Michael McMillian, who shines this season as Steve Newlin, speaks with the Windy City Times about True Blood, his love for comic books, Steve Newlin as a vampire and gay roles.
WCT: You wrote your own comic, though?
Michael McMillian: Yes, a comic called Lucid that was produced by Zachary Quinto’s production called Before the Door and is published by Archaia Entertainment. That collection came out last summer. It was a miniseries and has been optioned by Warner Brothers. It is being developed into a feature right now.
WCT: That’s huge.
Michael McMillian: It is pretty cool but these things take a long time and sometimes get lost in development. From everything I hear it is moving forward. It won’t move into a film until it is green lit and who knows when that could be. I think everyone is optimistic that it will happen eventually.
I have been writing for the True Blood comics on and off for the past few years.
WCT: Do you have to get approval from the show?
Michael McMillian: Oh, yeah. Alan Ball approves all of our scripts and outlines. Now Mark Hudis is taking over for season six. I had to go back to the drawing board on issue five because he said they might cover some of the stuff we were getting in to in the next season.
WCT: You conveyed a lot of emotions in a small little opening scene this season.
Michael McMillian: Thanks. Most of that had to do with the scene that was written by Brian Buckner. He did such an excellent job. I had been dying to get back to Steve. I had created an inner life for him in season two that was not allowed to be on display. The wonderful thing about Steve returning is that he allows himself to reveal what is under this big personality facade.
I love as an actor playing the balancing act between seriousness and comedy. That is what I loved about that scene because it was so funny but he also coming from a genuine place. He is completely desperate but that doesn’t make what he is going through any less real.
WCT: Are you similar to Steve?
Michael McMillian: Not really at all. Steve is a little less of a villain in season five but he can still do horrible things. I guess I can relate to him on the level of not always being socially graceful and I have been in the situation where I have dealt with unrequited love, putting yourself out there and being rejected. Those are things we can all relate to.
Being out in LA, I get so frustrated to see what a long road this career really is. I feel like Steve is really trying to make something of himself in both of his lives. I think is a very human character. To me, he is a total fool and a clown character in the True Blood universe. If it were a vaudeville show, he would get the pie in the face!
If Eric and Bill are the sexy vampires then Steve is the vampire we actually would be. He is trying to find his place in the world and that I relate to 100 percent.
WCT: At least you are not the bitter vampire, like Tara is these days.
Michael McMillian: Right, but I think Tara’s transformation this season is the vampire in her killing off the bitterness. I think that is Pam’s role as a mentor—to make her not a victim and bitter.
WCT: You played a gay character in a movie a while back.
Michael McMillian: I did—Dorian Blues. It was the first movie I ever did. I was still in college at Carnegie-Mellon. It was a great experience and a great film. I look back on that fondly. It was a great time in my life where I could branch out and shoot a movie. The director went to Carnegie in the ’80s so he came back to cast out of our school. I wish more people had seen that movie. For anyone reading, this it is out on Netflix.
