From the sound of her interview with New York Magazine’s Vulture, Fiona Shaw is quite enjoying her role as Marnie the witch on HBO’s True Blood. The actress spent weeks delving into the world of Wicca, in order to portray her character more accurately. After visiting with witches and attending rituals, she’s come away with an admiration of their methods, and is moved by the way they conjure the dead and offer comfort to others — though she’s happy to stick with dealing with the living! She seems proud to bring the topic of witches to the forefront, and is definitely glad she isn’t playing a vampire. She thinks Marnie was justified in defending herself from Eric (Alexander Skarsgård). Speaking of Skarsgård, is she Team Eric?
“I’ll take him any day! [Laughs.] He’s a very nice young man. How is Sookie supposed to choose between her two vampires? It’s fantastically complicated.”
Channeling the Spirit of Antonia Gavilán de Logroño:
Shaw admits that when she started reading the scripts and saw all that Latin, she knew it would be a challenge. Sitting at the first table read, seeing all the “vampires” in person also had an impact, but she was able to pull herself together. She shares her favorites — Pam and Nan Flanagan (Kristin Bauer van Straten and Jessica Tuck). When the topic of Antonia’s and Marnie’s powers is brought up, the actress poses this interesting question: “Is Antonia running Marnie, or is Marnie running Antonia?” She elaborates:
“What happens in True Blood is they put two ideas together, and a baby is born in the third idea. Antonia has a particular ax to grind, because of her own rape and murder [in the seventeenth century]. But Antonia’s the most unlikely person to make non-vampires do something against their will, or hold hostages; she seeks only the willing. She only entered Marnie because Marnie begged her to. But Marnie has a deep desire to make her mark on the world, because she’s been overlooked. When Antonia infused Marnie, it brought out Marnie’s latent powers. And being empowered has had a huge effect on her ego. Her entire deportment changes, because how you carry yourself is all about how you feel about yourself.”
Playing Aunt Petunia in Harry Potter was never this fun! We are certainly glad to have Fiona Shaw as part of the True Blood cast. She is a fabulous actress, and is executing her role beautifully. Truebies, would you agree?
Contribution credit: Vulture
Source: New York Magazine’s Vulture - True Blood’s Fiona Shaw on Playing the Witch, Rehearsing With Vampires, and Conjuring the Dead in Real Life
(Photo credit: HBO, Inc.)
