Anna Paquin talks about how Sookie can take down Pam even though she doesn’t look like it.
Todd Lowe talks about the difficulties Terry and Arlene face.
According to Michael McMillian his character Rev. Steve Newlin is thrilled to be brought into the Authority at such a young age.
Chris Bauer talks about Andy and Holly and how he attempts to move the relationship to the next level.
source: HBO Go
Michael McMillian explains how his character Steve Newlin just loves power.
But being power obsessed doesn’t mean he doesn’t like a good party. The Steve Newlin dancing scene was hilarious! Michael explains his moves.
Sweet Moves
Michael McMillian on Steve’s sweet dance moves:
“Basically, I used what I learned from many years of training in the Martha Graham school of dance. Just kidding. It was improvised on set. I just did whatever I felt would annoy Jessica the most, since Steve is trying to get her goat. Even though I have no formal training, I do like to dance at parties and weddings and tried to bring it as best I could.”
source HBO Go
Gif source Iamhereforsookie
True Blood’s Michael McMillian admits that he always thought Reverend Steve Newlin was “carrying a torch” for Jason Stackhouse, and viewers finally saw this play out in a positively hilarious scene from Season 5′s opening episode, “Turn, Turn, Turn.” Last night in Episode 2, he even offered $10,000 if Jessica would give him up.
Below Michael answers questions about the new vampire that is Steve Newlin.
“Shooting that was just fun,” McMillian told TV Fanatic.
“Ryan [Kwanten] and I love working together. He’s an actor I can try anything with and vice versa. We spend most of our time trying to crack each other up, and then trying not to laugh as a result.”
But even though the scene was True Bloody in nature – over the top, humorous, full of nudity – McMillian said those involved wanted to “make sure Steve was coming from a real place.”
“This is really something he’s been struggling with,” the star said. “We never really saw Steve’s inner life on Season 2. You were seeing the public figure and wondering what is going on with him. So it’s fun and kind of a relief as an actor to play a scene where his soul is coming out.“
McMillian, who co-writes the True Blood comic book, found out near the end of Season 4 that he’d be returning, as creator Alan Ball simply said, We’re gonna turn you into a vampire.
“I thought it was great!” McMillian laughed. “Anyone who plays a human would love to get supernatural powers at some point.“
Now what, though? We know Steve has serious feelings for Jason, but does he also have a larger agenda?
“We really can’t trust a lot of what Steve was saying in that moment,” the actor said, referring to his speech to Jason about how he was turned. “It was a mixed bag of truth and lies… he’s definitely in love with Jason. He’s coming after him. As for where he falls into the larger vampire picture, you’ll see as the season goes along.”
Overall, Steve Newlin deals with some seriously controversial topics (religion, sexuality), but the actor says he has “no fear” at all tackling them and the character is “integral to the satirical theme” of the series.
“What interested me was exploring how much of the old Steve still holds water. How much has he changed now? Has he changed his beliefs? Was he always just repressing? The season as a whole takes on the concept of religious beliefs and how God can be used as an excuse for a lot of different behavior. I see Steve as an avatar for that.”
source: tvfanatic.com
For me, the funniest scene of last week’s premiere episode of Season 5 was when Rev. Newlin declared his love to Jason. Learn more below about how that scene from the director of the episode Dan Minahan who talks about how Michael McMillian playing Rev. Newlin as a vampire and that he had to adjust to the fangs. Also hear Ryan Kwanten talk, in the video, about how he told Michael he could pretty much do as he wished including licking him.
Fang Novice: Director Dan Minahan talks new vampire fang strategy:
“Michael was excited to have fangs but he was kind of a novice at them, so he would tend to overuse them in a “Blacula’ kind of way. We tried to encourage him to use them more simply. But he’s a new vampire. So he was kind of feeling it out?
source: HBOgo.com
Cast members who have worked with Stephen Moyer as a director on True Blood have been complimenting him a lot for his directing talents. Recently, I interviewed both Janina Gavankar and Carolyn Hennesy and both praised his skills. Even Lauren Bowles tweeted about it. When I met Alexander Woo at a party, he also said Stpehen will be great in the job and we posted about it here. Now, Giana Sobel from Inside True Blood’s Blog asked Michael McMillian, who plays Steve Newlin, what it’s like to work with Moyer in such a different capacity (as the director of Season 5, Episode 8) and he had quite a bit to say:
“It’s clear Stephen has a deep appreciation for these characters and a need to dig into things a little deeper than usual to find the truth in each scene. He has a natural talent for directing. He’s really in his element behind the camera and brings a playful and wicked sense of humor with him. It was fun working with him. I felt like the parents had left town and our cool big brother was in charge of all us kids. He took his role seriously, but still managed to throw us a party.”
source: Inside True Blood Blog
See Alcide and Rev. Steve Newlin tonight in the show Cookin’ With Gas at the Groundlings on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles.
It’s not the first time that Michael appears in the show, he also took part in October of last year. Joe is tonight’s special guest star.
Since 1992 The Groundlings Main Company, Alumni and Sunday Companies have played together every Thursday night in the all-improv explosion that has become almost as much of an institution as the Groundlings Theatre itself! Based entirely on audience suggestions, the comic daredevils invent custom-made satire and song. Each week features a new surprise guest.
For more info visit the Groundlings website.
UPDATE: we heard from Michael McMillian that Joe won’t be able to make it tonight. Sorry folks.
Yesterday, HBO sent out some great photos of cast members appearing in True Blood Season 5. One of those photos was of Michael McMillian as Reverend Steve Newlin, but very surprisingly he was bearing vampire fangs.
You may remember that in one of the last scenes of Season 4, we saw Jason open his door to find Rev. Newlin waiting outside, who immediately clicked open his fangs. Now this new photo has been released from HBO with Michael sporting the pointy teeth.
Michael McMillian- Photo John P. Johnson/HBO
When I saw the scene last summer, so many questions ran through my head and when I saw this photo yesterday, even more came to mind, such as:
Learning the answer to these questions is only the tip of the iceberg of questions I have about the new season. However, the good news is we won’t have to wait too much longer before we find out all the answers since True Blood Season 5′s first episode will air on June 10, just a little over a month away.
Tell us what you think about Reverend Newlin by leaving a comment below, is he vampire or human?
And, it might be fun to also find Michael on Twitter and tell him what you think at: @McMillzz
True Blood’s Michael McMillian wrote, directed and produced the short film Charlie 13 for Futurestates.tv. What do you think it would be like to live in a world where all 13 year old’s a tracking implant injected in them? Find out in this futuristic vision of what that would be like.
On the eve of his 13th birthday, will Charlie Tuttle submit to a government-mandated tracking implant, or answer a more dangerous call to adventure?
Here’s the film:
http://futurestates.tv/episodes/charlie-13
Here’s a photo of Michael taking a picture on the set:
Learn more and watch a behind the scenes video with Michael where he talks about his idea of the film and how it came to be:http://futurestates.tv/episodes/charlie-13
Michael McMillian wrote, directed and produced the short film Charlie 13 for Futurestates.tv.
Set against the back drop of the not too distant future, CHARLIE 13 is a coming of age story of one boy growing up in “North American Union” under a law that enforces all children to be micro-chipped on their thirteenth birthday.
On the eve of his thirteenth birthday, Charlie Tuttle is caught by a NAU police officer looking out for “deserters” – individuals living off the grid considered to be terrorists- on the outskirts of town. Charlie’s mother, Emma, makes her son promise to step in line, but Charlie’s adventurous spirit is called into action when he discovers a secret from his past.
Charlie’s world is quickly turned upside down as he reexamines authority, family, and the trappings of the civilized adult world. Will Charlie “step in line” as promised, or answer the call to adventure on more dangerous horizons?
Watch it on April 24 on http://futurestates.tv/episodes/charlie-13
Like Charlie 13 on Facebook.
Independent Television Service (ITVS) asked both renowned and emerging filmmakers to take the current state of affairs in the United States, and extrapolate them into stories of the nation in the not-so-distant future.
The result is FUTURESTATES, a series of groundbreaking digital shorts. Each episode presents a different filmmaker’s vision of American society projected forward, fusing an exploration of social issues with elements of speculative and science fiction.
True Blood’s Michael McMillian returns to G4′s Fresh Ink Online with Host Blair Butler for reviews of Daredevil, All-New Spider-Man, Fatale, Amazing Spider-Man, Action Comics, Twelve, Swamp Thing, and Danger Club. As True Blood fans know, Michael is the writer of not only many of the True Blood comic books, but he is also about to have his own comic, “Lucid,” produced by Warner Brothers.
