.jpg)
Posts
Sunday's True Blood premiere answered at least one burning question: Is Lafayette alive? Answer: Yes! Nobody is more surprised by this turn of events than Nelsan Ellis, the actor who plays Lafayette.
As a fan of the Sookie Stackhouse novel series, on which Alan Ball based the vampire drama for HBO, Ellis knew that Lafayette, Merlotte's wisecracking cook — and part-time pornographer/drug dealer — is totally dunzo after Book 1. When he arrived on set for the finale episode's table read, he prepared himself for the end. "I thought, this was fun, time to look for the next gig," he says.
But then... what's this? That painted toenail in the car didn't belong to Lafayette after all! "'You know we're not going to kill you, right?'" Ellis remembers Ball telling him. "And I was like, 'Noooo...'" Ball told the actor that he decided to keep Lafayette in the cast after shooting a scene between Ellis and Rutina Wesley, who plays Lafayette's cousin, Tara, in the pilot episode. Ellis and Wesley have combustive chemistry for sure, which Ellis attributes to their long friendship. (They attended Juilliard together in the early '00s.)
So now that Lafayette has been spared, what's next for the flamboyant entrepreneur?
4 comments:
I am so glad they kept Nelsan Ellis on the show. It just wasn't going to be the same without him!
Alan Ball is a genius. Nobody, not even the most ardent Charlaine Harris books lover, wanted that foot to be Lafayette's. And the fact that Nelsan Ellis can be a drag queen and then so different no one even recognized him, what a great actor!
I think you are soo right JoAnn
why the hell spend 3 episodes on Tara's mom and kill off one of the most talented actors and favorite characters ( who was barely even mentioned in the book) when you can do the same thing and kill off someone else
AB is a genius and Nelsan may be seriously considered for an Emmy and Ball is wayyy too smart to have killed off the character of the actor that may get an Emmy nod..
Nelsan Ellis is talented, and what is so cool is that he says he draws on the way his mother and sister's act in order to play his role. That is sweet and nice of him to give credit where credit is due. He is amazing. I am so looking forward to his interactions with Eric this season. He may be chained in that basement and is feeling like his charm can't get him out of this but he will find a way. And I knew it was Nelsan Ellis chained right when I saw him, he might have looked very downtrodden but I knew it was him. And I am so glad AB left him in the role and look forward to learning what happens as the season progresses.
Post a Comment