Just before the ComicCon panel for HBO’s True Blood, Joe Manangiello and Kristin Bauer van Straten sat down together to discuss their characters in the series’ Season 5. Mr. Manangiello plays hunky werewolf Alcide Herveaux and Ms. Bauer van Straten portrays snarky vampire Pamela de Beaufort.
Both actors look forward to and enjoy the fan interaction of their ComicCon appearances. They agreed that the True Blood panel was as close to being a Beatle as either of them will ever get. Ratings numbers and internet chatter does not provide the same pleasure as seeing the enthusiastic faces of fans.
Mr. Manangiello readily revealed that Alcide will be having a great deal of sex during Season 5.
“I really feel like I’m having the full True Blood experience. I get to have sex with a bunch of people. I get around sexually, I kill people. It’s pretty rad.”
Both actors agreed that True Blood is very much about relationships in Season 5, both the sexual and the emotional. Ms. Bauer Van Straten, however, is disappointed that her character has yet to kill anyone on screen. She says she watches Alex (Skarsgård) ripping bodies apart and wishes she got to do that.
Ms. Bauer van Straten’s character Pam, has become a maker in Season 5, having turned Tara (Rutina Wesley) in order to save her life. At the same time, Pam has been released by her own maker, Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgård).
“Everything really is at stake for Pam. It expanded this year for me. Pam became totally 3D.”
Kristin and Joe Discuss Sex with Werewolves and the True Blood Season 5 Finale
Mr. Manangiello revealed that there is a rougher version of Alcide’s drunken make-out session with Sookie (Anna Paquin) than the one that finally aired. That footage, however, is on the cutting room floor. He also told about conversations he had with showrunner Alan Ball, before the filming of Season 5 regarding what sex with a werewolf would be like.
“We both agreed that the girl wakes up in the morning and does that ‘Oh’ thing, and then does the cowgirl walk the whole day.”
Ms. Bauer van Straten confessed to being a geek herself over the television show Battlestar Galactica. At a previous ComicCon she met Tricia Helfer (Cylon Number Six), who had never seen True Blood and didn’t realize Ms. Bauer van Straten was also an actress.
“So I have this really awkward photo with Tricia Helfer somewhere.”
When asked about the True Blood Season 5 finale, neither actor could say much without spoilers. Ms. Bauer van Straten was happy with what Pam got to do during her scenes. Mr. Manganiello was thrilled to have Robert Patrick (Terminator 2) playing his father and said his scenes are sufficiently bloody.
This video is a very entertaining watch. The actors interact with friendship and humor that can’t be described and do it justice.
