True Blood’s Carrie Preston on Ghosts, Her Favorite TV Redhead, and Being Married to Lost’s Ben Linus

Ive enjoyed this series with NY Mag...

Parenting is tough these days, especially if you’re the mother to a serial killer’s spawn. Nobody knows this better than True Blood’s Arlene Fowler — the loving, if histrionic, waitress who has an irrational fear of vampires and shifty infants alike. We spoke with actress Carrie Preston, who portrays this reservoir of comedic relief with likability, to discuss last week's episode (ghost-lady Mavis possessed Lafayette and kidnapped baby Mikey), her favorite TV redhead, and being married to Michael Emerson, a.k.a. Lost’s Ben Linus.
Has your story line this season changed your opinion of ghosts? Do you believe in them?
I do think there’s a spiritual element in the world, yes. Have I experienced a ghost firsthand, per se? No. I guess I’ve experienced feelings or some kind of a presence. But I certainly haven’t seen any kind of transparent entity running around. And they certainly don’t fly in my mouth the way they do to Lafayette.

True Blood’s Carrie Preston on Playing Arlene, Dying Her Hair, and Being Married to Ben From Lost

On a sanguinary series like True Blood, there are all sorts of bursts of shocking red, but none pops more than the brassy hairdo on top of the equally brassy waitress Arlene, played by Carrie Preston. This season, Arlene’s had plenty to deal with, including an unwanted pregnancy from her bad seed ex, a vampire coworker at Merlotte’s, and the mysterious machinations of Holly (Lauren Bowles), who seems oddly invested in Arlene’s pregnancy. Preston talked to Movieline about those juicy moments, her character’s “drag queen” looks, her husband (Lost’s Michael Emerson), and her impressively Law and Order-studded resume.
Now, I love all your comic moments on the show, but that scene recently where you broke down with Holly was actually kind of a dramatic powerhouse. Was it fun for you to do something that was less wink-wink than Arlene often can be?
I cannot tell you how thrilled I was with that. Alex Woo, who wrote that episode…each of our writers pretty much writes two episodes per season, and the first episode Alex wrote, we were on set and doing the scene where I’m in the doctor’s office and I find out I’m pregnant. Alex said to me, “You know what, I have to apologize to you.” And I said, “What?” And he said, “I haven’t given you enough in this episode. I need to write something better for you, and I promise that I will.” Then that episode you’re referring to came up, and he was good for his word.
I was so thrilled because I think it was high time for us to see another side of that character, and I think that’s what this whole season has been about: delving deeper into all the series regulars and getting involved in all their personal lives. It was very nice to be included in that, and it was fun to play that scene with Lauren Bowles, who’s new on the show. To play with a woman of equal age to me, it was great to have that kind of energy between two women that we haven’t seen on the show.

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Exclusive: True Blood Star Carrie Preston Talks Arlene Fowler, The Emmys, One-Liners, and Previews the Rest of Season Three

In the slow days of Summer, TV brings us few gems to watch. But one of the most anticipated show every Summer is of course the HBO mega-hit True Blood.
Now in its third season, it keeps its audience sucked-in with its formula of humor, chaos, blood, gore, and sex.
Carrie Preston has been on the hit series since the beginning. She plays Arlene Fowler, mother and waitress at Merlotte’s. She recently talked to TVDoneWright.com about the hit series, the recent Emmy nominations, and what’s in store for Arlene in the second-half of the season.
***
Adam: First off, congratulations to you and the cast for the multiple Emmy nominations for True Blood this year. How does it feel to be nominated for the first time in the prestigious “Outstanding Drama Series” category?
Carrie: The Golden Globes honored us from the beginning, but it took a while for the Emmys to acknowledge us in this way. I think historically, the Emmys have been reluctant to embrace fantasy, horror or sci-fi shows, except on the technical side of things or for casting or something like that (think Battlestar, X-Files, Buffy) . So for it to be in the best Drama category is a real testament to how well the show is respected in the industry.

***
Adam: Did you watch the nominations that morning with your husband Michael Emerson, who also received some big nominations? How did you two celebrate?
Carrie: We didn’t watch the nominations. We got a phone call from Michael’s agent, and then I went to the web to look at the whole list. We were pleased to both be in nominated shows for Best Drama, which is a first for us. I’m always proud of Michael for his much deserved acting nominations. He just got his fifth nomination, which is such an honor. We celebrated with champagne over a nice dinner with friends.

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Talk Blood Ep 3 " It hurts me too " podcast and chat room log and our first prize winner !

Check out all the fun we have on Sunday nights and join us live !

Our prize winner this week is GemC25 from Twitter !

http://twitter.com/GemC25/
Gem email me !

To be eligible for a prize all you have to do is participate, you can tweet @sookieBonTemps, tweet on Sundays using #TalkBlood, Email a comment to me TruebloodinDallas@gmail.com, call-in to the show OR be in the chatroom!

s3e3


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True Blood's Carrie " Arlene " Preston Eases Fans’ Fears About Season 3 Overcrowded Cast

When HBO’s ‘True Blood‘ lets rip with its third season on June 13, viewers should brace for quite the influx of new blood.

The new faces include the werewolf Alcide, to be played by Joe Manganiello (’One Tree Hill’), and his psycho ex, Debbie Pelt (Brittany Morgan, ‘The Middleman’. On the family front, we’ll meet Sam’s mother (J. Smith-Cameron) and younger brother (Marshall Allman, ‘Prison Break’), and reconnect with Bill’s Civil War-era wife, Caroline (recast with Shannon Lucio, ‘Prison Break’).

Colorful newcomers include The King of Mississippi, Russell Edgington (played by Tony winner Denis O’Hare); Sookie’s fairy godmother, Claudine (Lara Pulver, ‘Robin Hood’); Tara’s overprotective beau, Franklin Mott (James Frain, ‘The Tudors’); and Lafayette’s new love interest (Kevin Alejandro, ‘Southland’).

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Carrie is asked about Arlene in Season 3

Everyone thinks this means that you're not going to be on 'True Blood.'
That's so funny. Well, obviously I can't comment on what's happening on 'True Blood,' but I will say that I go through stretches where they don't need me. We have a cast of about 1,000 on 'True Blood.' [Laughs] I'm not kidding, we've got 20 series regulars, or at least people who do more than half the episodes. Then we have at least another 20 guest stars and stuff, so the writers are servicing many, many people. We all end up -- even Anna [Paquin] and Stephen [Moyer] -- having a stretch of time where we're not working. 'The Good Wife' caught me during one of those times, so I did an episode and right now, we're in discussions with 'True Blood' for me to do more.

More episodes of 'The Good Wife'?
Yes, yes. But, I'm definitely not going to be with 'The Good Wife' full-time; it's recurring.

Fans pointed out that Arlene isn't in the third book that much ...
That's correct. Although, we're not really following the books at all

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True Blood Star Carrie Preston Is really now a fiesty red -head

True Blood star Carrie Preston has decided to really get into her character and has transformed into the fiery red-head that she plays on the hit HBO show. The natural blonde decided that she wanted to look more like her character Arlene Fowler and RadarOnline.com was there as Carrie transformed into a feisty red head!

“I was a little tired of going to work and nobody recognizing me,” Carrie told RadarOnline.com exclusively as she spent the day at Gavert Atelier Salon in Beverly Hills where Stuart Gavert and Mika Fowler created her stunning new look.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Alexander Skarsgard Says Expect More Nudity & Sex On True Blood

Carrie wears a red wig on the show, and described what happened when she went to work each day with her natural blonde hair. “People who I worked with for two seasons would say hi and introduce themselves to me,” she laughed. “Next season I’ll ditch the wig and use my own hair,” Carrie told RadarOnline.com.

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Interview with Carrie Preston from Fearnet.com

from Fearnet .com

A new episode of True Blood is on this Sunday night. And to whet your appetite we've got an exclusive interview with Carrie Preston, who plays Bon Temps' pie-slinging skeptic Arlene. I chatted with Carrie at this year's Saturn Awards, at which her husband Michael Emerson was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in Television for his role as Ben Linus on Lost. Preston told me what to expect this season from True Blood, what direction she'd like Arlene's love life to take, and what differences she sees between Lost and True Blood fans. Hit the jump to read what she had to say.

True Blood has become quite a phenomenon in just a short time.

Yeah! I'm so excited.

What can you say about this season?

You've probably seen the first two already and you can tell the show is definitely a departure from the books already. The second book was completely different than the series. I mean, Lafayette was supposed to be dead and the second book was about finding his killers, so already we're kind of departing from that. But the show really established itself in the first season and I think now it feels very free and able to kind of go to new places. There are new supernatural characters introduced; we're going to be going places that you don't expect, that certainly our characters don't expect. Alan Ball even sat us down in our table read for the very first episode and said, "You guys are going to be doing things that you aren't going to believe and if you have any problems just come and talk to us." It's true. We've done some crazy things this season.

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HBO's 'True Blood' has oblique local angle in Hawaii

from Honolulu Star Bulletin

You have to hand it to HBO for its constant stream of fresh, cutting-edge material. "True Blood," a series that will launch its 12-episode second season on June 14, contains a local (sort of) angle. One of the show's regulars is Carrie Preston, who is married to Michael Emerson (Benjamin Linus on "Lost," and a part-time Hawaii resident for one more year). Preston doesn't get the screen time of series star Anna Paquin (Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress who can hear people's thoughts), but when her ditzy, highly sensitive waitress (Arlene Fowler) is on, she often steals the scene.

Like all things vampire, "True Blood" has a rabid cult following with popular online discussion threads. But it's also earned favorable reviews with compelling plot lines, unpredictable characters with humor and depth, supernatural elements, shape shifters (who transform themselves from animal to human and back again!), religious fanatics, vampire news updates and provocative sex and violence -- sometimes intertwined, always with fangs and typically bathed in blood.

It helps to watch some of the first season, which came out on DVD and Blu-Ray May 19, or catch the series recap narrated by show creator Alan Ball ("Six Feet Under"), who explains the characters and plot lines for those new to the serial.

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'True Blood' actress goes from comic relief to gravitas

When journeyman actor Carrie Preston was hired for the cast of the HBO vampire series "True Blood," she knew her role was to provide the comic relief.
You can see what Preston did with the role of Arlene during the first season of "True Blood," which came out on DVD Tuesday. (And when the second season of the show starts June 14 on the cable channel.)
Pay particular attention to the first-season finale, in which Preston's role goes way beyond being a comic relief.
A huge chunk of the first season of "True Blood" — when it was not dealing with vampire lust, shape-shifting and bar fights — dealt with a murder mystery.
It is Preston's character who ends up being a key figure in that storyline, which resulted an uncharacteristic heavy emotional moment.

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Acting is in the blood of True Blood' cast member Carrie Preston

By RICK BENTLEY - McClatchy Newspapers

When journeyman actor Carrie Preston was hired for the cast of the HBO vampire series "True Blood," she knew her role was to provide the comic relief.

You can see what Preston did with the role of Arlene during the first season of "True Blood," which came out on DVD Tuesday. (And when the second season of the show starts June 14 on cable channel.)

Pay particular attention to the first-season finale, where Preston's role goes way beyond being a comic relief.

A huge chunk of the first season of "True Blood" - when it was not dealing with vampire lust, shape-shifting and bar fights - dealt with a murder mystery. It is Preston's character who ends up being a key figure in that storyline, which resulted an uncharacteristic heavy emotional moment.

"It was a very emotional episode. But, it was really great to be given that task and responsibility. I was responsible for the gravitas of the situation," Preston says during a telephone interview.

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Carrie Preston Talks 'True Blood'

She may be a barmaid waiting tables at Merlotte's, but actress Carrie Preston has been keeping herself busy in the entertainment industry. Even though she's filming the acclaimed HBO drama True Blood, she's also working on several projects for her own production company, Daisy 3 pictures. Still, it's the vampires that have gotten her the most attention and she discusses why she thinks so.

Playing the character Arlene Fowler was a crazy experience for Carrie Preston, especially since she's involved in a series derived from books. Despite that, she says True Blood is evidently veering away from the Charlaine Harris storyline and establishing itself as something that could work on its own.

"It's so interesting because they are really departing from the books right now," Preston revealed. "I mean they're sort of keeping the main kind of theme of the second book, but they've already just taken a lot of liberties. They spent the first season really establishing the characters and now they've added all these new characters, and it's getting really wild in there."

Now that the second season is nearing, it was pointed out by her co-star, Alexander Skarsgard that there may be some changes with the True Blood sets. Asked if Merlotte's suffered the same fate, Preston answered: "No, Merlotte's is good, old Merlotte's. I love it in there. It's an amazing set. You really do feel like you're in a bar."

About her character, Arlene, Preston says she is nothing like the person she plays. However, she admits that it was easy to transform herself for her. "I mean I'm not anything like Arlene. Nothing. It all has to be created, which is really fun. I go in the makeup trailer and an hour and a half later, I'm a completely different person."

"She's street smart. You know what I mean?" Preston continued. "Like she's a single mother and she's a survivor. She speaks her mind, and I don't know... I grew up with women like that so I just wanted to honor those women. Also it's a comedic role and I really always feel in my element when I'm doing comedy."

As for the appeal of True Blood, the actress confessed that she'd watch the show even if she wasn't working on the set. "I've always sort of been into sci-fi kind of stuff, so I like it. It's a show I would have watched even if I wasn't on it."

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/true-blood/carrie-preston-talks-true-bloo-28746.aspx

Exclusive Interview with Carrie Preston:Rebecca's Hollywood Movies Blog

Carrie Preston - producer, director, and all-around scene-stealing actress - is currently at work on the second season of HBO's True Blood, a very adult vampire series based on the books by Charlaine Harris. But Preston's not just keeping busy playing barmaid Arlene in that popular series. In addition to True Blood, Preston was recently seen in Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona, the Oscar nominated film Doubt, and starring opposite Julia Roberts and Clive Owen in Duplicity. Preston also just earned recognition from the SXSW Film Festival as part of the cast of That Evening Sun. Preston and her That Evening Sun co-stars picked up the Best Ensemble Cast award as well as the Audience Award for narrative feature at SXSW, and the film has been earning rave reviews on the festival circuit. Plus, she also formed her own production company, Daisy 3 Pictures, and is busy behind the scenes on projects close to her heart. Read More...

True Blood Carrie Preston promises more weird stuff—and vampires!"

Carrie Preston, who plays the man-crazy red-headed bar waitress Arlene Fowler in HBO's vampires series True Blood, told SCI FI Wire that the show will delve deeper into various supernatural phenomena when it returns in the summer with 12 new episodes.

"Things are going to get a little crazy on the show," Preston said in an exclusive interview. "There's going to be a bunch of new sort of supernatural things that are being introduced. Besides the ... the vampires. And, as far as Arlene goes, well, let's just say that Arlene's not the type of woman to be single for very long." Arlene's last fiance, Rene (Michael Raymond James), was revealed to be the serial killer in last season's finale and wound up with a shovel in the head.

The show's second season will also boast a bunch of new cast members, including Valerie Cruz, Anna Camp and Ashley Jones, as well as Battlestar Galactica's Michelle Forbes, Mehcad Brooks and Deborah Ann Woll.

"We just finished the fifth episode," Preston said. "Starting the sixth one today out of 12, so we're almost halfway through already."

Following is an edited Q&A based on our exclusive interview. (Some minor spoilers ahead!)

Talk a little bit more about some of these supernatural elements we're going to see in the show.

Preston: I don't know if I'm at liberty to talk about it in detail, but, we are departing a bit from the books [the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris]. ... So the writers have really taken the groundwork that they set in the first season and kind of launched from that, and they're fleshing out characters that are minor in the books, and they're ... changing some plot things, and they've really made it their own. ...

You're going to see some characters doing things that you're surprised at, which will be fun. So I think the show is going to kind of keep you on your toes, and there's several different storylines that are spinning in the air. ...

I presume one of those would be Sookie (Anna Paquin) and Bill (Stephen Moyer).

Preston: Sookie and Bill, uh huh, and we're going to follow Jason [Ryan Kwanten]. He's going to kind of veer off the path a little bit. And so we'll be watching that. And then Tara [Rutina Wesley] has gotten herself involved with some questionable characters. And then, of course, you're always going to touch back down into the Merlotte's crowd. ...

Tara's now with Maryann, played by Michelle Forbes.

Preston: Oh, yes. She's going to figure quite prominently this season. ... It's very mysterious, and, I mean, we're still a little confused ... as to what her powers actually are. But, you know, she is a very powerful force.

Will there be deaths?

Preston: Some new characters have been introduced and, you know, it remains to be seen whether they will live or die. That's the thing with being on the show, you just never know: Are you going to make it? Are you going to make it through the season? Especially now that they've departed from the books. Because when I got the job, of course, I read all the books to see if Arlene lives, and she does in the books, but who knows?

http://scifiwire.com/2009/03/true-bloods-carrie-presto.php

True Blood's Arlene is a Character Actress Who Deserves True Fame

from New York Post

Carrie Preston should be more famous. When we caught Duplicity over the weekend and saw Ms. Preston pop-up as a lonely corporate travel agent who, while drunk on Appletini’s, gets seduced by Clive Owen, we immediately knew her face—it just took us a little while to figure out why. Ms. Preston is one of those actresses. Like her Duplicity co-star Denis O’Hare (Milk, Michael Clayton, Garden State and a host of other movies), she’s almost instantly recognizable in that “don’t I know you from somewhere?” way. She’s made the Law & Order rounds; she’s appeared on both Desperate Housewives and Private Practice, meaning a stint on Grey’s Anatomy cannot be far behind; she’s been in indies like Transamerica and blockbusters like My Best Friend’s Wedding; and she’s a regular cast member on the under-watched True Blood. Ms. Preston even worked on one episode of Lost, guest starring as Ben Linus’ deceased mother. This wouldn’t have been weird but for the fact that she’s married Michael Emerson, who plays Ben as an adult. Um, awkward!

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Carrie Preston Dishes About 'True Blood,'

Starpulse: 'True Blood' is a little more graphic than I thought it was going to be.

Carrie Preston: Uh, yes, soft porn. It's good though, that's part of why people like it. It's surprising that way.

What can you tell me about your character Arlene in the new season?

Arlene is one of those people who is not very good without a man. She's definitely on the lookout.

Is something going on with her & Terry (played by Todd Lowe)?

Um, let's just say Terry is definitely interested.

What are some of the things you'd like to happen with Arlene in the new season?

Well, I'd like to see her find love, of course.

More functional, not dysfunctional love.

Exactly, a functional love. I'd like to see Arlene get more involved in the supernatural side of things. I don't know if that's either against the vampires or maybe she joins them or maybe she accepts the vampires. That would be fun to see her mixed up in that. There's going to be a lot more supernatural stuff going on this season from what we've been told. There are more creatures that we're going to get to know

What's it like playing a redhead? Do you dye your hair or wear a wig?

I wear a wig. Obviously because of the books we had to stick with it...everytime they talk about it they talk about her red hair. They presented to me the option of dying my hair, but then I would have had to have extensions because we wanted the hair to be long. I did anyway. I didn't want to do that to my own hair, and I like being a blonde. And they found this fantastic wig with real hair, and we were lucky it just fit well and so that's the one we stuck with. They didn't even build me a new one because this one fit so well. I liked it, and it was working. They gave it a little haircut this season, so she's sporting a little cuter style.

Well you look completely different than Arlene does.

I definitely do, and no one knows that I'm on the show. Yesterday I went to the set because we had a read through of the next script, and still to this day even though we are up to the 16th episode we're getting ready to shoot including the first season, and still people don't know who I am. People I work with! It still takes them a few beats, they'll look at me, 'Hello, what's your name?' I'm like, 'It's Carrie, guys,' and 'Oh, I forgot, I forgot you're blonde' it's very funny.

Lafayette, is he really dead?

Well, I don't know if I can really tell you that. But I know he was a beloved character from the first season.

What about MaryAnn? She's very mysterious. Can you tell us anything about her?

We're going to learn a lot more about her coming in the next season. She's definitely a lot more than what she seems.

You and your husband (Lost star Michael Emerson) both star in supernatural-themed shows.

I know, isn't that interesting.

Do you believe in ghosts or ESP or a sixth sense or any of that kind of pheonomenon?

I do, and I also love those kinds of shows. My all-time favorite show was X-Files. I love any kind of show that has an other worldliness or its elevated or deals with the unseen. I just like to be transported to a different place. Sure, I think that there are spirits among us. I believe in maybe people doing things from the beyond. I definitely have a belief in the other worldliness of life.

Is there any chance your husband could make a cameo on "True Blood" - he would make a great vampire.

Wouldn't he? I know. Alan Ball is a huge fan of Michael's, and he told me as much. I met Alan Ball when I was in his movie "Towelhead." One day we were just standing on the set and I said something about my husband on "Lost" and he said, 'Your husband's on 'Lost?' I'm a huge fan of 'Lost!' At the time (Michael) played the character Henry Gale, and I said 'He plays Henry Gale' and he screamed, 'Your husband is Henry Gale!' He was so excited. So when we started the season of 'True Blood' somewhere along the way Michael came to the set, and (Ball) said 'We have to find something for you on 'True Blood'' so who knows!

I did a cameo on Michael's show. I played Michael's mother when the did the flashback.

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A Special Treat for Lost and True Blood Lovers

Did you know Arlene is married to Benjamin ?

To celebrate, we're spending a little heart-to-heart time with a couple you might not even know are married in real life: Michael Emerson (Benjamin Linus on Lost) and Carrie Preston (redheaded waitress and serial killer bride Arlene on True Blood). They had me over to their brand-new L.A. house for chocolate and cookies and scoop...my three favorite things!

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Arlene (Carrie Preston) will be at the Macon Film Festival

The Macon Film and Video Festival will be Feb 18-22 in Macon, Ga. and one of the special guests will be actress Karen Black who won Golden Globes for her performances in the movies "Five Easy Pieces" and "The Great Gatsby."

Other special guests include actress Carrie Preston, a regular on the HBO comedy "True Blood" and former University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley.

The festival will be at the Cox Capitol Theatre.

More than 60 hours of original, independent film will be shown.

To find out more go to www.maconfilmfestival.com.

Carrie Preston ( Arlene) on acting in True Blood

true Blood"

Fangoria on satelite radio interview with Carrie Preston ( Arlene)

Fangoria on Sirius radio - Actress Carrie Preston stops by to give FANGO all the bloody details on her hit series, HBO's TRUE BLOOD.


http://www.fangoriaonline.com/radio/23-this-weeks-show/662-its-a-black-friday-re-wind-on-fangoria-radio-tonight.html

**you have to have sirius radio to listen-sory !