Monday, June 14, 2010

"True Blood" Star Really Wanted to Be a Physicist

LOS ANGELES (Back Stage) - Sam Trammell planned to become a theoretical physicist, but was forced to lower his sights while studying at Brown University after realizing he was not a genius.
He certainly never imagined himself an actor, let alone one who plays a shape-shifter on a hit HBO show about vampires. The series is "True Blood," created by Alan Ball based on the novels of Charlaine Harris, and Trammell is enjoying the unexpected development.
"I wanted to stop thinking," he says of his career switch. "I wink when I say that. You have to be smart to be a good actor. But acting took me out of my head and back into my body."
He admits that early in his career, he had a condescending attitude toward television. He would not have considered auditioning for the small screen. But he now thinks TV writing -- especially for cable -- is far superior to most film writing, calling our current era a golden age for television.
His featured role on "True Blood," now in its third season, is a career turning point. Appearing in Eugene O'Neill's "Ah, Wilderness!" with New York's Lincoln Center Theater was pretty good too, he admits. After all, it earned him a Tony nomination. But his current gig has a huge weekly audience that crosses demographic lines.

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