Anna Paquin Discusses True Blood

Starpulse posted an interview with Anna Paquin where she talks about being in a television series and being Sookie.

Q: How did you get involved with ‘True Blood?’ Had you been considering getting into television?

Anna Paquin: I had been thinking that it would be really awesome to be a part of one of those really good HBO shows, and then this showed up. I thought, “There’s no way in hell I’m gonna get this, but I’ll give it my best.” There’s nothing more exciting as an actor than getting to do something that you’re not entirely sure that anyone would let you do, and getting to take a big jump in a completely different direction. The brightness of my character’s personality is so refreshing; it doesn’t mean she doesn’t deal with heavy issues, or doesn’t have hardship. It just means that she’s not dealing with it by introverting and becoming this dark, tortured person, which I’ve done a lot of.

Q: Were you already a fan of Alan Ball’s work?

AP: His imagination is just astounding. If you look at “Six Feet Under,” it’s unlike anything anyone else has ever done. His stuff is so unique, and walks that fine line of dark and twisted, but really funny, smart and offbeat – but not so much that you can’t buy into the real emotional stories that are happening with the characters. There’s just no one else who does that. I have a very offbeat sense of humor and it’s so up my alley. Once I got the job I did a “Six Feet Under” marathon week because I had the flu, and it was the best excuse ever just to lie in bed. I watched every single episode of the entire series and then started watching them with the commentary tracks, and I thought, “I cannot believe I get to work with this guy.” I was so in awe of how great it was and how well sustained it was and it just made me so excited to really sink my teeth into – no pun intended – True Blood.

When he cast me, I was a pasty brunette from New Zealand and now I’m a southern blonde. You have to respect and love a director who will cast someone who isn’t necessarily the most obvious choice, and who can see the potential in their actors to actually create something.

Q: How do you view your character, Sookie Stackhouse?

AP: This is a dream role for me. It’s so beautifully conceived by Alan Ball and the other writers. She..s fragile but very intuitive; she..s had a really hard life, but she’s still innocent. She believes in love, and believes that it’s actually possible, even in circumstances that seem completely impossible. She’s brave, she doesn’t mind being the odd one out and she does what she wants and has her own opinions. She doesn’t really listen to anyone else who tries to tell her what she’s supposed to think. Life’s kicked her pretty hard, but she hasn’t become bitter and she hasn’t become a totally damaged person. I think it’s an amazing quality to be able to roll with the punches and not be totally ruined as a person because life’s been rough for you. That’s a really admirable way to go through your life.

Q: But Sookie’s not your ordinary girl next door. She’s telepathic. How does her power influence her as a person?

AP: She is telepathic, which is not actually a good thing – it’s been very isolating because unfortunately, she can hear absolutely everything that people are saying around her. She’s very careful about when and how she uses her power, because it’s also been a thing that makes her feel like she doesn’t fit in. But when she gets tired, or there’s just a lot going on, she can’t block it out as much.

Q: Sookie encounters Bill Compton, her first vampire, in the first episode, and later begins a romance with him. How does this come about?

AP: Despite being a vampire, Bill has retained some amount of compassion for people. He hasn’t become an evil, monstrous figure, and we learn bits and pieces as to how and why that is. We don’t fully know that when we first meet him. It’s like any two people – they meet, they connect and despite the obstacles, they try to make it work. Sookie..s the only one in town who isn’t terrified of vampires when they emerge, and when she meets Bill, she’s just intrigued by him. She falls for him and it’s the first relationship she’s ever been in – and for the first time ever she can just relax. But it’s dangerous because he’s a vampire and there’s a lot of controversy surrounding that particular issue in their society. She instantly connects with him in a way that she’s never been able to with anyone else, and I think that’s what everyone’s looking for, to meet that person who makes you feel like you can just be yourself.