'True Blood' actor ( Sam Trammell) has W.Va. ties

CHARLESTON, W.Va.--Modern gothic literature played out on television and the silver screen often includes a familiar scenario where the heroine is torn between a vampire and a human. Or a werewolf. Or a shape-shifter.

On HBO's True Blood, former Charleston resident Sam Trammell plays Sam Merlotte, a shape-shifting bar owner who often turns into a collie dog. And Trammell is fairly certain who has the upper hand in the romance department.

"Of course the heroine should choose the shape-shifter, for sure," Trammell said in a recent telephone interview.

"I'm not dead," Trammell added with a laugh, "which is an advantage, you know. I'm not cold to the touch. So I'd have to say I think I'm a better match for Sookie."

Sookie, of course, is waitress Sookie Stackhouse, the central character in Charlaine Harris' novels set in Bon Temps, La. Sookie, played by Golden Globe-winner Anna Paquin, is dating vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) and also is loved by Sam.

Trammell, who grew up in Charleston, is in Los Angeles while the show shoots its last couple episodes for the second season, which now airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.

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