Yesterday while the True Blood fans were only waiting for 9 o’clock to finally arrive, it’s leading man Stephen Moyer attended a special SAG screening of last season’s episode “Sparks Fly Out” in Los Angeles. The screening was followed by a Q&A with Stephen.
Actress Krizia Bajos attended the screening and wrote the follow report on the Q&A with Stephen.
“First off, he’s smashing with accents. With that convincing old Southern drawl, one would never suspect he had such a strong British accent.
He started his own theater company when he was only 17 years old and named it “The Reject Society”. Great name.
Stephen loves what he does. So much that he teaches what he’s learned to children. He insists to them to keep “play” alive during the acting process. That even if something “doesn’t work”, you can still use that feeling/emotion for another instance. Play with choices.
Before he landed True Blood, Stephen had lost two series, lost a tax rebate from a project in Australia (worth a nice chuck of change), and had his residence burglarized of memories and belongings. So, young grasshopper, whenever you think “it can’t get any worse”, you may have just hit the jackpot. Stay the course.
He shows appreciation to American Film Crews and how they complete 16-18 hours of work everyday without tire; and even when taking breaks, most are going over the scripts and engorging themselves into the story because of how much they love the show they work for. They show the same fervor for the project as the actors themselves. And that’s invigorating. Because of this, he shows the same respect for their work and instead of retiring to his trailer after his scenes, he sticks around. He likes the camaraderie with the crew. He enjoys learning every aspect of the production and watch everyone else. Especially since photography is his passion, he has a keen eye and is observant to everything that has to do with the camera.
At this point, the mediator receives a visual to end the session and thanks Stephen for his time. He graciously declines and says he has time for more questions. Which was a refreshing difference from other events and actors I’ve encountered.
He jokes on how many dogs are now named Sookie and when he’s run into their owners, they beg him to “call” for their dog. Which he then slapped on the Bill voice and slurred “come ‘ere Soookie”. Such a charmer.
Stephen also dished out some acting tips: When researching a new character, write down everything everyone else says about him/her, and also, what ‘you’ say about everyone else. You’d be surprised to learn a bit more when seeing the various perspectives.
Someone then asks how he’s handling the newfound fame. Stephen responds with explaining how he hasn’t done any publicity in 16 years, and that now, contractually, he must. He explains how that wasn’t why he got into acting. He wants to stay anonymous with his children and enjoy the outdoors with them, without worrying about what clothes he has on. Or if his knobby knees are going to end up on US Weekly. But he did end with this…
“There’s no other gig I’d rather be doing… I’m profoundly happy.” “For the first time in my life, I’m not chasing after anything, nothing out there I want. I’m not running away from anything because I’m not scared of anything”
That made me smile. I hope for the same one day.
Be sure to check out MY WEBSITE and add me on TWITTER”
Stephen refers to a recent article about him and Anna Paquin on US Weekly.
click to enlarge.
What a down to earth sincere man. True Blood picked the right man for the character of William Thomas Compton.
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Adorable as always. And I agree – a very down to earth person (who also has a sense of humour!). I can only imagine what it must be like to have your personal life splashed across the tabloids, much less your children’s faces.
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The more I read about Stephen Moyer the more I like him. He appears to be a genuinely nice and good person who deserves all he gets in life. I wish him nothing but the best. I so loved how he discussed the publicity aspect of his life now. It’s interesting because, as many know, his life has seemed somewhat secretive until now, with little information available, for example, his true date of birth, etc. I respect his privacy and hope that the paparazzi won’t drive him too crazy now that he is achieving real “fame”. What a wonderful person he is, and thanks to Krizia Bajos for providing such an interesting report of her experience. I enjoyed the read.
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i heart him more and more as we learn more and more about him. i love that he isn’t a fame seeker and that’s it’s really about the thrill of film/television making that interests him.
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I loved reading more about this most “perfect” (lynn) man. Is there anything that he’s not interested in? He’s a photographer too … a true renaissance man. Musical, artisic, and kind to every living creature.
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Stephen has met his mirror image.
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What a delightful, well rounded, engaging and charming man. This was a great article. And the extra on Anna and Stephen … icing on the cake.
Thanks so much for this.
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This is another great article. So refreshing to hear that he is not after publicity, but more for the love of his craft. More power to him. How sad for us though. He is so great on the publicity circuit.
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It is true. He is extremely down-to-earth. Such a lovely, lovely man. I can’t wait to meet him again.
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Shadaliza Reply:
June 16th, 2009 at 0:28
Yeah, yeah, yeah, rub it in.
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This might have also been a Pre Emmy screening (fingers crossed)
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A well written article! I think a big part of Stephen’s appeal is that he is not your typical attention-seeking actor but instead a real down to earth guy that shares the same simple values as we do.( and has a great sense of humor as well!) Its seems like he truly loves what he is doing and carries himself like a true professional. After seeing him twice in person I can also say he is very respectful of his fans and doesn’t mind taking time out for them.
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That paragraph at the end is so revealing – Stephen has been an actor for quite a while and is expressing the actor’s plight quite well. He’s happy to be working (as has been expressed by many others like Wm Sanderson, Nelsan, others), realizes this is a golden moment in his career, his personal life has fallen into place, he doesn’t have anything to prove any more — he’s just such a cool, contented guy!!Thanks, as always, for posting Shad!
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There’s nothing wrong with his knees they don’t look knobby to me at all.
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