Nelsan Ellis, who plays Lafayette Reynolds on HBO’s True Blood, shared his experience on playing a character within a character.
On Lafayette’s major dose of possession, Ellis said:
“I talked a lot to Fiona and tried to figure out what “possession” meant to me. I realize that I don’t become the person- the person becomes me. They get into a body where the mechanics are already there… I tried to figure out what subtle nuances I could take from [Mavis] that would remind the audience of who she was inside of me but also stay true to what Lafayette is, what his body does and the fact that he’s still there.”
On why trouble always seems to find Lafayette, Ellis said:
“Because he knows what to do with it… Lafayette is a survivor. Trouble comes, and then he surmounts it and moves on. I don’t know why he has all these problems. He got on this moving train that just won’t stop, and it just takes him deeper and deeper. I just hope he calms down next season.”
We do too! But will he? My psychic senses are screaming: NO!
Source Credit: HBO Inside True Blood – Body Snatched: Interview with Nelsan Ellis
(Photo Credit: HBO, Inc.)
