We didn’t get to see that much of Jim Parrack’s ‘Hoyt’ in True Blood’s first season. He was the shy friend of Jason, working the road crew and hanging out in Merlotte’s with his buddies. I was very happy to see that Jim got the chance to flesh out Hoyt more in the second season and giving him some much needed romance and lovin’ with Jessica. A relationship that quickly became very popular with the fans.
Hollywood Crush MTV caught up with the Jim in Shreveport, Louisiana where’s he’s filming the alien invasion flick “Battle: Los Angeles” alongside Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez and Bridget Moynahan.
When Jim signed on to Alan Ball’s sexy saga, he had no idea Hoyt would be getting a juicier storyline come season 2. In fact, he didn’t know much about his character at all. The actor’s never read the “Sookie Stackhouse” novels on which the series is based, mostly to keep his character original, so when it came time to embody Hoyt, Jim wasn’t sure what to do.
“In the beginning, I think the way it was going was a friend of Jason’s that had a tough time with the girls, but I think more because he was sort of this dumbass jerk,” Jim explained. “I wasn’t certain, and when we shot the pilot I asked Alan who is it that I’m playing here. We didn’t have a really clear idea, except that we had a few clues. I was spending some time with the Rattrays in the beginning. There was some reference to me buying weed from them or selling weed to them. It was kind of a different kind role, and I didn’t know what to do with it. So finally in the pilot episode there’s a scene where Sookie comes over and asks Hoyt what happened to her brother. And I said to Alan, maybe the reason this guy doesn’t do so well is because he’s innocent and shy. We tried it and everyone really liked it.”
Initially no ladies’ man, Hoyt has become lucky in love thanks to teenage girl-turned adorably mischievous vampire Jessica. But if you’ve watched the second-to-last episode of the season, you know all is not well between the lovebirds after a livid Jessica took a bite out of Mama Fortenberry’s neck. So what will become of the two in next week’s season finale? Jim was—not surprisingly—tight-lipped, simply saying, “Something will happen. There will be a finale.” Uh, hanks for the scoop, Jim.
Though the pair has their problems, Jim said their unlikely romance is his favorite storyline this season on “True Blood” (and he assured us he’d still feel that way even if he weren’t playing Hoyt). “As outrageous as it sounds to have, you know, a newly turned vampire fall in love with a 28-year-old guy who lives with his mother, it seems like it’s one of the more grounded storylines,” he said with a laugh. Something else Jim is enjoying is Eric’s transition from rivaled baddie to fan favorite.
“It kind of came out of nowhere,” Jim marveled. “It was so strategic. Starting the season off with getting the haircut so the Euro-weirdo vampire is more accessible right from the get-go. And he’s such a good-looking guy, such a charming guy; it’s hard when he does the littlest turn of kindness. It’s hard not to want to get on board.”
Thanks to his mesmerizing performance as vampire Eric, actor Alexander Skarsgård has become a bit of a target for the paparazzi and was even asked a few months ago by TMZ what he thought of that other hit vampire franchise (“I think they’re cute,” was his response). Though Alex and costar Stephen Moyer have both taken playful jabs at “Twilight,” Jim’s stayed out of the kerfuffle, largely because he’s never heard of the phenomenon! “I live in L.A. so I’m sure I’ve seen the bilboards and stuff for it,” he surmised. “I guess I don’t know quite what it is enough to draw a comparison [to 'True Blood'].” Thankfully for Jim, many of Hollywood’s heavy hitters are familiar with his vampire tale, making it a lot easier to catch casting’s attention.
In addition to “Battle: Los Angeles,” Jim has written a script based on the biblical tale of the prodigal son that he’d like to produce with friends from his acting school Playhouse West and actress-wife Ciera Parrack. But in order to do that, Jim will have to find time between “True Blood” and the Hollywood roles that will be flying his way thanks to his portrayal of lovable loner Hoyt.
I’m not sure how they go from talking about Hoyt to talking about Alex/Eric… Anyway I’m glad they decided to go with the innocent, shy Hoyt and not the drug dealer guy, lol. I can’t wait to see how things turn out between Hoyt and Jessica. Hopefully we will be able to see them interact before the finale.
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I know I’ve been delighted with the Hoyt-Jessica hook up. They are not in a good place right now, and I’m eager to see what happens to their relationship in the finale. Innocent, shy Hoyt is definitely making some life-style changes and hopefully will be getting out from under mama’s thumb. Very nice interview with Jim. Thanks for posting, Shad.
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There have been episodes this year when the Hoyt/Jessica story was the absolute highlight for me. I love what he’s done with the character…so sweet, trusting and loyal, even to mama. I hope he doesn’t remain the “lovable loner” next season. Someone on the show needs to be happy!
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I love Hoyt!!!! I hope him and Jessica get back together :)
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I have enjoyed watching Hoyt grow up and come out of his shell. What a sweetheart. Jim Parrack has made Hoyt a deep, rich character that really holds his own in this cast.
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Hoyt is wonderful. I am so pleased to see his character become more than just Jason’s pal. Jim is so talented and I adore the pairing of Hoyt and Jessica. Hopefully they will be together again.
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I agree with everyone’s comments. Jim Parrack made an inspired choice to play Hoyt as shy and innocent. It makes Hoyt one of the most lovable characters on TV (let alone on True Blood), and has made the Hoyt/Jessica romance irresistible.
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