Michelle Forbes as Maryann was interviewed by LastBroadcast.co.uk for the release of Season 2 on DVD in which she plays a key role of the maenad, Maryann. Here’s part of that interview:
Set the scene for you character Maryann…
When we meet Maryann in the first season we’re not quite sure what she’s up to. She’s this odd benefactor, and she’s got some odd fascination with Tara – it seems altruistic at times but then you have to question what it is. We also know that there’s some relationship with Sam but we don’t quite know what it is. Season two starts off with a bang for everyone – but Maryann’s agenda and her intentions and her quest are revealed over the course of time.
Did they tell you where it was all going when they gave you the part?
No! I had no idea where it was going. Not a clue. And no matter how much I sat there guessing I never came up with where it was heading at the season end. But when Alan [Ball] and I first met we had a few quick conceptual conversations about it. We discussed what a maenad is, had a brief discussion about Greek mythology and what have you. But it didn’t always line up to what was on the back of the page. You have that knowledge in the back of your head but then you open it up and you’re dancing to the B52s! So it was a wonderful riddle to try and figure out. It’s what actors live for – it’s an unusual story, we haven’t seen it before, and it’s just this whole other world. People don’t even know what a Maenad is. I certainly didn’t.
What is a Maenad then?
A Maenad is a female follower of the Greek God Dionysus. And they can get pretty wild. It was an enormous amount of fun to run around in evening dresses and bare feet and dance in the woods… and there are quite a few orgies involved.
Sounds like Maryann throws all the best parties…
She’s quite the hostess. I like to think that Maryann was there during all of those transgressive periods in time. That she was texting Caligula: what are you doing this evening? And that she had something to do with Woodstock as well – working everyone in to a frenzy.
Do viewers need to brush up on their Greek mythology to understand who Maryann is?
No. You learn about it as you go on. It is revealed through other characters: you don’t have to be a Greek scholar in order to get it.
How did you prepare to play what is essentially a mythical being?
I went to two different places. For some reason I went to Lydia Lunch who was a part of the whole punk subculture in New York in the 80s and who really had so much to do with breaking down all sorts of moral and ethical boundaries. And I watched a lot of Ken Russell films. Which was great fun – I hadn’t seen them in a while. I was just trying to really get in to the spirit of that abandon.
Would you say Maryann is evil?
I suppose you could say that. I could never see or play her as that because you can’t approach any character like that. And hand over heart I really didn’t get how evil she was until probably the last week of shooting. There was one scene of shooting that actually kind of turned my stomach. It was a scene where Eggs and I pull out a heart from Miss Janette. It’s in a flashback. It was really stomach churning. And then hearts and cookery – yuck! And I’m not going to say anymore or I’ll spoil it.
Click here to read the rest of the interview.
True Blood’s Michelle Forbes (Maryann) has been added to the list of attendees at the Dragon-Con which will be held from September 3 to September 6 in Atlanta, Ga. 
The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films has unveiled its selection of nominees for the 36th Annual Saturn Awards. On Thursday, February 18, the Academy revealed that True Blood, Stephen Moyer, Anna Paquin, Michelle Forbes and Alexander Skarsgård were among those receiving nominations in the television category.
