True Blood
Interviews

With many months to go until the third season of True Blood debuts on HBO, numerous spoilers are already circulating around the Internet.

For how long will Bill remain kidnapped? What's the deal with Sam's family? What other creatures can fans expect to meet?

Show writers Raelle Tucker and Alexander Woo sat down with Sci-Fi Wire this week and answered a few pressing questions. Let's take a look at how they've teased upcoming storylines...

The return of Bill: Expect the kidnapping arc to run for approximately the first six episode of season three. We'll see scenes of Bill with his captors during this time.

What's the deal with meeting Sam's family? Says Tucker: "They aren't the brightest people, maybe. At least they appear that way. They're fairly dysfunctional, but like anybody else, they have their good things about them and not-so-good things. They're still getting to know each other. Sam's still getting to know them, and so are we."

On the supernatural world: "The entire world is going to get a lot bigger," Woo says. "Not only the human world, but in Sookie's eyes, she's going to see the whole supernatural world. Luckily, since this show is through Sookie's eyes, as an audience we'll get to see a much larger supernatural world."

Super Sookie: "I think that Sookie is conscious of her abilities more this season than she's been, and she's questioning them more," Tucker says. "We're going to be exploring that more this season."

Less trouble (and clothing) for Jason: "I think Jason's path this season is actually about not getting into trouble," Tucker says. "It's about trying to stay out of trouble. I think it's going well for him."

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Considering its wealth of gay and bisexual characters, True Blood has often appealed to LGBT audiences.

With that in mind, The Advocate - an online newspaper that focuses on this community - recently spoke with series creator Alan Ball. The writer promised more gay characters on season three, along with more of Jason Stackhouse.

A few excerpts from the interview:

What other gay characters will be introduced next season?
We'll be meeting the vampire king of Mississippi and his long, long-term companion--- and by long-term I mean really long-term - Talbot. I think Lafayette may meet a love interest, and certainly Pam, who works with Eric, she's certainly got a lesbian vibe - I don't know that that's all she is, but she certainly does seem to appreciate the women.

Will Sophie-Anne go for Sookie?
I think Sophie-Anne is definitely interested in Sookie; I don't believe it's for sexual or romantic reasons but she is definitely interested in Sookie and whatever it is about Sookie that is special beyond the realm of what is human, and that's something that we definitely will learn more about in the upcoming season.

Can Jason never, ever wear a shirt?
There's no shortage of man candy on the show and Jason is back in Bon Temps and he may be up to his old ways. I can tell you that you'll definitely get to see a lot of Jason in the first few episodes, and by a lot, I mean a lot physically.

A this week's  Paley Center for Media fan event, True Blood creator Alan Ball said:

"I believe [Eric] appears without most of his clothes in the very first episode [of season three]."

So, there you have it. There might be a naked scene involving Alexander Skårsgard when this HBO hit returns. Do you even care about other spoilers? Yes, you do? Well, okay then...

Ball also opened up about other characters and storylines. To wit:

Sookie's double-edged mission: "Sookie [Anna Paquin] is going to go off in search of Bill [Stephen Moyer], and she will find him. There will be more conjecture about what she is and she will be more driven to discover what she is. She will get closer to the answer."

Jason's DNA: "It's a genetic thing and skips some people and gets in some others. Jason has vestiges of it, in that he's such a fantastic athlete and he's a perfect shot, but he's still human, whereas Sookie is definitely a half-human, half-something else that we're waiting to reveal."

The future of Bill and Sookie: "Bill and Sookie may go through some rough patches that last maybe a little longer than Team Bill fans might like, but Bill and Sookie have a connection that will never die."

Tara's romance with a new vampire, Franklin Mott: "He's more dangerous than any of those other [vampires]. She's definitely playing with something that's a lot more deadly."

True Blood won't return until the summer of 2010, but this speaks to the popularity of the HBO drama. Fans simply get enough enough scoops or spoilers for it. And we can't blame them!

Lesbian vampires queens. Orgies. Weird, scary Maenads with claws and the ability to hypnotize everyone around them.

True Blood most certainly upped the strangeness quotient on season two, but fans that worry the HBO will return to normal next year can find comfort in an interview creator Alan Ball gave this week to TV Guide Magazine. He said:

“After last season you would think things would sort of return to normal – but no, that’s not going to happen! There’s just as much weird stuff out there, and we’re going to meet some werewolves for the first time; we’re going to find out some roles vampires played in history, which is interesting and shocking and funny. It’s more of the same.”

Ball added that the relationship between Sookie and Bill will remain at the forefront of the drama, but  several supporting characters will receive more air time.

“Definitely Eric has broken out and is a big important character now. Jessica and Hoyt are still trying to deal with everything that happened to them, and Arlene and Terry are going to have a little bit more of a life and more of a presence on the show," he said.

The background of Alan Trammell's Sam Merlotte will also be explored, the actor said.

"[Season three is] going to explore my relatives and the sort of sketchy, shapeshifter-y people in my family, and that’s going to be more torture for Sam. I’m sure they’re not going to be good people.”

Viewers will find out in the summer of 2010, when True Blood returns to HBO.

While she may not be a regular on season three of True Blood, Evan Rachel Wood will appear often as Queen Sophie Anne.

We can already report that the character will share many scenes next year with the vampire King of Mississippi (Denis O’Hare), but for other tidbits, we needed to hear from Wood herself.

In a recent interview, she revealed as much as she could about the season ahead:

On Sophie Anne's upcoming role: I am waiting just like everyone else to find out. I have no idea what Alan Ball has up his sleeve for me, but he has assured me that it’s all going to make sense eventually, so I’m just waiting to see. But I have heard that she’s going to get a little more intense and a little scarier because she is pretty diva-ish and bratty right now; she’s definitely going to get more in-depth.

On more girl-on-girl action: Her partner is a woman — Sookie’s cousin (Hadley Hale), so I’m pretty sure there’s going to be more stuff going on there.

On the season two finale: I thought it was out of control. I remember reading the script and just thinking, “I don’t know how they’re going to do this or get away with it or make it work and they did. They always do; the most outrageous scenarios, they always make them work. I’m very curious to see what happens next.

Stephen Moyer may star on True Blood, but he doesn't appear to be a major fan of the vampire genre.

He told E! News this week that he hasn't never watched Vampire Diaries; heck, he's never even watched the final of his own series.

So, what shows does Moyer enjoy?

"I f--king love Breaking Bad," Moyer said. "At the Emmys, I actually went and introduced myself to [creator]] Vince Gilligan, the creator, because I'd love to do it. I also introduced myself to Matt Weiner, [the creator] of Mad Men - not because I want to do their shows more than True Blood, but I do love them."

After last night's season two finale of True Blood, creator Alan Ball was ready to reveal some upcoming spoilers from the upcoming third season.

The following is an excerpt from his interview with Michael Ausiello of EW.

Why wasn’t there more Eric in the finale?
BALL: There is a reason for not seeing Eric in the last part of the episode, but if I explain it, I’ll be [giving away] too much.

Will he be prominent next season?
BALL: Yes. Although, when I saw your [latest episode of Ausiello TV], for a moment I thought, we’re going to have to kill Eric, because you are the man. I thought wow, I had many seasons of Eric planned but I guess I’ll have to off him

Why wasn’t Sookie susceptible to Maryann’s powers but Jason was? Do they have different parents?
BALL: They have the same parents. We will find out what Sookie is [next season]. There are such things as dominant and recessive genes. Maybe Jason is fundamentally human but he has a trace of some non-human stuff. He’s kind of a ridiculously perfect [human being]. He’s athletic and has that charisma thing, so maybe he had some help in that regard. [Laughs] Ultimately, if you look at percentages, he’s mostly human. Sookie has a stronger genetic predisposition in another direction. People who have read the books know exactly what I’m talking about. People who haven’t, it will be revealed.

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Michelle Forbes, the actress behind True Blood's crazy maednad, Maryann, will most likely make her final appearance on this Sunday's season two finale. Luckily, TV Guide has sat down with this talented actress to get us some details on the finale before it airs.

Here's a small spoiler-free excerpt from the interview which will be concluded on Monday after the episode airs.

TVGuide: So, what was it like shooting the finale with your cast?
We were all out in the woods having so much fun. I kept losing focus because I was watching them do these hilarious and insane things. Anna Paquin (Sookie) and I were in stitches through most of it because we had some pretty loony things to do together.

Have you learned a few culinary tricks?
My cooking skills are not to be discussed. That’s what God provided restaurants for. I did however have a 5 a.m. flambé lesson to cook that heart. I thought I’d better have some coffee before I started. I was nervous I was going to burn the studio down, but it was pretty easy.

I assume you weren’t cutting into an actual human heart. Please tell me you weren’t.
No, no. I’m not sure what it was, but we all got creeped out when I cut into it because it made the worst squishing sound in the world. The irony is that I’m a 30-year vegetarian. I’ve been an animal activist my entire life, so the role of Maryann has been a bit challenging – especially with the lovely meat tree – Di-meat-tree, as he became known.

That tree is repulsive. Tell us about it.
It was filled with real meat and reeked as the weeks wore on. There are bobcats and coyotes roaming around that ranch where we shoot, so they had someone sit by the tree with a gun at night to protect it.

You can read the rest of the interview for a couple of teases from the final.

It's sad, but true: True Blood concludes its second season on September 13 with an episode titled "Beyond Here Lies Nothin."

The good news, however, is that Evan Rachel Wood - who debuted last week as Queen Sophie-Ann - isn't going anywhere. She'll play a key role on season three of the series.

The actress recently sat down with TV Guide Magazine and opened up about the past and the future of her character. Here are excerpts from the interview:

On her rumored sex scene: I don’t know how that got out, and I don’t want people tuning in and being disappointed. It’s not a sex scene; it’s just a steamy scene. There’s a little something going on with somebody you don’t expect.

On Sophie-Ann's age: I’ve heard somewhere between 500 and 1,000 years old. And she’s spoiled - she’s a queen - so she’s decked out in the best clothes and the best jewelry. She’s incredibly smart and witty, but she is definitely deadly.

On her purpose: You don’t know if she’s good or bad. I think she’s a little bit of both.