This year, we’ve seen Jessica Clark who plays Lilith make her dramatic appearance as the vampire goddess -rising naked out of a pool of blood. After that scene, she became one of the most talked about vampires on this season of True Blood. TV Equals interviewed Clark about her role, how her modeling background played into her portrayal of Lilith and if she would turn vampire if she had the opportunity. Below is a portion of that interview where you will learn more about her and the part she plays:
Clark as a vampire fan
Working on True Blood has made a dream come true for Clark, who is a big fan of vampires and the popular HBO show.
“I wouldn’t call myself any sort of expert, I’ve definitely always loved vampires and the supernatural, and I’ve watched True Blood from the first season as a fan,” she said. “[B]elieve it or not, I’ve always wanted to play a vampire, so I was extremely excited when I got fitted for my fangs.”
Clark’s reaction to Lilith’s entrance
One of the biggest set pieces this season-if not the biggest-is the scene that introduces Lilith. Clark’s reaction to reading her character’s entrance in the script was probably the same one anyone else would have in her position.
“I thought, ‘Wow, that’s quite an entrance!’ she said, laughing. “[The writing crew behind] True Blood were very upfront before I even read for this part, you know, that this is what they were planning and that it would require nudity…and were I kind of comfortable about going in, so I was very prepared.”
Before auditioning for the role, Clark was a big fan of True Blood, so the opportunity to play a character like Lilith is an amazing one for her. “I was excited to [portray her]. She’s such an amazing, powerful character you get to play, and I’m such a fan of True Blood anyway, and the fact that she gets to make such an entrance–it was exciting!” she said. “It was exciting to be part of such an interesting storyline they have this season.Obviously there were a little nerves on the day before you start to film, but.it was amazing, it was professional, it was really fun. It’s been a rather thrilling ride.”
The Vampire Bible as part of the True Blood mythology
Clark loves the layered depth the Vampire Bible provides the world of True Blood. “I am fascinated by it all,” she said. “I love that they brought in ancient, mythological, biblical characters like Salome and Lilith, and I’ve just been reading on the different interpretations of Lilith throughout history, different cultures.to see how they’ve incorporated the vampire creation myth in the world of True Blood and how Lilith is a part of that whole thing. For me, it’s fascinating and I love it. For me, as a viewer who loves the show, it adds a whole other level of interest and depth to these supernatural creatures.
Challenges that came with portraying a vampire messiah
“I mean there’s always a challenge with any character,” said Clark when discussing her role. “You want to serve the writers and the story and you want to really embody the vision that they had, and with Lilith being the original vampire, you really don’t want to mess that one up.”
How Clark combated the challenges involved coming at the character from an emotional perspective. “As an actor, I just focused on living in her power, and embodying Lilith in that way,” she said. “There are a lot of special effects and makeup that goes into playing her, but that was also interesting for me, being a relatively new actor and for this to be my first experience with high-level body art and CGI and prosthetics and fangs.” Clark said the special effects and makeup also helped Clark become Lilith. “I was physically transformed,” she said. “Even [looking in the mirror] I was Lilith.”
Read the rest of this interview by going to: tvequals.com
