True Blood, Joe Manganiello’s talks about his character, Alcide Herveaux, in an interview with Vulture. He discusses a possible Alcide/Sookie hook up, werewolf nudity and his work outs.
Below is part of that interview:
Alcide is a sensitive outsider with massive biceps and considerable girl troubles. Turns out they have so much in common: In real life, the actor has likewise been a sensitive outsider with massive biceps and considerable girl troubles! Vulture caught up with this easygoing tall drink of werewolf just after he finished filming season four of True Blood. In addition to giggling about the nudity, we discussed his hopes for an Alcide-Sookie hook-up, as well as his sundry extracurricular activities this summer: eating fried chicken, making his muscles more muscle-y, and hitting the karaoke bar.
What’s the first thing you cheat-eat when you finish filming True Blood?
Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles! [Somberly] But I’m actually cast in a project right now [What to Expect When You’re Expecting, playing a studly photographer opposite Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Lopez], so it looks like I have to train for it.
Just how sadistic is your trainer, Ron Mathews? He’s also worked with Hugh Jackman.
Ron is a semi-pro football player. Basically, he trains me like he would a professional athlete, a brutal combination of endurance and strength-lifting. There’s been a couple of moments where I wanna throw something at the mirror in the gym, smash the walls. You’re just in so much pain.
Like Nicolas Cage’s son, who allegedly attacked his trainer for saying he couldn’t eat something?
You’re also a grown adult. I’m allowed to eat anything I want, ’cause I’m a man. I choose not to, because I’m disciplined about my job.
What were the best and worst things about being captain of football, basketball, and volleyball teams high school?
Growing up I was artistic — always drawing, writing stories. When you’re my size [6-foot-5], and you grow up in western Pennsylvania, you play football. That’s it. My artistic side was really pushed aside for a good solid decade while I pursued athletics. Right when it looked like I was going to play sports in college, that artist side of me really [came out]. It seemed like I was wasting all of those years as an athlete, but with this role I get to include that athletic side of me.
So basically in high school you were Finn Hudson from Glee.
You know, I haven’t seen Glee, but I’ve seen Billy Elliott. In other countries — say, England, for example — being an actor is a noble profession. I don’t think it’s frowned upon there the way it is for strong, athletic males in this country — especially in western Pennsylvania, which is a hotbed for professional football players. And I am a crazy Steelers fan. But then I wind up becoming successful at playing this big, manly werewolf character. I can’t tell you how many directors and producers I run into who complain about the lack of masculine-framed American actors.
Were you prom king, too?
Nooooo. I didn’t go to my prom. I had a bad experience with a girl at Homecoming and a bad experience with a girl at Sadie Hawkins. The girl I took to Homecoming — I liked her and said, “I’d love to take you out, get to know you.” She said, “No, that’s okay. Don’t bother.” She just wanted to go to the frickin’ dance, I guess. That was kind of shitty. And then this girl took me to Sadie Hawkins. I liked her, too. We went to dinner, and then we went to the dance. I said, “Hey, let’s dance!” And she was like, “Naw, that’s okay.”
I bet they regret those decisions now.
[Cackles.]
So if you didn’t go to prom, what did you do?
I went to see a re-release of Blade Runner. It was awesome. I guess I identify with Alcide that way. I didn’t really see eye-to-eye with the jocks. I remember getting into a fight with one of the other captains of the football team because he was picking on this artistic skater kid. I was like, “Get your hand off of him, or else you’re gonna fight me.” But I also didn’t really feel like I should be out on the street corner smoking cigarettes with the kids wearing Slayer T-shirts. I was somewhere in the middle.
While we’re on the topic of Alcide, let’s get to the point: Can he and Sookie just hook up already?
I really do believe — and some of the producers and writers agree with me — if Sookie didn’t disappear, Alcide would’ve built that house for her. As you can see in episode three, Alcide is obviously worried. The way the door was answered, he wanted to kiss her! Being a werewolf, he’s had to stomp on a lot of his impulses. All I can say is when anybody continually stomps on impulses, there’s going to be a reaction. What’s amazing this season is that you see those emotions and physical reactions.
How will the witches adversely affect his life?
Their actions trickle down to everybody. And there’s also gonna be a lot of problems between the werewolves and shape-shifters. They’re gonna butt heads big-time. It will send ripples through the show.
You’ve previously pointed out that Alcide is naked a lot this season.
[Giggling] My old manager, she used to say, “I don’t mind getting fucked as long as everyone else is getting fucked, too.” That’s kinda how I look at it. Everyone has to take their turn, and it’s just my turn. Yes, there is some nudity, and you’re gonna see some werewolf sex here.
To read the rest of this interview go to: nymag.com
