The supernatural HBO series True Blood sees actor Stephen Moyer playing Bill Compton and Alexander Skarsgård as Eric Northman — but Moyer might not have gotten the role, which would've made Eric's character very different. True Blood is based on the book series The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris. The novels, and the show, follow Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), who starts as a waitress in Bon Temps, Louisiana. In Harris' universe, vampires are out in the open thanks to a synthetic blood product called true blood. The series doesn't feature just vampires. However, there are also shapeshifters, fairies, werewolves, werepanthers, and much more.
True Blood showrunner Alan Ball, on board as executive producer for the True Blood reboot, had quite the burden on his hands casting such an anticipated series. Of course, when casting any adaptation, there are bound to be some book fans that aren't happy with the final result, which is a pressure in and of itself. In particular, the roles of Eric Northman and Bill Compton were tricky, as they are the two titular heartthrobs of the series, both vying for Sookie's attention at one point or another. Eventually, Stephen Moyer landed the role of Bill, but he wasn't the only actor to audition for the part. Another contestant came up to bat, and if the outcome were different, it would've led to a very different version of Eric Northman.
True Blood's Eric Originally Auditioned As Bill
During the casting process, horror movie actor Alexander Skarsgård auditioned for Bill first — and if he were cast, it would've changed Eric's part forever. Skarsgård himself said during Season 7: The Making of True Blood that when he read the script, he saw that there was a Norse character and was surprised he wasn't going in for that role instead. However, he audited for Bill anyway, as the audition was meant for the pilot episode. Eric doesn't appear until True Blood season 1, episode 4, "Escape from Dragon House." Alan Ball also spoke up during the program, saying that he liked Skarsgård, but at first glance, he immediately knew that Skarsgård would be playing Eric instead.
It's hard to imagine how the True Blood cast would look if Skarsgård portrayed the tortured Bill instead of the Fangtasia owner. If the actor were to have played Bill, that meant one of the other candidates would've had to step into Eric's spot. Other celebrities were considered for the part of Eric, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer veteran James Marsters, who played the vampire Spike on the show. Envisioning a world where Skarsgård is Bill Compton, and someone like Marsters plays Eric sees a markedly different True Blood. Thankfully, that's not what ended up happening.
Why True Blood Needed Its Show Casting
True Blood delivered a perfect cast, and it's hard to imagine the vampire series any other way. It's not that Alexander Skarsgård doesn't have the acting chops to play a role like Bill, but the part of Eric just fits the actor like a glove. Sure, the electricity between Skarsgård as True Blood character Bill and Sookie would've been just as palpable, as they clearly had chemistry during the love triangle arc. However, Moyer has a certain rugged charm necessary for the Civil War vet. Skarsgård is undoubtedly charming in his own right, but his own brand of charisma works much better for the manipulative Eric Northman than it does for the morally-driven Bill.
Ultimately Skarsgård looks and acts the part of Eric Northman in a way that no other actor could've taken on the role. The same goes for Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin, who almost had to go up against Jessica Chastain for the part of Sookie. Luckily Alan Ball made all the right choices for his True Blood casting, as anyone other than the actors mentioned above couldn't have done the story justice. Imagining Alexander Skarsgård as Bill up to the True Blood ending changes the series in a major way. It definitely would've transformed the True Blood character Eric Northman into someone completely different.