One of the shows I was pleasantly surprised by last year was True Blood. The series joined the vampire craze with a heavily adult-oriented take on the genre and stars Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer among many others of its strong cast.
One notable cast member and a fan-favorite of the series is Alexander Skarsgård who’s been making plenty of headlines over the last few months for having been in the running for the role of Thor in the upcoming Marvel Studios film of the same name.
In season one of True Blood, he played a relatively minor background character, not appearing in all of the episodes. This season, he’s back with a much bigger role!
| |
The good folks over at IESB had a chance to talk with young Skarsgård about the second season and the role he plays and I’ve pulled some parts of it for you to see.
One of the first questions posed was about his change to play a bigger role in the second season of the hit vampire series:
“Yeah, I love it. Eric didn’t do anything in Season 1. You can sense that he is violent, strong and powerful, but he didn’t have to show it, at all, in Season 1. I think the audience wants to see a little example of that, and we give it to them.”
I guess that means we’ll see much more Eric and Bill dialogue and some interesting dynamic added to their relationship stemming from their different perspectives.
“…Eric sees Bill as pathetic. He’s a kid. He’s not even 200 years old, and he’s naive. Eric is much more jaded and he’s seen so much more than Bill has. Bill is old school and he believes in humanity, in a way that Eric doesn’t anymore.”
Again, Alex played a relatively minor role in the first film but the fans definitely picked up on him and I thought he was a cool character, good enough to make me a supporter of him getting the Thor role. IESB asked Alex what it was like to get that much support from a relatively minor role in the show:
“…I was shocked. I’m pretty much a glorified extra in Season 1. I didn’t do much. I didn’t expect anything, and I was overwhelmed when it started airing and I got all the reactions. It was very flattering, of course.”
Most importantly, how does he feel about the show and his gig?
“I enjoy everything. Every single part of it is great — just going to work, every day, and working on this show. It’s HBO and it’s Alan Ball. Just look at the cast, and the writing is phenomenal. I couldn’t ask for a better job. I’m so happy to have the job. And, it was challenging, definitely in the beginning, when I was trying to find the character. I was reading the books and trying to figure out who this guy was, and also trying to find that balance of making him likeable, but menacing. I wanted people to be intimidated by him, but intrigued, at the same time.”
To check out the full interview which includes questions about the cast and his role, head on over to IESB.
I love this guy’s attitude and his appreciation for what he does and the fans that follow.
He showed a similar positive attitude in response to not getting the role of Thor for which he was widely speculated to be a lead contender for some time.
If you’ve not seen it already, check out the neat teaser poster for season 2 of the show.
I’m excited for this season of True Blood and to see much more of Alexander’s character on screen playing a more integral role.
What do you think of the show and Skarsgård’s character?
True Blood Season 2 is currently airing on HBO. Check it out!
Loading ...
23 Comments
Alex is OK but STEPHEN MOYER is the LEAD man in the show and the MAIN REASON why many watch the show. The man is perfect! Charming, witty, funny, great-looking, gives everyone he meets his full attention and a fantastic Shakespearean actor which is demonstrated by how he plays Bill! The man is perfect!
I love Eric in the true blood series. I believe the whole cast is amazing and new season is off to a great start!
True blood is the most entertaining show ever aired.The cast is so perfect and Alexander skarsgard is the best part of season 2.Alexander fits Eric so perfectly!
Good show.
Good take on the Vampire Universe. I’ll keep watching.
Alexander Skarsgard is brilliant in this role and his other role in the US, Generation Kill. He also has starred in many other films in Sweden.
Although true that in season 1, I believe he was in 2 episodes at the end, he quickly became the favorite, having a mass fan following.
Stephen Moyer is the lead actor, and also an amazing actor. He puts so much into his role.
The show has a huge fan base. At the Paley Fest in April, though, it was Alex who won over the large crowd at the Cinerama Dome.
Indeed, the entire cast has a fascinating chemistry that cannot be overlooked!
Alex is phenomenal, doesnt say no to anything and thats why he has improved so much in his acting in the last couple of years. He deserves the recognition and im glad hes sticking in true blood
Eric rules, Bill drools
I’m a fan of the books and I absolutely love the Eric in the books. Bill is a douche. Alex is doing a fantastic job as Eric.
I love Alexander. I think he is an amazing actor, and I think he plays an amazing Eric.I read the books way before the show came out so I’m Team Eric. To all who are huge Bill/Stephen fans who say he’s the Lead man, Not for long.(If Alan even goes a little bit by the books). Eric is the heart of the story.
More Eric! More Alex! The show is infinitely better when Eric is on screen.
Moyer is the lead now, but he’s gonna have to move over.
i have read all the books and i’m reading them again for the 2nd time and agree i love eric the best. he is the heart of the books he i have grown to love eric and not bill. alexander i love him playing the part of eric. stephen does good with bill. the whole cast is great hope the series continues as the books do.love to see how it plays out. i do love this series.
I have to say that I fell in love with True Blood from the get-go. I of course was hot for Bill from the beginning. I had not read the books before watching the series. Then episode 4, Escape from Dragon House, came out. I was intrigued. Then I broke down and read the books and after “Dead to the World”, I was hooked on Eric. Seeing Alexander Skarsgard as Eric made me curious about his other work. I even watched “Generation Kill” and fell in love with it! There are so many women who have watched and become addicted to “GK” because of Alex. I did not watch it when it first came out because I did not recognize any names, nor cared for war movies. I want to see so much more of Alex. I devour whatever interviews I can find. He seems so self-effacing, humble…he just does not get all the fuss over him. Honey, just you wait until after this season! I am so glad we will see him in every episode.
Anyone who has read the books must know there is only one LEAD in the series, and that is Sookie Stackhouse. Eric is however, the surprising male character who has captured everyone’s attention and hearts. Personally, I love this character in the books.
The whole cast is great. They’re doing a fantastic job. Fans of the book were greatly anticipating who would get cast as Eric. Alexander Skarsgard was a great choice and he’s doing a fantastic job. I can’t wait to see more of him this season and coming seasons.
have read all the books and fell in love with eric in the books. i love alexander skarsgard playing eric he does fit the part. but i dont think moyer fits the part of bill if you go by the book. i love theseries and hope it plays out cant wait to see what happens would love to see them try to make a movie from it. i did the same went back and watched alex in generation kill after seeing him in true blood i also did that with some of the twilight characters kellan lutz that plays emmet cullen was also in generation kill.i do hope true blood goes on for a long time
I like that that in hes swedish lines you can actually hear what he says (of course as he is a swede) and not some american translation of swedish that you barely understands.
Season 2 is going to be full of more Eric! ALexander brings the character to life just as Charlaine Harris has created in the novels….with a healthy measure of Alan Ball’s layered creativity!
Alex, in his own right, breathes the very LIFE into Eric with a quiet, unquestionable, sexy strength – delivering complete beliavability. He’s such a walking museum of cultures, language, and experience. His slow steady transition through the storylines from Season One to Season Two is so exciting! Having read all the books, I’m beyond ready for the adventures in Dallas and many seasons to come.
APoetess ~
I get a kick out of the posters who feel it necessary to post such “in your face” Bill is so much better. Yes, Bill is good too, but these posters are just freaking out the show will go the direction of the books. Bill turns out to be not so great and the majority of readers love Eric’s power, intelligence, wit and joie de vieve. Calm down. Who knows what is going to happen in the show.
I liked Bill after season one but noticed Eric’s character right away and was intriqued immediately by Alexander who is spot on wonderful in the role. Went out and read the books and flipped for Eric’s character. I hope Eric will play a much larger role in the show. If it isnt just like the books I can live with it, but it’ll be too bad to miss the fun of the triangle between Sookie, Bill and Eric.
i really want to see skarsgard as Thor
As many are, I’m a fan of the books. Alex fits Eric to a tee. I cannot wait to see the Alex of the later books, starting with book 4. I only hope that HBO and Ball don’t screw up the story and stray from the books….Alex will shine if they can keep to the storyline Harris perfected for the character of Eric!
I think Alexander is brilliant as Eric. He portrays him as strong, confident and oh so very sexy. I’m a huge fan of the books and Eric’s character is a major one in the series, much more so that Bill. Fingers crossed they don’t ignore that in the series because i know that’s what all the book fans want to see!!!
I do hope we get to see more of Eric. He is just great.
What's your opinion? Leave a Reply!
Go to Gravatar.com and upload your own (we'll wait)!