True Blood’s Arlene, Carrie Preston talks to TVWise about her role on True Blood, and the end of the show after seven seasons.
TVWise: Your character Arlene has definitely gone through her ups and downs over the seasons, have you enjoyed playing this rollercoaster ride?
Carrie Preston: One of the things that we love as actors is having some kind of journey. The writers have given me a very interesting, complicated, funny and sometimes tragic evolution. It’s been a wonderful experience to be able to play a role for seven years and see her grow and experience her in many different situations. It has been extremely rewarding.
TVWise: Looking back at Arlene from the very beginning to where she is now, what do you think has been her biggest transformation?
Carrie Preston: Well, she certainly has become more tolerant and accepting of things that are indefinable or things that are challenging or different than her. I think she was pretty narrow-minded at the beginning of the series. I think she has become more open to differences so to me, that would be the biggest change.
TVWise: True Blood is one of those shows were any character could die at any time; were you nervous every time you read a script?
Carrie Preston: I certainly was nervous before each season began. They usually knew who they were going to be letting go at the beginning of the season. Most people were told at the beginning of the season that their character was going to go. Luckily Arlene remains one of the last humans standing and I don’t think the show works unless you have humans to contextualize all the supernatural elements. I felt like I was relatively safe, but no one was ever safe on the show.
TVWise: How does it feel now that True Blood is coming to an end?
Carrie Preston: We’ve already shot the final episode, so we are done and all the sets have been taken down. It’s really very profound to experience a loss of not only great storylines and great characters, but great friendships. Of course, we will all probably run into each other again during the course of our careers, that’s just the nature of the business. This particular chemistry is now in our memories and that is really sad. There were a lot of tears that were shed as we were all saying goodbye to this show and to each other. Especially the crew who are there sometimes eighteen hours a day and that’s a really shocking thing to be the new kid at school again on the next gig or looking for the next gig. It’s a big dose of reality but we are all gypsies and we understand that is the nature of the business. It doesn’t mean that it isn’t still painful.
TVWise: Arlene had an amazing near death scene in tonight’s episode, how did you prepare for that emotional scene?
Carrie Preston: I start with the words and the script and what the writer is asking me to do. Then there is a great amount of collaboration with the director and other actors. In that case, we had a lot of actors in that scene and we also had stunts. There was a lot that went into that five or six minutes which took us around fourteen hours to shoot. Luckily, I have a great amount of trust and chemistry with all the other actors in the scene with me. It was wonderful having Todd Lowe back because I love him and love working with him. I love the connection between Terry and Arlene. That particular moment, when she pretty much dies and sees Terry, was not that difficult to tap into. The same goes with the scene with Anna Paquin, who is just a consummate professional and a brilliant actor, who has an amazing ability to tap into emotions. So, looking at her and connecting with her really fueled me in that scene.
TVWise: Did that scene give Arlene closure with Terry?
Carrie Preston: Yes, I think that is what was so lovely about it because his death was so violent and sudden. They really didn’t have a moment to connect and for him to bless her and tell her to live her life. So, she hasn’t really been able to move on.
TVWise: Why do you think True Blood has connected so much with the fans?
Carrie Preston: I think it has an unprecedented alchemy of drama, comedy and horror. So, you have those all melded together and I think there is a little something for everyone. Also, it’s a very attractive cast which doesn’t hurt and also it’s a very adult show, so the envelope can be pushed and I think our audience relishes that.
TVWise: Do you think it was time for True Blood to end? Were you pleased it was able to go out on its own terms?
Carrie Preston: I think that is always a good idea because if the writers don’t know when they are going to end, then they don’t know how to tell the long story. They end up having to tread water through several episodes because they don’t want to reach the conclusion before it’s time. The fact that they knew that had this one season to really wrap up all the storylines; they were blessed to know that they had ten episodes in which to do that. I think they were able to execute that in a very satisfying way.
TVWise: What will you miss most about playing Arlene Fowler?
Carrie Preston: I feel so comfortable now playing her that I am going to miss that sense of ease that I have playing a role like that. Many times you don’t get that much time with a character so you always feel like you are trying to catch up or you’re not quite getting into that sweet spot. I’m really going to miss the regularity of it and I will also miss her spirit; she has a great spirit.
TVWise: What can fans look forward to with the final episodes of True Blood?
Carrie Preston: We’ve aired half of the season so far, so there are five episodes left. The writers really took great care to pay attention to all the characters, so all the characters get their proper due and attention. I think the fans will feel like they’ve been able to touch down with all the characters at the end.
Read the complete interview here where Carrie talks about “The Good Wife,” “The Following” and more: tvwise.co.uk
