Today TVLine, published an interesting quote from Stephen Moyer about his investment in what viewers think of his character, Bill Compton, especially now that Bill changed so much in Season 5 into something we’re still trying to figure out.
When Tara Ausiello asked how Stephen felt about Bill possibly inflicting physical harm on Sookie next season — perhaps even worse than the smackdown he gave Jessica in the penultimate S5 episode — Stephen said,
“If that’s dramatically compelling and fun and great to watch, then so be it. That’s awesome. One has to stop worrying about how one’s character is perceived. I think we all probably had a point in the series where you did worry about the public persona of our character. But I stopped worrying about that in Season 2. That’s not to say I don’t care. What I mean is you’re going to stop playing something authentically if you’re worried about how it’s going to be perceived.”
I understand what he’s saying … you have to concentrate on developing the character and not worry about how he-she will be perceived by the audience. However, since we’re talking perception, I’ll share that my perception of the “new” Bill Compton is not a happy one.
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I agree somewhat….but Bill is the same in the last book as he was in the first book…going into season 6, honestly, if all the characters haven’t had change, it will be rather boring…unless you did a “24″ type show, when it would only be 1 day per episode..
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Shadaliza Reply:
September 19th, 2012 at 23:41
with a few skips here and there that is basically what they are doing.
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I don’t mind some character change. It is inevitable in a long-running series. But this change was draconian.
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Willkill4Bill Reply:
September 20th, 2012 at 9:39
I agree. This change was extreme to say the least even for TrueBlood.
I also agree actors can’t be overly concerned about audience reaction because it will deminish their performance, something
Stephen would never allow to happen.
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I think Stephen is dedicated to his acting and this statement shows that. He is the reason I watch True Blood and will continue to watch into Season 6. He is mesmerizing on the screen. I look forward to what Stephen will bring us in Season 6 and hope to see some glimpses of Bill struggling to come back…Thank you for the magnificent profile shot!
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I agree with what SM said, it is not an actor’s job to worry about how the audience will react to any character. They are there to do their best with the material they are given, and SM has done a masterful job in all 5 seasons. If they all worried about how the fans react to any show, then they would be too worried about that to concentrate on giving us their best in the acting department.
Now we the viewing public, the fans of any show, we can and we do react to what we see on the screen, and that is our job. I think everyone involved in show business realizes this.
It’s the writers who have done this to Bill, and they need to make his redemption a priority in S6, IMO.
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