Q & A: Amelia Rose Blair (Willa) Talks True Blood and Eric Northman

Amelia Rose Blaire
Credit: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Amelia Rose Blair, who plays Willa on True Blood was recently interviewed by Rolling Stone Magazine, where she talked about her character, Eric Northman, and True Blood.

Since she talks about why she thinks Eric turned Willa in the first place…we thought we would post this here for you to read! It’s actually a really good interview, IMO.

You can read the interview below…

This is an excerpt from the interview;

Were you a fan of True Blood before you got cast?

I’ve been a Truebie since Season One. I was hooked when it first started, and I would go to my friends’ houses and watch it every single week. So being on the show itself was unreal.

Who were your favorite characters?

I’ve always loved the vampires on the show, like Eric and Pam and Bill. And the guest characters that they bring on, like Fiona Shaw.

Besides Fiona Shaw, anyone else in particular?

Rutger Hauer. He’s incredible! Such a character on- and offscreen. I always saw him riding around the lot on his bicycle with his hair all big and crazy, smoking cigarettes. And he does such a fantastic job. I’m really liking his Niall.

What was your reaction when you saw the finished product of the scene where Willa was turned? It was the first beautiful vampire-turning scene that I’ve seen on True Blood.

It was a trip when I saw it because I don’t remember shooting that scene. We shot it in many different sections because with the blood, we couldn’t do it in one seamless shot. But seeing it afterward, I thought it turned out really well. I remember after I shot the scene, I got home and the next morning I woke up and I went through such a strange reaction. Like, I woke up really, really angry, and then I got really, really sad, and then I got really, really happy and then angry again. I was like, “Whoa, what is going on?” And then I realized, “I died last night!” So of course I’m going to have this extremely volatile reaction to that, and it was also a very similar reaction to the one Willa had when she woke up the next evening. She was really, really happy, then really, really mad, and then very betrayed, so I definitely had a parallel with my reaction afterward.

Do you think Willa really wanted to become a vampire, or did she just want to get closer to Eric? It’s tough to know now because the second she was turned, she got sent to Vamp Camp!

I think she probably didn’t know what it meant to be a vampire. I think the idea of it was extremely fascinating and very seductive. And, of course, Eric is such a compelling character and he’s scary – but he’s also really sexy. And I think that when she made that decision, when she said, “OK, let’s do this,” I don’t think she necessarily thought of what it would mean for the rest of her life, so I think she knew what she was doing but didn’t think it all the way through. She was like, “This is what I want,” and jumped.

Do you think she has some regrets now?

For me, as an actor, the thing that moved me about what happened to her afterward was her disappointment in her father. The scene when she comes back to him, when I read it, I thought it was so sad, especially because she gets what she wants, she convinces him and it’s her own demon that comes out and ruins it. I thought that was very tragic. But then the fact that he still sends her to this camp, I think that she has this huge disappointment. It’s her father, this man whom she’s known for her entire life, who helped her walk, and has been there for everything, has completely forsaken her. Her one hope is dashed.

What do you think Eric saw in Willa that persuaded him to make her a vampire? He said he didn’t make this decision lightly, and even in the case of Pam, she gave him no choice. Willa is the first person he has voluntarily turned.

I’d like to think that he saw something in her that surprised him, and that was a power that he didn’t recognize before. But Alex [Skarsgård], the way that he built his character, it’s so multidimensional, and I think that he probably had many reasons why, and that was one of them. I don’t know what was going on in his head, but I’d like to think that it was because he saw a strength and a power in her that was different.

If you would like to read the entire interview, please click here: http://www.rollingstone.com
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I know a number of us feel a kinship of sorts with Willa because she is infatuated with him (just like us) and are growing to enjoy her on the show.  I love what she said about how Alex has built Eric up to be a multidimensional character and how he’s sexy!  I’m not surprised Willa wasn’t thinking about what it would mean to be turned into a vampire…not that you could blame her. I would probably forget my own name…if I happened to meet Alex! LOL

What do you think about what she said? Share your thoughts below.