If you have not watched last night's True Blood season two premiere, stop reading now!  For those of you who have seen the episode, we have an excerpt from Ausiello's interview with Nelsan Ellis.

Fans who have already seen the episode know that Lafayette (Ellis) lived after his cliffhanger possible death after season one.  Find out what Ellis had to say and even a little bonus spoiler for you.

When you first signed on to the show, did Alan Ball assure you he would not be following the books when it came to this character?
NELSAN ELLIS: No, no no. When I first started it was only a one-year contract, so I thought I was a goner after the 12th episode. In fact, [Alan] didn’t tell me that he was bringing me back until after the table read for [the season 1 finale]. He was like, “You know we’re not killing you, right?" And I was like, “I didn’t know but thanks for telling me."

Did he explain to you why he let Lafayette survive?
ELLIS: Not really. He just said he decided after the bar scene in [the pilot], but he didn’t tell me until the 12th episode. He didn’t really go into any detail as to why he decided to keep me -- not to me anyway.

How will the experience of being locked in a dungeon and almost dying change Lafayette this season?
ELLIS: It certainly humbles him. It shows him there are some situations he just can’t get himself out of no matter how slick he is. He's going to have to suffer the consequences of what he’s done. And I think he reflects back on his behavior and maybe for a second thinks about changing.

In an upcoming episode [SPOILER ALERT], Lafayette ingests a lot of Eric’s blood. The homoeroticism in that moment was off the charts. Was that something you were conscious of while shooting it?
ELLIS: I wasn’t. I know Alexander said that from his standpoint he thinks Eric is a little drawn to Lafayette. My intentions were that I was completely terrified of Eric and what he can do to me. As far as I know, I hated his guts. It’s funny what the camera picks up... Alan has been making jokes about me and Eric and what’s to come in the third season. I definitely think I’ll be one of his henchmen, but as far down the rabbit hole as that goes, I don’t know.

You can read the rest of the interview at Ausiello Files.

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