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Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
"True Blood" Star: 'Sam Has A Whole Life Nobody Knows About!"
Posted by Jarett Wieselman November 21, 2008
Gearing up for Sunday's big finale, I had to squeeze in an interview with one more cast member before we bid adieu for a few months while the show goes underground to film season two -- expected summer 2009! This time, I had the pleasure of speaking with Sam Trammell, who plays Sam Merlotte -- owner of the local (only?) watering hole, formerly the unrequited love of Sookie Stackhouse and recently revealed to be a shapeshifter. Have I mentioned how much I love this show?
Pop Wrap: In what is now the traditional first question for the cast of "True Blood," what were your thoughts upon first reading the pilot script?
Sam Trammell: I thought it was amazing and I loved how it bridged so many different genres, but I wondered how Alan Ball would do it. If it was possible to pull this show off because it would either be amazing or not have its potential fully realized. But he made it happen!
Sam: He showed me the first two scripts and half of the third one when I auditioned for him, but before I auditioned for HBO, Alan brought me in to work with him and explained there would be an episode where we go through Sam's whole backstory and find out he's a shapeshifter. He just didn't tell me when. So I knew it was coming but I also read the books, I've read six or seven of them, just to make sure there wasn't anything super crazy in Sam's future.
PW: Interesting -- so you chose to read them while your co-stars Ryan and Rutina didn't. Why?
Sam: I thought there might be more information in there since Sam isn't really fleshed out early on. There's a lot more in the books about his history, which we're going to dig into next year. There's that whole time period between being abandoned as a child and appearing in Bon Temps that's left to discover.
PW: That scene when Sam was abandoned clued us in so much as to what kind of person he is, which was unexpected since I thought he was the killer!
Sam: A lot of people were under that impression and I think Alan is happy about that. We were hoping that would happen -- not counting on it -- but we definitely wanted to put some red herrings out there with the latex gloves and his mysterious timing of showing up at places.
PW: Maybe then you can explain the significance of Sam rolling around in Dawn's bed after she was murdered?
Sam: My feeling is, Sam had a relationship with Dawn -- they probably dated and he felt close to her. Actually he feels very protective of all the waitresses that work for him, and I think some of his animal instincts came through. That animalistic sense of smell bled into his human form, so I just think he was trying to be closet o her one last time. It was a very private moment -- that was filmed.
PW: Yeah, all the "True Blood" boys seem to have a lot of private moments filmed, which is surprising since most shows would prefer to focus on their naked female cast.
Sam: That's right -- Alan is an equal opportunity stripper. And I think it's great because you're right, in a lot of shows, the women get objectified more than the men, so here we're given an equal chance to take our clothes off. It's sort of the running joke -- "who has to wear the sock today?" Um, but let it be known there's more than one sock.
PW: Ha! That's reassuring
Sam: I think Ryan Kwanten wins hands down though, he's naked in almost every single episode. It's funny -- we shoot next to The Disney Channel's "Suite Life of Zack and Cody" in Los Angeles and we're walking around naked, covered in blood. But I met their dad at an event and he told me those boys are big "True Blood" fans, so that was unexpected.
Keep reading for major spoilers about the real identity of Bon Temps' killer, what lies ahead for Sam in the finale and in season two!
PW: This show seems to have a lot of unexpected fans -- why do you think it appeals to so many different demos?
Sam: Maybe because people need an escape right now. The first thing you see in the pilot episode is that really, really dark road going deep into the woods and it lets you know that you're going into a really different, really fantastical world. A world where anything can happen and I think Alan's created these really complex characters and relationships and playing them out.
PW: He also seems to favor talent over star power.
Sam: Yeah, well, aside from Anna who is super well-known, that's one of the best things about it. If you watch a TV show and don't recognize anyone on it, that helps you disappear into their world.
PW: You were born in New Orleans, does that make it more important for you to nail the southern accent?
Sam: Oh yeah, I put a lot of work into it. It comes to me pretty easily but I worked on it every day. I listened to a lot of different people -- Shelby Foote, the narrator from Ken Burns' "Civil War" documentary and this senator from Alabama. It was important to me to have a believable accent.
Sam: Yeah, we are all so appreciative and happy to be on the show. Nobody is jaded or not into doing the work, we were all focused on making these characters authentic. We all feel the same enthusiasm about the show, so there were no rifts.
PW: You work most often with Anna Paquin, what's that like?
Sam: She's hilarious, but likes to get under my skin. She calls herself my annoying little sister, but she's utterly amazing because we'll be messing around and then the cameras will turn on and she's instantly in the moment. It's amazing how much she expresses with her face. I love doing scenes with Anna because acting comes so easily to her. I mean, she works real hard -- especially on the accent -- but she's a natural.
PW: And in last week's episode, Sam and Sookie finally made out!
Sam: He got a kiss, but it was kissus-interruptus. Unfair! That was a really interesting episode, such a fun day for Sam to have that day of sleuthing capped off with a kiss.
PW: And you two discovered, or seemingly so, who the real killer is -- Rene!
Sam: Oh yes, with the fax. That will play out Sunday night, you'll see what the deal is with that, but let's just say it doesn't look good for him. And if he is not a good guy, Arlene would be hugely affected by that, for sure.
PW: Who do you think really has Sam's heart - Sookie or Tara?
Sam: It is really complex. Sam loves Sookie but he hooks up with Tara. It's one of those things where he's a guy -- or a half-guy -- and I think part of that hook-up was rebellion. That, and Tara made a very compelling argument for them sleeping together since she said there would be no consequences.
PW: I think we all know that isn't how this played out.
Sam: Yeah, once he slept with her, his heard did become involved, so I think in an unintended way he's become wrapped up in Tara. Although I do think he's in love with Sookie and Tara was just a diversion from that.
PW: Who do you want him to be with?
Sam: I dunno, I know that the writers didn't originally plan to have Sam and Tara together -- it was going to just be that one time, but they liked us together, so it kept going. You'd think he'd be more loyal to Sookie but once you have sex your heart gets involved -- or at least it did for Sam because I think he really cares for Tara, even more so after sleeping together.
PW: Sunday's finale is bound to have a few big "oh my god" moments -- how many involve your character?
Sam: There are a couple big things that happen with Sam in the finale where it's like, "what?!?!?!" Big cliffhangers that sort of point to the secrets that we'll be delving into next season.
PW: My friends and I have been wondering if one of those secrets is that Sam can take the appearance of vampires since they're less complex than humans (he claimed to be unable to turn into humans because they have too many complex organs).
Sam: That's a good question -- I don't know. I'm not sure, I guess it's possible because he can't turn into a living thing but maybe he could turn into a dead one...
PW: So if that's not the secret, what is?
Sam: He has a whole life that nobody knows about which is pretty radical and interesting. Think about it, he's a shapeshifter and how has he used that, if at all, to survive? There are few things dealing with Sam that are teased and hinted at which are cliffhangers. There's a lot going on with him -- his past if very connected to where the show goes next season.
"True Blood" airs its season finale this Sunday at 9 p.m. on HBO!!!!
http://blogs.nypost.com/popwrap/archives/2008/11/true_blood_fina.html
Anna Paquin makes a welcome return to the gossip mags
Paquin - who won the Globe for Best Actress in a Television Series thanks to her role as a telepathic barmaid in HBO vampire series True Blood - tells Woman's Day she essentially plays a glorified Hooters waitress on the show.
"I'm beyond flattered and honoured ... I'm completely overwhelmed," the 26-year-old says, after beating Sally Field, Mariska Hargitay, Kyra Sedgwick and January Jones for the award.
"I was the pale brunette from New Zealand, and I'm playing this Southern tanned blonde, essentially a Hooters waitress."
Hey, even well-endowed barmaids wearing tight white tops need their moment in sun.
Paquin tells WD the award is "100 percent cooler" than her Best Supporting Actress Oscar win for The Piano at age 11.
"I don't even remember that, it was very blurry and crazy," Paquin says.
"This is quite blurry and crazy too, but at least I'm old enough to drink and stay out past 10pm."
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4823377a1860.html
Loving True Blood in Dallas Blogtalk Radio: We meet Bill Compton ! (Episode 7)
We did an introduction to Eric Northman show right before Christmas and it's time to explore his chief rival for the romantic attentions of the lovely Sookie Stackhouse, Bill Compton.
We will talk about what makes him so special, how did the casting of Stephen Moyer's effect the Bill character in the HBO series True Blood, and we will carefully look at the differences and similarities in how we first meet him in both the books and in the TV series.
How do these differences change his character and what's in Bill's future for Season 2 !
We will also have a very special "Bill" blog post up later tonight too so watch the blog for that!
Joining me as co-host will be the wonderful, BillOhBill !
Please join us, you can call-in and chat tonight at 9:00 pm (central)
Please go to this web page at 8:45 pm.http://www.blogtalkradio.com/True-Blood-in-Dallas
You will find that the chatroom will open and you will be ready as soon as the show goes live at 9 pm to click on the link so you can also listen live.
The call in # is (646) 929-0825
If you can't join us live at that time, all the shows are archived and podcast right from the blog and they are also on iTunes. ( the show will be up about an hour after the show airs)
We've done some interesting shows recently with topics including: TB social networking, Intro. to Eric 101, Fanfic and Book 9 /Dead and Gone : chapter one sneak preview, and last week we did a Golden Globes recap show . I bet you'll want to listen to all of shows!
We'd love to hear from you ...
Thanks,
"Dallas"
truebloodindallas@gmail.com
Things I've learned while watching True Blood
Bill has a dirt repellent clothes, but not skin.
If the love of your life is gone for three days, you start to sniff a dog.
Generations long inbred will make the best pie shop waitresses.
It is better to always wear clean underwear, because if you happen to die, Pam might check out your panties.
Terry likes Christopher Lowell.
Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer spotted shopping again ...
According to People magazine this morning...
The Recent Golden Globe winner Anna Paquin and her True Blood costar – and off screen beau – Stephen Moyer, scoping out frames at Aspen Optical on Santa Monica's Main Street. The pair ambled down the sidewalk hand-in-hand after browsing, and enjoyed L.A.'s unseasonably warm weather together.
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20253237,00.html
True Blood Music Video of the Day
Its' Bill day on the Loving TB in Dallas blog.
So what better way to start it than with:
Love you I do from the Musical, Dream Girls sung by Jennfer Hudson
Have you read Wolfsbane and Mistletoe ?
If you haven't read "Gift wrap " YOU SIMPLY MUST!
From the editors of Many Bloody Returns deliver the perfect howl-iday gift, with new tales from Patricia Briggs, Carrie Vaughn, and many more.
New York Times bestselling authors Charlaine Harris, Patricia Briggs, Keri Arthur, and Carrie Vaughn—along with eleven other masters of the genre—offer all-new stories on werewolves and the holidays, a fresh variation on the concept that worked so well with birthdays and vampires in Many Bloody Returns.
The holidays can bring out the beast in anyone. They are particularly hard for lycanthropes. Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner have harvested the scariest, funniest and saddest werewolf tales by an outstanding pack of authors, best read by the light of a full moon with a silver bullet close at hand.
Whether wolfing down a holiday feast (use your imagination) or craving some hair of the dog on New Year’s morning, the werewolves in these frighteningly original stories will surprise, delight, amuse, and scare the pants off readers who love a little wolfsbane with their mistletoe.
The stories include:
"Gift Wrap" -- Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse was expecting a blue Christmas, until an injured werewolf turns up on her land.
"The Haire of the Beast" -- A meddler in magic gets himself into a hairy situation despite his sister's warnings -- probably the first story I've ever seen featuring ...a were-lhasa apso (You read that right!)
"Lucy at Christmastime" -- As other denizens of Simon Green's Nightside gather in a local bar, an aging werewolf meets with a lost love.
"The Night Things Changed" -- A werewolf and a vampire have a hair-raising holiday taking down a werewolf gone bad that's now rampaging in spooky Salem, Massachusetts.
"The Werewolf Before Christmas" -- Just how can a naughty werewolf get back on St. Nick's good list after he's gobbled up Rudolf?
"Fresh Meat" -- A guardian dog trainer's unlikely pack rescues their Alpha when a werewolf hunter threatens to spoil their festivities.
"Il Est Ne" -- Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Norville helps a recently-turned werewolf find his way home for the holidays.
"The Perfect Gift" -- A detective, born the seventh son of a seventh son, discovers a whole new kind of family while investigating a string of savage murders.
"Christmas Past" -- A psychic rekindles the flames with her werewolf ex-boyfriend while they hunt a vampire bent on wrecking the holidays.
"SA" -- After finding out what's the real cause of his nocturnal blackouts, a young hotshot helps a band of shapeshifters fend off a psychotic gang of hunters in Santa suits.
"The Star of David" -- In this offering by Patricia Briggs, an older werewolf rebuilds bridges with his daughter and helps her protect the troubled young man in her care.
"You'd Better Not Pyout" -- Two gadabout vampires and a werewolf turned wildlife defender discover just why Santa wears a red suit...
"Rogue Elements" -- A mage with were ancestry hunts for a kidnapper targeting young female shapeshifters during the holidays.
"Milk and Cookies" -- This shivery gem by Rob Thurman, author of the Cal Leandros series, is so subtle, I don't dare give it away. Think "A Christmas Story" with fangs and fur...
"Keeping Watch over their Flock" -- A recently turned misfit were finds his place in his pack after helping protect the most important gift of Christmas...
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Ask Dallas : What is your personal preference?
Someone asked a great question on the wiki recently "Does anyone have a theory on why bill likes to drink from Sookie’s neck, whereas Eric would do it in more ... discrete places, like her thigh/breast?"
The one thing I had to say was that at 1000 years old Eric needs very little blood and Bill at only 170 years old still needs much more blood.
I don’t know what effects the location of bite. I guess it might just be a personal preference. The groin is discussed by Bill and used by Eric in the book and TV show.
Bill bites Sookie in both a very public place and in an easily concealed place, unless you have to adjust your ponytail in front of a police officer.
*Note on the show Eric bites Dawn in the collarbone area and Liam bit Maudette in the groin. Bill bites Sookie on the neck and the under arm.
I have a whole series of posts called “If you don’t like it, you can just bite me” posts on the blog...
http://lovingtruebloodindallas.blogspot.com/search/label/Bite%20me
What else do we know about bite location?
Episode one :
Bill: Oh, but you have other very juicy arteries. There’s one in the groin that’s a particular favorite of mine.
Sookie: Hey, you just shut your nasty mouth, mister. You might be a vampire, but when you talk to me, you will talk to me like the lady that I am.
He says this in Book One:
"But there's a juicy artery in your groin," he said after a pause to regroup, his voice as slithery as a snake on a slide.
Episode Four:
Bill says to the cop that stops them leaving Fangtasia:
Bill: Vampires sometimes like to feed from the femoral artery. The blood flows more freely down there so one doesn't have to suck as hard...
(Bill turns to face the state trooper, who is still shining his flashlight into Bill's car. The flashlight illuminates the lower half of Bill's face. His fangs are still exposed as he looks directly at the state trooper.)
Bill: ...or so I've been told. (The state trooper is motionless and silent.)
This is all that was said in this scene in Book One:
"We will." I nodded eagerly, and Bill managed a stiff inclination of his head.
"We're raiding a bar a few blocks back," the patrolman said casually. I could see only a little of his face, but he seemed burly and middle-aged. "You two coming from there,
by any chance?"
"No," I said.
"Vampire bar," the cop remarked.
"Nope. Not us."
"Let me just shine this light on your neck, miss, if you don't mind."
"Not at all."
And by golly, he shone that old flashlight on my neck and then on Bill's.
"Okay, just checking. You two move on now."
"Yes, we will."
Blood and lore
The director FW Murnau's 1922 film Nosferatu established conventions that are still found in vampire movies. Rex Features
It’s official: vampires are cool. The record-breaking success of Twilight at the American box office let the cat out of the coffin that the bloodsuckers are not to be feared. Indeed, movies about vampires are no longer guaranteed to belong to the horror genre. It’s enough to make Bela Lugosi turn in his grave.
The first on-screen depiction of these creatures of the night was in 1915, with the director Louis Feuillade’s legendary opus Les Vampires. The 10-part serial about a flamboyant gang of Parisian criminals contains many of the mainstays of vampire folklore, most notably that the bloodsuckers operate within the highest echelons of society. They are masters of disguise, carrying out criminal activities with glee. The series also saw the first appearance of a female vampire, Irma Vep (an anagram of vampire), a seductive creature at the centre of the group who became a template for feline incarnations of the evil spirits.
It was 1922’s Nosferatu, a Symphony of Terror that established many of the vampire’s monstrous conventions. FW Murnau’s unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic text Dracula contained a masterly gothic aesthetic, with dark shadows and cold castles. Max Schreck played the vampire Graf Orlok, who was evil incarnate, a savagely simple being who would lurch instinctively toward blood with barely disguised lust. He had bat ears and fangs in the middle rather than the sides of his mouth. Orlok would keep odd hours and lock up his prey. His nemesis, Hutter, finds a book of vampire lore that details salient vampire rules such as the need to sleep in the day. The key to killing Orlok is to expose him to the first rays of morning sunshine.
The more enduring image of the suave, cunning and sophisticated vampire with human qualities was created in 1931 in Tod Browning’s official adaptation of Dracula. The film gave birth to the horror genre as we know it today, and made a star out of Bela Lugosi, who had played Dracula on the stage. His creation came not from the pages of Stoker’s novel, but the exaggerated, theatrical style of the day. It was the first sound adaptation of Dracula and Browning made particular use of Lugosi’s Hungarian accent – his affected English became the trademark of vampires for a generation. Lugosi emphasised the ghoulish carnal human traits rather than an animalistic craving. A string of sequels, including Dracula’s Daughter, and Son of Dracula, followed in the 1930s as vampire films became a staple of Hollywood.
Lugosi’s performance had a particularly big influence on Christopher Lee, who appeared as Dracula in seven horror films by the production company Hammer. In 1958, Hammer and the director Terrence Fisher made a version of Dracula that shocked audiences by emphasising the physical horror. The count did not just devour his prey in the shadows; his feral eyes and fangs seem to be continually dripping with blood. Hammer horror films were all about the number of kills.
The physical side of the undead also has caught directors’ imaginations, such as in 1942’s vampire-inspired Cat People. Mario Bava and Lee Kresel’s 1960 Italian gore-fest Revenge of the Vampire contained the usual mix of secret passages, family curses and surprising deaths.
The lore around vampires continues to grow. The 1957 Mexican movie El Vampiro showed fangs and introduced other clichés such as spelling a name backwards as a pseudonym. The famed American comedians Abbott and Costello spotted that the horror genre and its characters – especially vampires – were ripe for parody and, in 1948, released Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein. The director Roman Polanski got in on the parody act with The Fearless Vampire Killers in 1967, which took its lead from Dracula’s famous slayer, Van Helsing. So did spoofs such as Mel Brook’s Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995). But others, such as the racially charged Blacula (1972), picked up on the fact that vampires could be seen as the stereotypical outsiders: creatures on the margins of society desperate to be accepted by the in-crowd.
This hankering after a sense of belonging was the central pillar in Werner Herzog’s 1979 art-house film Nosferatu the Vampyre, which emphasises not just the lust for love but also a lust for life.
From the spoofs, it was clear that the vampire had to evolve if films were to continue to resonate with audiences. The genre began to move away from horror and towards science fiction in titles such as The Last Man on Earth (1964) starring Vincent Price, The Omega Man (1971) starring Charlton Heston, and Rabid (1977) directed by David Cronenberg. Vampires also learned new tricks such as flying and having supernatural strength.
They also became adept at finding ingenious ways to operate in the mainstream and their link with aristocracy became increasingly benign. In films such as Queen of the Damned, vampires started to have cool jobs, such as being rock stars. Joel Schumacher made a massive effort to link vampires to society’s hip outsiders in 1986’s The Lost Boys when he hung a poster of the musician Jim Morrison in the vampires’ lair. The film also highlighted the age-old appeal of vampire hunters, the popularity of which reached its height with Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), the tale of an American cheerleader destined to defend the world. In the later television series, the character Angel, a vampire with a soul, exemplified a new spin being put on vampires: that they were not all evil by nature.
The most famous vampire to cure his bloodlust was Louis in the 1994 adaptation of Anne Rice’s novel Interview With the Vampire in which Tom Cruise comes up against Brad Pitt. The theme of vampire against vampire was also popular in the Blade trilogy and the Underworld trilogy (the third part of which is about to be released in cinemas).
As geeks have become increasingly celebrated in society, the bloodsucking outsiders have followed suit. Indeed, in Vampire’s Kiss Nicolas Cage convinces himself that he is a vampire. Recently, the HBO drama True Blood – in which vampires campaign for their civil rights after a Japanese firm manages to manufacture synthetic blood that can be sold in stores – has turned the joke in Blacula on its head.
Twilight simply takes the next logical step in vampire evolution. Vampires, with their supernatural abilities and overpowering need for love, combined with their dorky erratic behaviour, have become the ultimate cool kids in a pop culture where everyone loves a weirdo.
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090119/ART/754792500/1007
If you don't like it you can just bite me ! ( 9)
This is the bite marks from one of the characters in True Blood.
Do you know who this is ?
Do you know who the vampire was that did the biting ?
Sorry about the size ...
yes, it is Jessica ...
Anna and who ??
We saw all those great photos of Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer at the Golden Globes and even Anna and Stephen shopping ...but who if this handsome gent that she was see Anna out with with so many times in 2007 ?
*** Some of you guys that know everything give others a chance to guess ...
Email me with the answer if you just must tell the answer immediately
Email: True Blood in Dallas
Is True Blood Actor's Bark Worse Than Vampire Bites?
By Tara Bennett 16 October 2008
There’s a whole lot of crazy going on in the fictional Louisiana town of Bon Temps, which serves as epicenter of Southern style weird in HBO’s cult vampire hit, True Blood. Murder, telepaths, “outed” vampires that want equal rights with humans, and seedy underground clubs that appeal to humans with a fetish for fangs. Creator Alan Ball (Six Feet Under) is pulling out all the stops when it comes to exploring small-town secrets and sexy decadence in his small screen adaptation of Charlaine Harris’ bestselling, contemporary vampire series.
And it’s obviously working as week after week, Ball continues to woo audiences with his audacious mix of explicit sexuality, startling gore and genteel Southern gothic romance. After only two episodes, HBO renewed True Blood for a second season giving genre fans the rare opportunity to safely allow themselves the chance to invest in a quirky show like this.
Anna Paquin (X-Men) stars in the series as Sookie Stackhouse, a sweet, well-mannered waitress at Merlotte’s Bar, and who just happens to be damned with the ability to hear people’s innermost thoughts. Her “gift” creeps out the residents of tiny Bon Temps which has just distanced her from the majority of the colorful townsfolk. All she’s got in life is her small circle of family and friends, including her understanding Gran Stackhouse (Lois Smith), her horn-dog brother Jason (Ryan Kwanten), loud-mouth best friend Tara (Rutina Wesley), and her besotted boss, Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell). That is until the vampire Bill Compton steps into Merlotte’s and changes Sookie’s life forever.
Bill is the first vampire to take up residence in Bon Temps, and Sookie is immediately intrigued. She’s drawn to his similar outsider status, dark intensity and mostly, his very silent brain. A refuge from the din of human thoughts, Sookie is quickly enamored by Bill to the chagrin of everyone – especially her protective boss, Sam.
But True Blood quickly exposes that everyone has a secret in Bon Temps, including good guy Sam Merlotte, who pines for Sookie and assuages his loneliness by sleeping with Tara. And then there’s some really weird stuff Sam does like writhing and sniffing a murder victim’s bed and barking in his sleep. Yup, this show is weird; but that’s exactly why actor Sam Trammell loves his role on True Blood because everything about the show is out there.
“I think people respond to the show because it’s such an escape,” Trammell tells Newsarama in an exclusive interview. “It’s like an alternate world where vampires exist but the geography feels so specific and mysterious and mystical. A lot of it takes place at night with the bayou, the trees and the sounds of the insects. There’s something sexy and romantic about that.”
In the hands of Alan Ball, True Blood is also fearless in exploring different tones, from the farcical to the downright scary.
“Alan kind of blows me away,” Trammell enthuses. “I read the pilot and thought it was interesting but I also thought how are you going to be able to do this? I don’t know how he does it, maybe it’s just his talent, but he rides such a fine line between genres. And the show mixes genres so well. Its part gothic romance, part mystery, part horror film and part black comedy and it just works. It’s so hard to make entertainment on the screen good. He’s done it. I have total trust in his vision. He’s really smart with story and writing complex characters.”
Trammell says he came to the series by way of standard auditions for the part of Sam Merlotte.
“It’s never easy,” the actor smiles about the process. “Sometimes you have to go through ten auditions to get a part but this was just a couple of auditions. It happened all in a week, so it was a quick process. It can sometimes drag on for weeks. So I auditioned on tape for the casting director and Alan saw it and liked it. I met with Alan and I was really excited. We worked on some scenes and he gave me some notes. Five days later, I went into HBO for a network test in front of the president and sign contracts and whatever. I found out I got the part five hours after auditioned. I was screaming in my car I was so excited,” he laughs.
Before production began, Trammell says he dove into the Charlaine Harris books the series is based on to get some context on his character.
“Sam is such mysterious character in the first book,” he details. “You don’t’ get a lot of him in terms of his past. I read all of the books and they are amazing and entertaining. But I wanted to see if there were any big revelations in like book six because I wanted to be faithful to Charlaine Harris and her fans. If there was some weird secret that happens later on, I at least wanted to know about it because it might effect how I play things.”
As fans of the eight book Dead series will know, Harris has kept Sam Merlotte close to her vest, with little of his history being revealed aside from his deep friendship with Sookie. Much to the delight of the actor, Ball has taken the opportunity in the TV series to flesh out Sam’s story in much more detail.
“There’s a lot of freedom there,” Trammell explains. “I even think I pitched some ideas to Alan at the very beginning because it’s open for creation. Sam is a good guy. He’s the stable good guy and that’s a little weird. It’s good though because Alan doesn’t give you the two-dimensional, cliché, good and bad characters. We definitely get a decent amount of satisfaction in finding out about who Sam is in the first season.
"And I know it will continue in the second because I talked to Alan about it. It’s going to be pretty cool when stuff about Sam gets revealed. He is a really mysterious character because nobody knows about his history before he came to Bon Temps. He lives alone. He is the center of town life as the owner of the bar and a couple of apartments, so people see him and know him but they don’t know him.”
A storyline in the show that differs from the book for Sam is his sexual relationship with Sookie’s best friend, Tara Thornton. As two heartsick loners, they pair up for solace and understanding as they watch their true loves (Sookie and Jason Stackhouse, respectively) mix it up with others.
“Rutina and I have a great time working together,” Trammell says of on screen partner. “The writers liked a lot of what was happening between us so they end up going with it.”
But the actor confirms that Sookie will remain his soul mate. “He obviously empathizes with Sookie because she is different and he’s different.”
Different how? Well, Trammell won’t spill but he says there’s been plenty of fan speculation about his canine behavior that will soon come to fruition in episode ten, "I Don't Wanna Know.”
“Sam is a great character. He’s as interesting, in my opinion, as anyone else. And he’s got this big secret, so he has to put out a certain image of himself in town that isn’t always who he is. He has to hide and he has to lie about things and that’s always fun! You’ll see in scenes later on, he has to lie about things and that’s when things get really cool. My part really kicks in from episode five ("Sparks Fly Out”) and then I’m in the show a lot more. My stuff gets more interesting as the show goes on. And then there is some major interesting stuff that happens at the very end – some amazing cliffhangers as far as my character is concerned so I’m very psyched for what we explore in season two.”
Production begins on True Blood’s second season in January of 2009, and in the meantime Trammell is just enjoying watching the fireworks of the show play out.
“It’s obviously a really intense world,” the actor muses. “I’m sure you could do academic papers on the episodes. Alan and Charlaine Harris set it up so that vampires can be looked at as metaphors for minority groups and that’s all really interesting, but the great thing about the show is that it’s a lot of fun and has a great sense of humor. I think for most pieces of entertainment to be successful, you have to find that sense of humor and this show does.”
http://www.newsarama.com/tv/081016-sam-trammell-true-blood.html
Saturday, January 17, 2009
You know you've watched too much True Blood when:
-you explain any and all annoying behavior in fellow humans as "it's the demon!"
-you are discussing the particulars of vampire ejaculation.
-you start talking with a Southern accent even though you live in Canada.
-you get excited that one of your new co-workers is named Bill and you really want to meet him.
-It takes 3 hours to watch an episode, my poor instant replay button.
-you start referring to your basement as the hidey-hole!
-you search antique stores for your very own toasting fork
-you run barefoot through cemeteries in a flowing white negligee
-you suddenly are on board with the graveyard sex.
Baby, you can drive my car (8)
Who drives this type of car in the books, until book #5 at least ?
Yes it is Sookie's - she drives a Chevy Nova until it is destroyed in the fire in Bk 4.
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