Ryan Kwanten spoke with NY Times’ PopWrap about Jason and the upcoming season of True Blood.
Ryan Kwanten: Jason started so low on the evolutionary rung that he can only improve as a person. This season is the biggest jump in his growth because he has got to man-up and use the skills, however limited they may be, that he’s acquired in his life to survive, look after an entire village of people and to keep his wits about him in many life & death situations. I thought they were poking and prodding me and pulling me in a bunch of different directions the first three seasons, but this year takes it to a whole new level.
PW: How much fun have you had showing all these sides to of a character that many people wrote off as one-dimensional at first?
Ryan: Well, I can only take so much credit – almost all the praise rests on the shoulders of Alan [Ball] & his phenomenal writers. The layers they give Jason are extraordinary. What’s great and amusing to me is that I like how quickly people are to make snap judgments on his character because he is that local lothario who is being led by his nether regions. I think when you look deeper into the reason why he does things, there’s a great insecurity that stems from a need to be loved. A need to be accepted. And I think everyone knows what that feels like.
PW: What can you tease about Jason in season four? Will he continue to find himself in those kinds of situations?
Ryan: Yes, yes – Jason just has a knack for finding trouble. This year, there are several points where he really is on the brink of death. It’s quite a dire state. Beyond that, Jason has been given a sense of authority, which is a dangerous thing for someone as lacking in forethought as Jason is. I think leaving authority in someone’s hands like that is very risky. And then, well … it’s so hard to talk about this show because we’ve been sworn to absolute secrecy. And I feel like with every season that passes, we have to be more and more careful with what we say, so I apologize if it sounds like I’m a politician [laughs].
