What secrets does True Blood's 1,000-year-old vampire reveal this season?

From Scifiwire

Alexander Skarsgard as Eric

Alexander Skarsgard, who plays the thousand-year-old vampire elder Eric Northman in HBO's supernatural drama True Blood, told SCI FI Wire that he's excited to finally get to explore more of his enigmatic character in the show's recently premiered second season.

"Season one was an introduction to Eric," Skarsgard said in an exclusive phone interview last week. "You didn't see much more than the one side, which is him being the bad-ass vampire leader. In season two we go deeper, and you'll understand that he is more complex than that and has a sensitive side and a very loyal side. He can be a great friend. He doesn't like a lot of people, but if he likes you, then he's extremely loyal. For an actor, it's something I love to do, to go deeper and play more. I felt that after season one, people were always like, 'Eric is the evil vampire,' and I always defended Eric, because I don't see him as evil at all."

Overall, True Blood is based on Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire novels, and in particular this sophomore season loosely follows the plot of the book Living Dead in Dallas. Both have Eric, as the vampire sheriff of Area 5 [i.e. the Deep South], charging telepath waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and her vampire lover, Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), to travel to Dallas, where she can use her powers to seek out the whereabouts of a dangerous vampire named Godric. Only it turns out that their harmless field trip exposes them to some potent evil that ignites a complicated triangle among the three that will unfold over the season (and more if HBO continues to pick up the show).

The following is an edited version of our interview with Skarsgard, in which he talks about what fans can expect from Eric's arc. True Blood's second season is now airing Sundays nights on HBO at 9 p.m. ET/PT. (Possible spoilers ahead!)

Did you find it helpful to read Charlaine's novels to build a backstory for Eric, or did show runner Alan Ball discourage that, since the show isn't a literal adaptation?

Skarsgard: No. Before we started season one, I read the first five books just to give me some backstory and to help me dive into the world and understand the world that Charlaine created and my character of Eric. But once we started shooting season one, it was a little confusing reading the books and the scripts at the same time, because they are a little bit different. Actually, it was quite confusing to try and figure out what was from the books and the series. But it was great to have them as a backstory in creating the character.

Has Alan given you a lot of notes and direction for how he wants you to interpret Eric?

Skarsgard: Alan has given me a tremendous amount of freedom, and he really lets us go and explore our characters. It's given me a lot of confidence and energy and enthusiasm as an actor to have that from a show runner.

There's a sort of hilarious too-cool-to-exist vanity about Eric, with his foil highlights in the season premiere and his casual track suits. Do you invest a lot of your own time in creating Eric's look?

Skarsgard: Yes, it's a collaboration I have with Audrey Fisher, the costume designer. She's amazing. We have a fantastic relationship. We have fittings every week where we get together and talk to bounce around ideas. It's something we play around with and come up with together.

Anything you are particularly proud of in Eric's repertoire?

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