This Season on True Blood we’ve been introduced to Eric’s sister Nora played by British actress Lucy Griffiths. Nora is a Chancellor of the Vampire Authority. She’s fiery, fierce and loyal to Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgard), with whom she shares a vampire maker. When we last saw her in episode 2 of Season 5, she was in a lot of trouble.
Collider, recently spoke to Lucy about auditioning for the show, catching up on episodes once she’d been cast, how she typically doesn’t watch much television because she doesn’t have a TV, that she found talking with the fangs relatively easy, how she views her character and the relationship she has with her “brother,” having to forget your inhibitions to work on a show like this, what she’s most enjoyed about playing this character, and what she looks for in a project. Check out what she had to say after the jump.
Collider: How did you come to be a part of True Blood this season? Were you actively looking to do American television?
LUCY GRIFFITHS: Well, yes and no. I’ve had American representation for a few years now, so it’s always been a possibility. It was just that the right audition came along and I was right for it, so I got it.
When you auditioned, how secretive were they with you? Did they tell you anything about the character at all?
GRIFFITHS: The first I knew of the character was in the auditioning sides that I had. I knew that she was Eric’s sister and that she was a Chancellor in the Vampire Authority. Further than that, I didn’t know anything. She’d not been featured in previous seasons which I’d watched, so I had no idea what to expect. But really, you don’t have any idea what to expect, script to script. You don’t get told before the series starts what your character arc is going to be, so it’s always a surprise. I guess it’s good to start off not knowing anything ‘cause that’s how it continues.
Had you been a fan of the show, or did you have to catch up before filming?
GRIFFITHS: I had to catch up, but I was very glad I had to because I really love it. I really enjoyed catching up. I wasn’t a fan before my audition, no, but I am now.
Since you had already done the zombie pilot that didn’t get picked up, were you discouraged at all to try for another TV show, or does it help to know that this show has such a devoted following?
GRIFFITHS: Yeah, of course! Because True Blood has long since debuted, there’s not that same worry. I know that some people think differently about pilots, but I really enjoyed shooting Awakening. We had brilliant producers, and they were just so much fun and they made the experience so wonderful. The thought of staying in Toronto and shooting with them for, potentially, seven years was something that could have been quite fun and a big change in all of our lives. But, when that doesn’t work out, once again, you’re dealing with an unknown future and I find that quite exciting as well. That’s how I feel about it. I think it’s a win-win situation. You either end up on a good, fun show that’s successful, or you have that question mark in your future and you know that you don’t know what’s going to happen, which is exciting.
You did a zombie pilot and now you’re playing a vampire. Are you a genre fan, or is that just a coincidence?
GRIFFITHS: I don’t watch a great deal of television because I don’t have a television, and I don’t have a huge catalog of films that I’ve watched either. When I do watch things, they tend to be a lot of comedies. I actually like some of the British comedy series. But, on the whole, I’m not a huge viewer of anything.
Since you can’t be a very menacing vampire, if you have a lisp, how challenging is it to learn to talk properly with the teeth?
GRIFFITHS: I know this sounds funny, but I think it depends on how your mouth is shaped. I don’t know whether mine was built for fangs or what, but I didn’t have too much of a problem. I did get the giggles the first day I put them in, but they’re okay.
How do you see Nora, as a character? Do you think she’s loyal to Eric?
GRIFFITHS: She certainly has loyalty to Eric. I think she’s actually a very loyal character, but some of her loyalties and trusts are misplaced. She’s selfish in the way that beings are selfish, but she’s not in it for what she can get, to the detriment of people around her. There are characters like that this season, but she’s not one of them. She is excited by the prospect of the power that her faith will bring her. She’s actually not a very selfish character. She’s very loyal to her brother, and she’s loyal to her friend and colleague, Salome.
How would you describe the relationship between Nora and Eric?
GRIFFITHS: They’re very excited to see each other. He didn’t know she was coming, so he’s very surprised. They’re just overjoyed to be in each other’s company again. I think they have a sibling rivalry, certainly, but they basically love each other.
read the rest of this interview by going to here.
