Article on Stuff.co.nz
When news broke that Kiwi Anna Paquin and her True Blood co-star were dating, writer-director Alan Ball was not pleased.
“I’ll be honest when it first happened, I was like: Uh oh,” he told the Sunday Star-Times.
But he quickly came round, as the romance between Paquin and Englishman Stephen Moyer blossomed.
“It’s the real deal. They really fell in love, and you can see that in the show. You can see the attraction and chemistry. It’s all good.”
In the show, which screens on Prime from Wednesday, Moyer plays 173-year-old vampire Bill Compton, who returns to live in a small Louisiana town and falls in love with Paquin’s Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress who can read people’s minds.
The two now live together in LA, though Moyer travels regularly to London where he has two children from a previous relationship.
In an interview with US TV Guide Moyer, 37, admitted the sparks flew with Paquin, 26, at the first audition for the series last year, but they deliberately kept it quiet.
“The show is the star, not the two people having a relationship.”
In an interview with the Star-Times in today’s Focus section, Ball said Paquin had “aggressively” pursued the role. “When my casting director said, would you be interested in Anna Paquin, I said, uh, yeah, would she be interested in this?”
Even though she has a glittering career in movies such as X-Men, Ball realised True Blood could allow Paquin to do things she mightn’t on the big screen.
He was right – it won her the 2008 Golden Globe award for best TV actress in a drama, to add to her 1993 Oscar for The Piano.
“She is the tent pole that this show hangs on. She is delightful in this role. She’s charming, she’s innocent, she’s pretty, she’s fiery, she’s romantic, and you just really, really love her.”
And she’s just the same in real life, he says down to earth, professional, fun to be around.
But one of the big topics Ball had to canvass during casting was asking the pale and dark New Zealander a crucial question for her to truly become Sookie, the sassy and tanned southerner in the short shorts of Charlaine Harris’s books: Are you willing to go blonde?
“She was like, ‘Of course. This is something I would never do just on my own because it seems so superficial. But now I have an excuse to do it.”‘
Shad, drive a stake through mt heart again, why don’t ya. I am appreciative, however, that unlike many Hollywood couples, they are not flaunting this relationdship. They’re not on Oprah, telling the world that of the intricacies of their lives together … you know the couples that feel the need to tell everyone about the poems that they write to one another, or strawberries fed to eachother in bed. I know there are romantics among us who would love to hear about what goes on behind closed doors, but I respect the fact that they’re so closed mouthed about it. It also seems to me that those relationships, the ones that are so hot and heavy, burn out very soon. So perhaps, (damn it!) they have a greater chance of a long-lived love if they stay under the radar.
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The first auditon to the series, wasn’t it in 2007? Not last year. I read somewhere they signed on for the show in 2007 (february and april, I think).
But, Mr. Ball, writer-directors don’t say “Uh-oh”!
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OH my. When lynn reads this we may have to stage an intervention.
I, personally, am delighted that these two are so happy. I know we have our fantasies of SM and we truly believe that he is ours. But I’m thrilled that he always looks so happy whenever we see a photo of him or anything else for that matter. Happiness just radiates through the soul and eyes. And I see on the faces of them both. I think it’s their wonderful chemistry on the screen that keeps us mesmerized whenever they have a scene together.
But really Anna, can’t you share?
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I can agree with AB about how they really feel about each other judging from what I witnessed at the soccer game and then the brief encounter with them. I’ll say it’s been about two years and keeping their relationship out of the lime light to me is a logical.
They are professional actors and go to work everyday. Of course they have a beautiful chemistry.
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clearly, Stephen Moyer was given a fantastic opportunity with the outstanding writing and vision of Alan Ball on True Blood – he simply nails the role as an actor. Other than Ny-Lon, where I thought he was very good (and maybe Restraint), his other projects IMHO just did not seem to have the kind of writing that lets an actor thrive. But now I wonder – the mingling of personal and story line are so intertwined in True Blood with the Bill and Sookie characters, how much was due to acting skill and how much was the personal electricity coming through? Maybe it doesn’t matter — I love the show but I would also like to see him go on to success in other roles. And I think Alan Ball was rightfully alarmed initially I think – a relationship that blossoms and possibly self destructs during a season would likely not be good for the show.
And Ana – I thought the same thing when I read Alan Ball’s ‘uh-oh’ quote. I love that scene at Fangtasia!
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I truly believe Anna and Stephen are both down to earth people who are very much in love. I am so happy for them and very happy that Alan Ball came to realize how professional they both are on the show, how allowing the “love” between them to interfer with the show itself…. I mean really, what other stars do you know that would act so considerately? May they both have a very long and extremely happy relationship….. maybe TB will allow vampire marriages… we could watch Bill & Sookie get married on the show and MAYBE Anna & Stephen in real life… LOL ;-)
Thanks again for another great article! You never cease to amaze me!
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i understand AB’s initial misgivings… like if they break up, how would that effect the show? they’re grownups and know what they’re doing tho… and i like that SM knows the show is the star, i agree!
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“how much was due to acting skill and how much was the personal electricitycoming through?”
Personally, I think it’s Stephen and Anna’s real “thing” that shrough in their scenes. When I red ad tha rumors that they where dating when I started to watch the show, I just went “Of course!
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continuing
“Of course! It all make sense now!” lol I can’t imagine them not being together now and have that kinda of chemistry. You can’t fake that
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Honestly, did anybody NOT know this couple were dating? Alan Ball did, I’m sure the cast and crew did – hey, we all did. I just don’t know who they thought they were keeping it a secret from. If the show is the star, II just wonder why they suddenly went public, when it hasn’t even aired in the big UK market. Color me a tad mystified….
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Helen, completely speculative on my part, but it came out right before the soccer game fundraiser which Anna attended. Perhaps they were trying to prevent a circus by taking some of the air out of another photo scoop. Certainly they weren’t ignored, but the media wasn’t acting like there was blood in the water either.
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Maureen – that’s a very good point. Perhaps they were tired of creeping around trying to hide things. I was trying to remember how I first heard they were dating – was it because CH announced it on her website last fall? Or somewhere else?
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There was speculation from the beginning that they were dating but not making it “official” kind of put it on the back burner so to speak. I think it was the right thing to do at the time but really…. who do they think they were fooling?? It’s so obvious now given the chemistry they have together.
But AB Neg is right about Anna .. can’t you share- just for a night !!!! :)
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I also think the charity thing had some part in it why they came out with it. Also I think they where tired, like Maureen said, of hiding it. Imagine to go out with boyfriend/girlfriend and every time be worried if someone is seeing you. That can’t be fun, hehe
They got some attention on the charity event, but I’m glad they’re no Brangelina! Lol. So far they are mostly just known to people who watch True Blood. I guess that’s one advantage of being on HBO: Not everyone knows who you are
I read it on TWOP, btw, the rumours that they are dating :-)
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I don’t know, I’ve seen real-life couples have absolutely no on-screen chemistry before. I think it was just a lucky break for the show that they fell in love in real life and have such amazing on-screen chemistry – those don’t always go hand in hand.
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Well, I guess it depends on the couple, hehe
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I love Anna and Stephen as a couple, but Ball’s “Uh-oh” kinda concerns mean also when you look at Sookie’s story in the future (speaking as a book AND a show fan). I mean, unless Ball is planning to re-write the entire Sookie Stackhouse series instead of tweeks here and there, it’s going to be “tense” when Sookie and Eric have to have their “connections”. I guess this is where “truely great” acting will have to come into play. Personally, I think Anna is a LUCKLY woman….having a role where her love interests are Stephen Moyer as “Bill” and Alexander Skarsgard as “Eric”. I guess we’ll just have to see where Ball takes it and how far…
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Woodstock, I agree. I remember Anna making a comment about her favorite scenes were with the three of them as they couldn’t stop laughing. All three really do have great senses of humor and are down to earth so if there are any people who could handle it, it would be those three.
And I can’t wait to see what changes they are making to Alex’s Fabio look. It looked so fake, although that may have helped him in the running for the Thor lead.
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I can’t see Stephen and Anna’s real-life relationship making Alan Ball change his story plans. However, their on-screen chemistry could play a part in it. Both Alan Ball and Raelle Tucker (one of the show’s writers) have commented in print on the lightning-in-a-bottle type of chemistry that SM/AP have on the show and how it’s “extremely rare.” I would selfishly love for that to mean we keep Bill and Sookie as the central romance, but if/when the show deviates from that, I’m sure all will be professional about it.
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j
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oops
I don’t think Alan’s concerna had anything to do with if Sookie may or may not have a new love interest in the future, I think it had more to do with that he was concerned for the show if they happened to break up
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Ana, I was thinking the same thing when I read this; “Don’t say Uh-oh, writer-directors aren’t supposed to say Uh-oh!” lol!
I can certainly see AB’s concern with this deveplopement, if they didn’t work out it could cause some tention and problems on the set and with the show itself. I think what made things much better for everyone involved was/is the class that SM/AP have shown. They didn’t just think of themselves, they also have kept in mind how this relationship might effect the show and the other people who are appart of it too!
Thanks again Shad! You are the greatest!
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Hey Lynn, … no comment on this? Come on! I need another Stephen/Anna relationship hater here! I’m so alone.
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Why do you hate them??
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I’m just jealous, is all.
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Did anyone notice in the first episode when Sookie and Bill are in the woods talking and he asked her if she wanted to “drink the blood they collected”. He says “I hear it makes humans more healthy………improves your sex life” and Sookie says “I’m as healthy as a horse and I have no sex life to speak of so you can just keep it. Look at Anna at the end of that line, she is totally trying not to laugh. I believe it is because she really did have a sex life to speak of but she couldn’t. I kept wondering why they didn’t do a retake on that line, but I ‘m glad they kept it as is.
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Well, I had the feeling Sookie was nervous, talking about sex, only that. Do you know, they must have rehearsed those lines like a hundred times and I doubt anything there were not on purporse.
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I think Anna played Sookie like she was a bit embarrassed that she let such a personal detail slip to a total stranger. Kind of similar to the way she asks “What men?” during Bill’s second visit to Merlotte’s.
Civil War-era Bill actually found the one and only 25-year-old virgin in the modern world! LOL
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AB’s comment I think reflects his concern of a break-up and the negativity it would create on set. I’m sure AB now knows the level of professionalism both AP/SM conduct in their work that he does not have to worry.
As for Anna sharing, this is how I’ve worked it out:
Stephen belongs to Anna, Bill belongs to all of us. I think she’ll go for that!
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