vampire king who is gay and has been in a relationship with his partner for seven hundred years. There is love and a home between Russell Edgington and Talbot. Edgington’s interest in the Queen of Louisiana is simply a political alliance.
In the books, the Queen marries the King of Arkansas instead of Mississippi. O’Hare feels that while Alan Ball has followed very closely to certain details of Charlaine Harris’ novels, Ball follows his own gut feelings. From a small and not so powerful character in the novels, Russell Edgington has become much more stronger…a vampire buying and selling power.
The power of this vampire king can be reflected in his mansion. O’Hare points out,
“They’ve made a plantation house for me, which is based on a house in Natchez, Mississippi, called Lionwood Plantation… You know, it’s funny, because when we go there… all of the crew are kind of going, ‘My liege,’ ‘Oh, the king is here,’ ‘Welcome home,’ and everyone’s joking, but after awhile, it does begin to have an effect. It helps you in a good way – it makes you feel like you have the power that’s attributed to you. So that’s actually fun, I actually enjoy that.”
With a mansion and a kingdom, also comes fangs. O’Hare notes that in order to have his fangs suddenly pop out, he must hide them in different areas during shooting. He’s hidden them in cigar boxes, behind a chair, clenched in his hand or simply given to him by someone off set. On performing with his fangs O’Hare notes,
“They add a little boost to everything, because you know that you look fearsome. They tell what you’re feeling in a strange way, they’re a way of telegraphing, I am now angry, lustful, hungry, whatever.”
Fans of True Blood are going to see a lot more of O’Hare this season. Whatever he’s feeling-angry, lustful, regal-fans are ready ready to sink their teeth into this dynamic character.
SOURCE: iFMagazine
(Photo Credit: HBO Inc.)
As a history buff, Denis O’Hare, who plays Russell Edgington on the HBO series, True Blood, has been creative enough to make up his own history for his character.
The vampire King of Mississippi is nearly 3,000 years old, according to series creator Alan Ball. So, in a wonderful interview with the New York Post’s PopWrap, Denis shared that he was probably an ancient druid who migrated west.
“…one thing I do know from reading a lot of history, the ancient druids came from the area East of the Danube, and they migrated west searching for better land, better food and the bed of the sun. They were sun worshippers, so I love the idea that inside of him, this vampire has memories of being a sun worshipper.”
In discussing backstories and motivation for his character, Denis said that each character in the show wants to obtain the same things – respect, affection and even food. The vampires are often motivated by the human emotions and desires they were born with. “I think even at 2800 years old, Russell has a drive for life. A passion for life.”
PopWrap added that the king also has a thirst for power. Calling back to history, Denis referred to “the old royalty of Europe” where marriage was based on politics. Russell wants to form an alliance and being the crafty modern man, he will later start using the media to his advantage.
Evidently, this Sunday Russell will display a multi-layered personality that will show him as “deeply vicious, deeply sentimental, deeply vulnerable and deeply hostile all at the same time”. Denis said he loved that scene.
“It is so beautiful that he has a moment of vulnerability during that speech where he’s attempting to manipulate Bill but ends up speaking about the emotional toll involved with being a vampire in love with a human. He speaks the truth in the middle of this daunting chess game.”
Touching on the relationship between Russell and Talbot, Denis stated that vampires have different morals from humans. Their relationship is extremely intimate and they are life partners. But it is not considered a betrayal to be with a different partner. It’s simply satisfying their lust which is another aspect of their love. However, he admitted that theirs is “a tragic storyline”.
Fans want to know where Bill (Stephen Moyer) fits into Russell‘s plans. Initially, Russell just wants to use Bill in a small way to obtain his goal. But Denis said that, as in life, plans change for the characters as they move forward with them. In Bill‘s case, the information he provides causes Russell‘s plans to expand.
“So Russell himself doesn’t always know what he’s doing. There are times when you’ll see him with Eric [Alexander Skarsgard] or Bill where he’ll be dealing lies on at least two different levels – every character is lying about everything. These people are playing a massive game that keeps shifting every episode.”
Denis described Season 3 as a non-stop rollercoaster ride. Referring to episodes 9 and 10, he said we can expect scenes that “are the height of triumph and the abyss of despair”. The emotional ride and darkness and images of lying in a pool of blood gives him nightmares.
Sunday nights are going to be white knucklers as we watch what unfolds this season.
Source: nypost.com
(Photo credit: HBO, Inc.)
Maybe it’s the pull of the moon that has Grant Bowler going from playing Wolf West in Outrageous Fortune to playing a werewolf in this season’s True Blood. And speaking of fortune, his character is evidently sensitive about his name, Coot!
Grant told the New Zealand Herald that Coot is a biker werewolf that does pretty much what he wants. But in addition to obeying his employer, the vampire King of Mississippi (Denis O’Hare), he also has to watch out for traffic cops and dog catchers.
According to how things work in True Blood‘s world, in order to be a were, both parents have to be weres. As such, they are pure blood. “They are at the top of the food chain in terms of any creature that can shift”.
“Every time someone does vampires or werewolves or ghosties or whatever, the trickiest part is figuring out the rules and sticking to them, I guess. On True Blood there are times when werewolvess really, really want to shift – you know like maybe a full moon or whatever, they have a really strong desire to shift. But they can also shift at will.”
When asked about his scenes where Coot shifts from human to wolf, Grant explained that because in the series you could be shifting 25 or 30 times, creator Alan Ball wants to focus on the story rather than the “bones popping, hair growing out of the face kind of thing”. So “we shift quite simply and quickly”.
Does he enjoy playing roles like Coot? In response, Grant said “the older I got, the stranger I found it that the jobs I tend to get offered are jobs where I bash the guys and kiss girls – and that was fine with me.” And, as Coot, “Yep, I get to kiss girls, terrorize people and get into a bit of biffo”. In other words, he can be an ignorant jerk.
Grant was asked if he considers himself an Australian or a New Zealander, since he was born in Australia and raised in New Zealand.
“No, I wouldn’t say that I was one or the other. Whenever I have been asked that I say I am both. I’m an Australian and a Kiwi. I really do feel I have been influenced by two places for that very reason. I call myself an Oziwi.”
So he and fellow Kiwi co-star, Anna Paquin (Sookie Stackhouse), have some things in common to talk about. “Although she likes to tease me that I’m an Aussie.”
With lots of work on TV shows and films, Grant is staying very busy. But he seemed pretty definite when he was asked if he would play another wolf. “No, I am done with wolves.” But let’s see what happens on the next full moon!
Source: nzherald.co.nz
(Photo credit: IMDb.com)
Do NOT read this article unless you really want to know what’s behind Bill Compton‘s kidnapping.
We met Russell Edgington (Denis O’Hare) and his boyfriend Talbot (Theo Alexander) on last Sunday’s episode of True Blood. But we continued to be as baffled as Bill (Stephen Moyer) as to why the vampire King of Mississippi brought him across state lines.
Special thanks to TVGuide for interviewing Denis O’Hare and providing us with the inside scoop.
How did Denis become a fan of the show? He had not read the books and wasn’t ready to switch his allegiance from Alan Ball‘s previous show, Six Feet Under, to his new HBO series. But watching four episodes with a friend had Denis calling his cable company to sign up for HBO On Demand so he could watch the entire season of True Blood.
So once he signed on, what did he learn about his character? Denis said he was told that in addition to having a southern accent, Russell is a charming, powerful and very deadly vampire. He is beyond morality and as an ancient pagan Celt of approximately 2,800 years, the king is so concerned with nature that he believes vampires should rule the earth because humans are ruining it.
About his relationship with Talbot, Denis referred to it as tragic. As in many marriages, the two can be deeply in love but get caught into a cycle of constant bickering. It’s Talbot‘s nature to be moody with sudden periods of darkness. And Russell is often worrying about Talbot‘s happiness.
Now about Bill, what does the king want with him? Russell wants to “become the first vampire president of the United States, and his first target is Louisiana.” In order to do that, he figures he’ll have to blackmail Sophie-Anne (Evan Rachel Wood) into marrying him.
For some reason the queen wants Sookie (Anna Paquin) and the king knows this. He wants Bill to spy on the queen to give him something to use for his blackmail scheme. But the kicker is, “Along the way, he realizes that Sookie is actually the prize, and then he becomes obsessed with her.” Everybody wants Sookie! And we’re talking about a gay vampire king and a lesbian vampire queen. What is Sookie?
In comparing the two monarchs, Denis said this: “Russell is good with money. Sophie-Anne is childish; she doesn’t know how to wield her power. Russell knows exactly how to wield his power. Sophie-Anne is cruel in a sort of off-handed way; Russell is cruel is an incredibly calculated way. They’re both violent and autocratic, but Sophie-Anne is erratic. There’s nothing erratic about Russell.”
We noticed that Russell also likes werewolves. He’s been keeping them in his employ for over 1,000 years. They are completely addicted to his blood, so they are loyal to him and are his eyes during the daylight. In the ancient druid culture, the raven and wolf work together. In the Celtic language, Russell‘s real name means raven. Hence his love of werewolves.
In the article Denis also revealed that the king will spend a lot of time in Fangtasia. He will also be visiting many front porches instead of eating at Merlotte’s.
“Russell is like a snake; he’s incredibly calm and incredibly charming… until he rips your f—ing spine out. My hands have been so bloody I’ve had to come home and soak them for a couple of hours.”
Season 3 is about to spiral into the white knuckler ride the cast promised it would be. Hold on tight!
Source: TVGuide.com
(Photo credit: HBO, Inc.)
I’m sure Russell Edgington, vampire King of Mississippi, as played by Denis O’Hare, is just as warm, charming and cuddly as you might expect (kind of like an undead Tony Soprano).
O’Hare, a Tony award winning stage and screen actor, spoke with Dave Walker of the Times-Picayune, New Orleans, and described what it is like to play the 2,800 year old vampire in Season 3 of HBO’s True Blood.
Denis recalls he was in Budapest working on the feature The Eagle of the Ninth when his agent called with the news he was being invited to join the cast of the Southern vampire gothic.
“I’m a big fan of the show. I think because I was such a fan of it, I never pushed to get on it or imagined being on it. I didn’t imagine myself fitting in there. As an actor watching another show, it seems perfect, and you can’t imagine inserting yourself in any way. I didn’t see myself in it at all.”
But then he discovered he was to play a 2,800 year vampire king and thought “Oh, this is totally me”.
He describes Russell Edgington as: “at once savage and cultured. I think he’s got a lot of charm and a lot of humor and he’s deadly. Except for the deadly part, it’s just like me.”
O’Hare describes the research he did to flesh out his portrayal of Russell, visiting Jackson, Natchez (used as Russell’s nest in the show) and New Orleans. He also created a back story for the King. Given his age, Russell was obviously not from Mississippi, in fact, not from the US at all. Instead, O’Hare theorizes:
“He was probably from East of the Danube, where the Celts came from. This guy moves across Europe through the sweep of history. We decided his base accent was something Germanic, so when the character gets exorcised or totally out of his mind, he slips into German.”
O’Hare muses about what it would be like to live so very long and what it would mean for his relationships with humans and other vampires, including his husband of 700 years, Talbot, played by Theo Alexander. The vampire contempt for humans has its basis in the impermanence of mortal life, he explains, it is:
“Based on the idea that these people don’t exist for very long, so why would you form a relationship with them? They’re just not worth it.”
And can a romantic relationship last 700 years? Well, sort of. Denis explains that the fact Russell and Talbot have stayed together for 700 years means they have a bond of loyalty that goes beyond the physical.
I guess we’ll all get to judge for ourselves just how cultured and funny the King of Mississippi really is come episode 2 of True Blood’s third season.
As for Denis O’Hare, he is having the time of his life working on the show.
“It’s a total riot. As an actor, the best playground is the imagination. You sit there in a scene and let your imagination go wild.”
For the full interview go to The Times-Picayune.
Photo credit: HBO Inc.