The Vault – TrueBlood-Online.com

Eric and Lafayette will meet in next weeks episode, here is what Alexander Skarsgård and Nelsan Ellis have to say about that to Eonline.com

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Marcia deRousse has been cast as Dr. Ludwig.

The casting call descibes Dr. Ludwig as a female LITTLE PERSON, she is a no-nonsense, take-charge medical healer who tends to a severely wounded Sookie (Anna Paquin). Clearly disdainful of Eric (Alexander Skarsgard), Dr. Ludwig is “no fan of the fang,” but tolerates vampires as their blood is of great value to her profession.

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Written by Shadaliza for The Vault

Alan Ball

Alan Ball promises us that True Blood’s sophomore season will be sexier, gorier and funnier but also deeper than what we have seen in the first 12 episodes of the HBO hit series. He feels that the show is really finding it’s identity in the upcoming season.

I participated in a conference call where Alan explained that the story is based for 50% on the books by Charlaine Harris, the other 50% is created by him and his team of writers, Brian Bruckner, Nancy Oliver, Raelle Tucker and Alexander Woo. The writers are as much a part of the show as Alan Ball is, it is like an organic collaboration.

The books by Charlaine Harris are all narrated by Sookie, it is basically Sookie’s story and the other characters only exist when they are in the room with her. Alan and his team stick pretty closely to the original material, they do make some changes where it helps to define the story, but they do however try to remain true to the spirit of the books.

About the writing process Alan says that they start each season with a book, pick the great moments they want to hang on to, spread it out over 12 episodes and then fill in the blanks.

Alan doesn’t feel like he needed to up the ante just to up the ante for season 2, but he adds: “I did feel like it was important to make Eric more frightening and show more of his monstrous side because as the season progresses we definitely will also see more of his more human side.”

The violence in the first two episodes is important to show that vampires are monsters or capable of being monsters and violent. The most evil character in the second season according to Alan is a vampire from Dallas.
It was also important to have a character, who will remain nameless, and who suffers from PTSD over the course of the season.
“You don’t want to have all of that horrible gore and the awful psychological experience just be okay for him the next day. That’s not the way it happens in real life”, Alan explains.

A big difference between the mysteries in season 1 and season 2 is that in the first season the audience didn’t know who the serial killer was and they were trying to figure it out at the same time Sookie was. In this season the audience knows there is a character that is up to no good and dangerous long before the characters on the show know it.

“A part of the show takes place in Dallas but not most of the show,” Alan continues. “There is a lot that goes on in Bon Temps. But definitely we choose to show a very different side of vampire culture. A lot of the show takes place in a hotel that caters to vampires which is very upscale. It’s a different look in Dallas. But while we are in the city, a lot also takes place at a leadership conference of the Fellowship of the Sun in a campground.”

The choice of music for these scenes reflects the difference between Dallas and small town Bon Temps, the music will be more urban and sophisticated. But overall the music will still be very Louisiana based.

There is a lot going on in season 2, which takes place in a timeline of only 12 days.

Bill and Sookie are a couple, but spend a lot of the time running for their lives and trying not to get killed and that leaves them no time to get into normal relationship problems. They basically are trying to get through the day without getting killed.

They do have time for some steamy sex scenes though.

“There is a scene”, Alan tells us. “Where Sookie and Bill make love in the first episode that basically on the page it said “Sookie and Bill make love.” Then I saw the dailies and saw the scene cut together, and I wasn’t there when they shot it, and I was like ‘Oh, wow! Ok.’ But you know, I love it and I think that’s what part of the appeal of the show is. I don’t think we do anything gratuitously. But it’s important to show there is this incredible, erotic chemistry between Sookie and Bill. These are two people who never thought they had any chance at a love affair and they found each other. There is something fantastic and mind-blowing about that. “

Alan doesn’t want to give away too much about the back stories of Bill and Eric, Bill has been alive for 173 years, so there is a lot to explore. We saw Bill’s transition to vampire last season, we will see some parts of Eric’s life that are very interesting and parts of Bill’s life that are very interesting.

Jessica was created after the writers had decided that it would be Bill that would stake Longshadow instead of Eric, the way it was in the book. Bill has been forced to do something that he would never ever wanted to do, the worst punishment for him was to have to turn another human being into a vampire. We will see how he deals with the new born vampire Jessica.

“Jason in the books is very much the hot guy in town,” Alan explains. “He basically is a total womanizer. Once we started to flesh him out, no pun intended, we started looking at him as sexually compulsive. What is that about and what is he hiding from? Ultimately in his core, Jason is a scared little boy that has been abandoned by everyone he has ever loved. It was fun playing the lothario, horn dog aspect of Jason last season along with getting involved in an addiction storyline and also having him fall in love or what he assumed was love. And then lose the woman that he loved. In the second season, he is very much aware of the deep hole in his soul and he’s looking for something to fill that. As many people do, he latches onto religion and becomes part of an organization that makes him feel special and that makes him feel good. But he is going to realize that the Fellowship of the Sun doesn’t really have anything to do with the fundamental message of Jesus. And let’s just say Jason can’t leave his clothes on too long.”

When asked about the real life relationship of his stars Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer, Alan answers:
“They are such professionals, both of them, that it doesn’t affect filming whatsoever. It only affects filming in the sense that they’re incredibly comfortable with each other and their chemistry translates to the screen. I’m very happy for both of them. They are both terrific people and they found somebody that they really want to be with. There’s nothing negative about it.”

There is no time for Alan to take on any other projects because he and his team of writers will start arching out season 3 while still in post-production of season 2 and he is planning to shoot the first episode prior to the Christmas. So they will be a little bit ahead of the game next year, because right now they are scrambling to get all the episodes done by the time they air.

“I’m really, really happy with season two,” Alan says. “I watched these episodes probably 40 or 50 times given the amount of time I spend in editing. I have only seen up to episode 8 and I really can’t say I have a favorite episode. I just love the show. I have seen those episodes so many times and I still love them.

Alan assures us that all his favorite moments from “Dead In Dallas”, the book on which season 2 is based, have found a place in the script. And he adds that he didn’t receive a note from HBO that there was too much sex and violence in his show.

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Popwarp interviewed Michelle Forbes

In the history of television, no character has ever had a more attention-grabbing introduction than Maryann, who first appeared naked on a dark road accompanied by an oversize pig. Getting into a car accident is an understandable reaction, Tara.

But that was just the first of many life loops Tara was thrown for after welcoming Maryann into her life. And that craziness won’t be slowing down any time soon — in fact, Maryann turns the volume up to 11 in the first handful of new “Trues.”

I’ve been a fan of Michelle Forbes’ for quite a while — but there is one hiccup on her resume I had to investigate during out conversation. In addition to that “24″ snafu, we chatted about Maryann’s master plan, why Tara is important to it and what it means for the entire town of Bon Temps!

PopWrap: With all the secrecy surrounding the show, what do you tell people about season two?
Michelle Forbes: Get ready pal! [laughs] Oooh boy, it’s insanely out of control. Buckle up and get a helmet!

PW: Maryann had a fabulous introduction on the show. What did you think when you read “discovered naked in the road with giant pig?”
Michelle: You know you’re in for one hell of a ride! When that is your entrance, you know it will be anything but boring!

PW: She is still something of a mystery. All we know is that Maryann needs Tara. Is that accurate?
Michelle: Tara is the conduit into the rest of the town for Maryann. The mystery will play out over the season. You don’t quite know where it’s going or what her agenda is — but when it gets revealed, it’s heavy!

PW: That’s the thing about Maryann that’s so great, she’s so mysterious, I question everything she does and says.
Michelle: Exactly, you don’t know what her agenda is. What the writers have come up with — and how it all comes together in the end — is very clever.

PW: A lot of people keep going back to that weird vibration thing she did in season one, was that an isolated thing?
Michelle: Oh no. Maryann’s vibrations are really integral to who she is. You’ll see it happen again.

PW: It was also vaguely revealed that Maryann and Sam know one another — will we get more info on their relationship?
Michelle: The Sam and Maryann stuff start off pretty immediately. The question of who they were to each other in the past starts to get answered in the first episode. Maryann has her sights sort of set on Sam.

PW: Season two really gets bigger in scope. Is that true for Maryann as well?

Michelle: The whole town just blows open this year. It’s like four autonomous storylines that spin off and become their own little hurricanes. If you think of the show like a gas cooker, it’s like all four burners are turned up full force.

PW: When did you first become aware of “True Blood”?
Michelle: Reading the script was my introduction to this world — the vampire genre had no appeal to me before this. But then, “True Blood” isn’t about vampires. Charlaine [Harris, the book's author] and Alan [Ball, series creator] have created this unusual town and it’s off that it’s presented as a vampire show because it’s really about this town. Sure vampires are a part of it, but Sookie is telepathic and…

PW: Maryann is a Maenad — that’s out there, right?
Michelle: Yeah, Alan’s spoken about that being who she is, but people are still unclear as to what that is.

PW: Care to elaborate?
Michelle: [silence]

PW: OK, suffice it to say we’ll have to decide whether Maryann is a good witch, or a bad witch?
Michelle: [laughs] Oh, I love that — it’s perfect, and totally true!

PW: On a slightly unrelated note, I am a huge fan of “24″ and it’s always bothered me that your character in season two, Lynne Kresge, was thrown down a stairwell and never heard from again — sup with that?
Michelle: [laughs] It’s so funny, everyone says to me, “she could come back!” But it’s like how, in a wheelchair with a straw hanging out of her mouth, maimed and … I have no idea. I did feel like that storyline had run its course, but they do have a habit of not finishing storylines, don’t they?

PW: That year they did — maybe season eight’s big reveal will be that Lynne is the big bad!
Michelle: Exactly! And I don’t want to speak ill of other shows, but “Battlestar Galactica” never dropped a storyline and we’re only in season two of “True Blood” but they haven’t done that either. I have to say, that’s where the truth of storytelling comes out.

PW: You do seem to keep working on shows with sprawling casts.
Michelle: Absolutely. And like with “Battlestar,” a lot of the minor players on “True Blood,” the people who are only there for one or two episodes, become an integral part of the show. And it commits to the environment. It commits to the town. It really gives the viewers a full body perspective of what that world is and it honors the intelligence and investment of the audience. I’m really proud of our writers in that regard.

PW: How do you think season two stacks up to season one?
Michelle: I think you’ll be really pleased. I really do. It gets very interesting. Every time I open up a script, it’s like Christmas.

PW: Where the presents slap you in the face?
Michelle: Exactly! [laughs] You’re a little trepidatious because you don’t know what the writers are going to ask of you that week, but I’m always astounded by what I read!

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Eonline brings us this video with interview clips with Anna and Stephen and a clip from the first episode of Season 2.

Click image to watch the video

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TVSquad interviewed Stephen Moyer

First of all, I love True Blood. I’m such a huge fan, and I tell everyone to watch it. I love Alan Ball and everything he’s done.

He’s amazing, isn’t he? I think that what Alan has done so cleverly with our show is create something that’s about blood and vampires, but he’s found yet another forum to talk about human relationships. The fact that there’s blood and sex and violence … they’re just a sideline to the fact that it’s ultimately a show about individuals and how they relate to each other.

What can you tell us about the upcoming season?

Well, it’s difficult to know where to begin, but if you went to book two in the series, you could get an idea of what the story is about. What Alan has done is create storylines for Sookie’s brother, Jason, and her friend Tara. He’s also created different storylines for my character and Sam. So we almost have four different storylines this year. Bill and Sookie go to Dallas to try and solve an issue over there while something very dark happens in Bon Temps.

At the end of the first season, we saw that Bill and Sookie were very close again. They kind of found each other after being apart. We start the season with them much more on a united front and going off to problem solve together. I can’t really tell you what happens in Dallas or Bon Temps, but it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen. It’s so funny because every time the scripts arrive in their brown envelopes, everyone runs off to read them — the grips, the DP, the camera operator, the guys who do all of the rigging … they do it on their coffee breaks. These are guys that do 18-hour days.

Just looking at the trailer and the clips on the HBO site … just awesome. I mean, that trailer is better than most trailers you’d see for a feature film.

Even the promo that we did, the one with the Bob Dylan music over the top … he offered that track up from his new album for us. That’s unbelievable.

Is Bob Dylan a fan of the show?

Apparently so. I mean, if you’re going to have a fan, you might as well have Bob Dylan.

I know you can’t tell me this, but I have to ask. Is Lafayette still alive?

I can’t answer that. You don’t want me to spoil it!

I really don’t, but I had to ask. Will the love triangle with Sookie, Bill, and Sam continue?

I think it’s safe to say that at the end of season one, we saw that Bill and Sookie had come back together. I think that’s your answer.

Okay, let’s move on to Jessica. At the end of last season, it seemed like she was going to be under the guidance of Eric. But in the promo for this season, it looks like she’s back with you.

She’s back with me, and Deborah [Ann Woll], who plays that part, is absolutely extraordinary. What they’ve done is brilliant, because Bill lost his children, obviously. I’m sure if Bill had dreamed of a way to get his children back, it wouldn’t have been in the form of a bratty or virginal psychopathic daughter.

That’s one of the great things about Alan. He doesn’t give his characters what they want. He creates conflict. This year the love triangle will be there, but it’ll be something else. Because who wants to watch two people being ridiculously happy?

So true. That’s the thing with both Six Feet Under and True Blood. Alan never takes the easy way out, and as viewers, we love that.

Conflict is drama, and how people deal with conflict shows you the kind of people they are. We fall in love and then something happens that changes our opinion of somebody, for better or worse. You think, “Oh, I didn’t think my love would have reacted like that.” That’s what Alan’s writing is about, I think.

What’s it like playing a vampire? People are always fascinated by them, but right now we’re in a big vampire trend with Twilight and True Blood. Is it fun being on the wave of that trend?

It is! I know this sounds like a weird thing to say, but I don’t think of our show as being a vampire show. It’s about relationships. My character is 173 years old, and while his physicality hasn’t changed, hopefully he’s learned from all of the things that happened in his life and that have gone wrong. So I try to think about that kind of thing.

I must be weird for the person playing opposite you. Obviously, they know you’re not a vampire, but if somebody is coming at your neck with fangs, it seems like it would be kind of freaky for them.

We were just shooting a scene last night, where I bare my fangs at a young actress. And she was like, “Oh my god, they’re like real. Oh god. I’m not going to have to act this!” But it’s pretty full-on, some of our stuff. We don’t muck about. It’s pretty darn sexy.

I haven’t read the books, so I don’t have any preconceived notions. But I know people who’ve read the books and don’t like the series because it’s nothing like the books. What would you say to those people?

That’s interesting. I haven’t had that sentiment from anyone. My experience has been that those who’ve read the books are wise enough to realize that things have to be different. The books are specifically from Sookie’s point of view, and the show isn’t just about Sookie. Alan has very cleverly created six incredible characters to relate to. We’re not doing CSI. This is a drama about how vampires being in our society affects everybody.

And really, books and TV shows are two different animals.

Right, I’ve never been somebody who wanted to read a book and then see it enacted in front of me. When I read “Harry Potter,” I don’t want to then go and see Harry Potter shot frame to frame. I don’t understand the point of it. Honestly, I would much rather read the book. If somebody is going to put something in front of me, I want it to be different.

Is True Blood a fun show to work on?

It’s a great show to work on! Honestly, I am having the most fun I’ve ever had on a TV show. It’s funny. It’s dark. It’s twisted. It’s odd and intelligent. And it’s an extraordinary bunch of people. We’re a very odd, sort of dysfunctional, weird, little family. We all love each other, and that goes for the crew, too. It’s a blessed place to be.

One last question: What’s better – a vampire or a shapeshifter?

Personally, if I could do either? Shapeshifter. Can you imagine being able to shift? And I’d miss the sunlight and being able to go out during the day.

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Interview with Anna Paquin on IGN by Matt Fowler

IGN TV: I actually had a chance to see a few episodes of the new season and I have to say; I liked it even better than Season 1.

Anna Paquin: Why thank you!

IGN: Were you aware of the Charlaine Harris book series before you got the role as Sookie?

Paquin: No. I read it when I was auditioning because I wanted to know as much as I could know and have as much of an advantage as possible. Any insights, you know. Because all we got was the pilot script when all of us were auditioning for the roles. But then I read further on. So I’ve read about three of them. But there are so many and she keeps writing more and more. I can’t keep up.

IGN: Yeah, I think her ninth book just came out.

Paquin: I know, right.

IGN: Speaking to that. Since there are nine books now, there’s plenty of source material for your series to go on for years and years. Is this show something you could see yourself doing for a long time?

Paquin: I would do this job as long as people still want to watch it. I mean, I love it.

IGN: What can you tell me about Season 2? What’s Sookie going to be up to? I know she heads to Dallas.

Paquin: Well, yeah. We head to Dallas. There’s some business with the Fellowship of the Sun church and a missing vampire sheriff. And there’s a lot of big and weird and scary stuff happens there, and…I don’t know how to describe it without giving away major plot points.

IGN: All the series regulars – all you guys were pretty much together last season. With Merlotte’s acting as the hub. This season, a few of you stray off from the pack. Sookie and Bill. Jason. How did it feel to be apart from the rest of your troupe?

Paquin: It’s weird. We were, literally, an ensemble last season and we all worked together all the time. And those were some of my closest friends and favorite people. So it was kind of weird, now, only seeing them at the table reads. But as the season goes on, the plotlines start to fold back into each other. Or explode on each other, if you like. Eventually, everyone comes back to the same playing field. But yeah, it was a little weird.

IGN: Were you ever uncomfortable with the amount of nudity or gore heading into the series? Was it something you had to get used to, or were you “all in?”

Paquin: I was “all in.” I mean, I’d read the books. I’d read the pilot. There was no pretending that it was anything else than what it was. If it wasn’t my thing then I wouldn’t have even auditioned.

IGN: Has anyone ever come up to you and been upset about some of the changes that were made for the TV show from the books?

Paquin: No. I mean, no one’s brought that up to my face. I’m sure if you’re curious there’s loads of blogs or whatever that you can find online where people rant about that kind of stuff. People tend to be really positive with me though.

IGN: What’s it like being a part of a popular vampire show that’s really geared toward adults? Where there’s none of that “chastity” stuff?

Paquin: Well, I’m an adult so…(laughs)…it feels appropriate. The issues of chastity and the “will they/won’t they” resisting thing is kind of a stage of life that I’m not really at anymore. I personally like it to be a little more “out there” and raunchy. We get to do all kinds of odd things, and push the boundaries. And I like that, because that’s the kind of television that I like to watch. But also, I wouldn’t, say, let my young kid watch True Blood. If I had one. It’s all about what age demographic you’re gearing your show toward. There’s gotta be something for everyone, right?

IGN: The character of Jessica wasn’t in the books. She was added in at the end of Season 1 and she plays a big role in Bill and Sookie’s relationship. Can you tell us a bit more about that?

Paquin: It’s a real opportunity for Bill and Sookie to either be strengthened as a couple, or for it to cause problems. It adds a kind of, often very funny, and very odd dynamic to them. Essentially they become adoptive parents. Because she’s this brand new vampire who doesn’t have a clue as to what she’s doing, or how it all works really. She’s still learning. And I thought it was a genius addition, and Deborah (Ann Woll), who plays her, is breathtakingly good. I mean, she’s fantastic. I love it.

IGN: We’ve heard that this series is going to follow, in its own way, the love triangle story with Sookie, Bill and Eric. What can you say about that?

Paquin: Eric, from the get go, has wanted Sookie. If for no other reason than because he’s used to women throwing themselves at him and she doesn’t. And that she’s taken. He’s got a fascination for her ability to “not care about him.” And also, because he just wants to mess with Bill. I think it’s an interesting thing to throw in there because it’s not exciting to watch a couple who’s just good and “smooth sailing.” Because real life’s not like that. And on vampire shows, you’ve gotta come up with weird vampire stuff to happen to your couple. (laughs) Again, it’s an opportunity for them to become closer or, wait and see, you know…have challenges. Plus, a lot of it’s in the books.

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Sam Trammell and Rutina Wesley talk about True Blood’s Season 2 on KTLA morning chat on June 11, 2009

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FEATURES: Maryann Forrester (Michelle Forbes), Tara Thornton (Rutina Wesley), Lettie Mae Thornton (Adina Porter)
SET UP: Maryann meets Tara’s mother for the first time and stands up for Tara telling her she is a mother devoid of human compassion.

FEATURES: Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), and Jessica Hamby (Deborah Ann Woll)
SET UP: Bill explains to Sookie the process of transforming Jessica into a vampire. Jessica learns that it was because of Bill saving Sookie that she had to be turned into a vampire as reparation for the one he had destroyed.

FEATURES: Rev Steve Newlin (Michael McMillian) and Sarah Newlin (Anna Camp), Orry Dawson (Michael Bofshever), Jason Stackhouse (Ryan Kwanten)
SET UP: Jason is introduced by Orry to the famous Fellowship of the Sun leaders, the Newlins. He explains to them how he has been saved and feels God has a purpose for him. He tells them that their teachings having brought him from the darkness to the light.

FEATURES: Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) and Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgard)
SET UP: Eric tells Bill that his maker, Godric, is missing in Dallas. He needs Bill and Sookie to accompany him on a trip. He needs Sookie for this, and tells Bill that he will be taking her with or without Bill’s consent.

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