The entire cast of HBO’s vamp-tastic True Blood held court on the second night of PaleyFest at Beverly Hills’ Saban Theatre on Saturday night. Yes,16 of them, make that 17 if series creator Alan Ball is included.
Nothing earth-shattering was revealed during the session, unless you consider the incessant screams — the longest and loudest out of all the cast members — for tall Swede Alexander Skarsgard (Eric) during panel introductions breaking news. (Keep your eyes peeled for exclusive video interviews from the carpet with the cast and creator of True Blood.)
After a sizzle reel of the most memorable scenes from the first three seasons played, a moment from Season 4 whetted the appetite of the blood-hungry crowd. [minor spoiler alert!] The brief scene featured lovebirds Hoyt and Jessica with Pam in front of Fangtasia, as they fend off some protesters. Things get hairy, to say the least.
The topic of True Blood’s large ensemble cast was frequently touched upon. New series regular Joe Manganiello (the werewolf Alcide) shared that he was itching to work with Chris Bauer (Andy) and Sam Trammell (Sam), while Kevin Alejandro (Jesus, revealed to be a witch; wiccans play a role, Ball said, adding that “they are not the bringers of evil”) joked to loud laughter: “I guess Alex so I can see why everyone screams so much.”
Deborah Ann Woll has suggested that the relationship between Jessica and Bill will improve in the fourth season.
Speaking to E! Online, Woll hinted that Bill (Stephen Moyer) will start to become more of a mentor to Jessica.
“I think we’re definitely in a healing stage where he’s finally accepting that he has a progeny, that he has a daughter vampire, and he needs to give me tools to actually survive,” she said. “So he’s definitely more co-operative and participatory in my growing up.”
“What’s great about this year is that we explore the shape-shifter community a little bit more, so there’s going to be a lot of cool mythological stuff that we talk about, shape-shifter rules and what shape-shifters can do and who they are. Sam’s [also] got a new love interest that’s going to happen this year for him. I don’t have really good luck with the ladies, they usually die—so hopefully she’ll survive,” Trammell said.
Rutina Wesley on Tara’s storyline
“It’s a new Tara, and I think the fans are going to like it. She’s not duct-taped, she’s not tied up, she’s got this personal strength and I think it’s really awesome to see her. Sookie (Anna Paquin) and I will have some stuff this season—she’s my best friend, so we’re always going to have little moments. And we’re going to get back to how I felt about Sam Merlotte, finding out that he was a shape shifter, so we are going to have a little moment about that. And I think Lafayette’s (Nelsan Ellis) the only one that knows where I am, and he gives me some great advice,” she said.
Deborah Ann Woll on Jessica’s and Hoyt’s relationship
“[Jessica and Hoyt] ended in a very positive place but obviously that won’t last for long. We definitely pick up with a bit more trouble happening. Bon Temps is a scary place! The first two episodes are very interesting—Jim [Parrack] and I had some really fun stuff to play with like right off the bat. But maybe the first episode is my favorite as of now, just because it is the most varied,” she said.
Actor Denis O’Hare may eventually return to HBO’s “True Blood,” reviving his role as Russell Edgington, the flamboyant vampire king.
“I left them on a high. They have been very, very nice to me, and they tell me that they think I’m going to come back,” he told The Hollywood Reporter on Saturday. “And I’m waiting. We’ll see what happens.”
O’Hare played Edgington in the third season, which wrapped last September. Season 4 is scheduled to premiere in the summer,
“Someone discussed a possible idea with me, which, of course, I can’t tell you,” O’Hare added. “But it’s a very cool idea. It’s not far fetched, but it’s not something that you would see coming.”
O’Hare returns to the big screen on Friday in director Kevin Macdonald’s swords-and-sandals saga “The Eagle,” and has been cast in Clint Eastwood’s upcoming J. Edgar Hoover movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
