True Blood’s Rutina Wesley on Her ‘Feisty’ Character, the Origins of ‘Hooker,’ and Getting an Action Figure

Orgies. Exorcisms. Bludgeonings. As an unwitting party to all of the above (okay, she meant to beat the bejesus out of that bipolar vampire with a medieval mace), poor Tara Thornton has lived a life full of drama and sorrow. But in season four, True Blood's resident martyr looks like she may finally get a shot at happiness. Where's the fun in that? Vulture spoke with actress Rutina Wesley, a soft-spoken Juilliard grad with a soft spot for comic books, about her Emmy-reel, getting an action figure, and her future as Wonder Woman.

Would you agree that, out of the entire True Blood cast, you probably have the most clips for your Emmy reel?
Yeah, totally! It's like, "Well, let's see: being duct-taped to a toilet or tied to a bed." I never know what they're gonna do, you know? The one time I was really surprised was in season two when we had to do those scenes out in the woods. [Laughs.] We were like, "Wait. What are we doing? This is an orgy scene!" But it's True Blood. I've never questioned anything that they've given me.

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