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

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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' Carrie Preston: 'Arlene is there to be ridiculed'

True Blood star Carrie Preston has admitted that Arlene is there to be laughed at.

Preston, who has played Arlene since the show began in 2008, explained that she has always tried to stop the character being solely the butt of jokes.

"The role is designed by the writers to play on the stereotype of Southerners in the media," she told The AV Club. "She's designed to be ridiculed.

"What I like about playing her is being able to ground her in some kind of truth while still honoring that humor and that thing that she represents. I love it that I'm responsible for serving up the humor on the show, but what has been wonderful for me is that the writers have also given me more dramatic things to deal with."

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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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Carrie " Arlene" Preston on Good Day NY

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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True Blood, Vampires, and Redheads with Carrie Preston

With True Blood now in its third season and picked up for a fourth by HBO, actress Carrie Preston and her True Blood character, Arlene Fowler, are still in the HBO mix after speculation the True Blood waitress may be leaving. With Preston and Arlene still waitressing at Merlotte's, season three keeps in line with The Southern Vampire Mysteries, Club Dead, as True Blood has quickly become a popular staple for HBO in the new era of bloodsuckers.
As True Blood enjoys its best ratings to date, with new mysteries surrounding Anna Paquin's Sookie and Stephen Moyer's Bill Compton, we tracked down Carrie Preston for a True Blood one-on-one to chat about the popularity of vampires, working with Alan Ball, the inner motivations of Arelene, and the true blood of redheads.
THE DEADBOLT: Congrats on getting season four.
CARRIE PRESTON: How about that? And only on the heels of getting a second viewing on season three. So that's a good sign.
THE DEADBOLT: How do you relate to Arlene?
PRESTON: Well, I relate to how confident she is. I relate to her work ethic. I know that sounds funny, but she takes her job extremely seriously, as do I. And she doesn't suffer from any fools and she really wants things to be done in the right way, and I appreciate that [laughs].
Also, I can relate to how strong she is and she's a survivor. She takes whatever comes her way. Even if it creates some kind of histrionics in her, she is somehow able to overcome it, pull herself together, and do what needs to be done. I can really admire that in her as well, plus she's funny.

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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 season 3, female character to die (spoiler alert)

I do not believe for one minute Alan Ball is going to kill off Arlene ...she might leave Bon Temps with the kids and be absent some this year or just with most of the events happening in Jackson, we won't see much of her....the female character that will die WE ALL KNOW is Lorena and as Sookie says "I killed her ass"

HBO's hit vampire show 'True Blood' could possibly be losing a cast member. According to E! online's Kristin Dos Santos a female character is scheduled to bite the dust.

CLICK HERE to see a TRUE BLOOD photo slide show!!!

Sources tells Kristin that "a female character" will die in season 3. E! Also reports that Carrie Preston who plays Merlotte's red headed waitress Arlene has been cast for "multiple" episodes on CBS' 'The Good Wife.'

According to Ryan Kwanten who plays Sookie's big brother Jason Stackhouse season 3 is about "halfway through shooting the season." So, does this mean that Preston's character Arlene is the female death? No! fans of the show everywhere are shouting. Arlene brings a certain extra something to the show. But it seems to be a big possibility that Arlene could be the character who dies in season 3. If you're a 'True Blood' fans you're probably wondering what will happen to her two children. Could they possibly end up with Bill and Sookie?

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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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'True Blood' star defects to 'Good Wife'

I hope this doesn’t mean what I think it means.

Sources confirm to me exclusively that Carrie Preston — a.k.a. True Blood’s Arlene — is heading to CBS’ The Good Wife for a multi-episode arc. She’ll play Elsbeth Mann (not a typo), a member of Peter’s (Chris Noth) legal team.

The timing of Preston’s casting is sure to raise questions about the fate of her True Blood character, particularly since the HBO smash is in the midst of shooting its third season in Los Angeles. The Good Wife, meanwhile, is based in New York.

From EW

'True Blood' gets "unexpected" plot twist

From Digital Spy

True Blood star Carrie Preston has revealed that an "unexpected" twist lies ahead for her character.

The actress, who plays Arlene Fowler on the HBO vampire drama, said that the upcoming third season sees her alter ego go to extreme lengths to protect her family.

"Something very unexpected is going to happen with Arlene," she told Entertainment Weekly. "[She] might just be nervous enough about the supernatural characters around her that she will try to do something about it."

She added: "I think she is going to try to figure out a way to protect herself. She gets very upset. She doesn't think vampires should be around children."

True Blood returns for its third series later this year in the US. Season two begins Friday, February 26 on FX in the UK.

http://www.digitalspy.com/cult/s59/true-blood/news/a199876/true-blood-gets-unexpected-plot-twist.html

Carrie ( Arlene) Preston talks from the Emmy suites

Carrie Preston from "True Blood" at the Mondrian's Skybar Emmy Suite from Thomas Attila Lewis on Vimeo.

http://laist.com/2009/09/19/tv_junkie_2009_emmys_-_talking_fash.php

Carrie says "I play Arlene"

Carrie Preston : Actress plays on hit show 'True Blood'

Marshall University

Actress Carrie Preston did not know what to think when producer Alan Ball approached her about playing the role of Arlene Fowler in the TV series "True Blood."

"I was cast in this movie of his called 'Towel Head;' and while we were shooting, he said he was doing a pilot for HBO about vampires, which I thought was a little surprising because I knew what he had done before, and it was kind of a departure," Preston said.

"True Blood" is a show based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries novels by Charlaine Harris. The show was created by Alan Ball and tells the story of vampires and humans trying to coexist together in Bon Temps, a fictional Louisana town.

Arlene Fowler is a multiple divorced mother of two children who waitresses with main character Sookie Stackhouse, played by Anna Paquin. Fowler played a somewhat pivotal role when her fiancée was revealed as a serial killer.

"I got a hold of the script and read it and at first I didn't know what character he was talking about," Preston said. "It's not like you look at the description of Arlene and you immediately think 'Carrie Preston.' He really likes to cast actors that he wants to work with. But he lets us find the character."

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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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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'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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