She can read minds, sling beers and toss back shots with werewolves. Not to mention work a pair of short-shorts across two states. No wonder True Blood‘s Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) is the dream girl for three guys who put the super in supernatural.

So far she’s been loyal to her first love, Civil War-era vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), but a heartrending breach of trust will soon tear the two apart, leaving an opening for calculating Viking bloodsucker Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgård) and sensitive werewolf bodyguard Alcide Herveaux (Joe Manganiello). 

“It will shake the very core of their relationship,” says executive producer Alan Ball of the shocking incident that wounds the couple in Season 3. “Bill and Sookie’s love for each other is authentic and they want to make it work. But it might get harder and harder.”

Sookie’s love life is a huge reason viewers are sucking up True Blood by the gallon. The Emmy-nominated drama, based on the best-selling book series by Charlaine Harris, is HBO’s biggest hit since The Sopranos. Set in backwater Bon Temps, La., and surrounds, it’s a Southern Gothic gumbo of hot sex, deep love and vampire politics, with enough story lines to choke a gator.

But underneath it all is the battle for Sookie’s heart that’s been raging since Season 1. Fans have chosen sides, and it’s on for Team Bill versus Team Eric (unofficial team T-shirts are available online), with new rival Alcide now running as a dark horse, er, wolf.

Team Bill diehards held their breath in the Season 2 finale when Bill was kidnapped just after proposing to Sookie. This season kicked off with Bill being hauled away by werewolves working for vampire king of Mississippi Russell Edgington (Denis O’Hare). Sookie’s search for her intended landed her in Russell’s clutches, too, and she might have died along the way if not for Alcide’s protection. Add to that the conniving Eric; Bill’s maker and ex, Lorena (Mariana Kleveno), who’s said she’d like to wear Sookie’s rib cage as a hat; the dangerous vampire queen Sophie-Anne (Evan Rachel Wood); and you’ve got one bloody mess.

Still, Moyer (Paquin’s real-life fiancé) believes that, when it comes to true love, all the mayhem is manageable. “I can’t get into slinging matches about who’s better for Sookie because it’s just ridiculous,” he laughs. “Bill is for Sookie, the love of her life.”

Moyer makes a good case for why on a moonless night in an outdoor scene that will air in the Aug. 8 episode. We won’t reveal too much, but we will say he’s ready to fight Russell, who has put Bill’s progeny, teenage vamp Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll), in danger. Bill’s all passion and protectiveness, and definitely someone you want in your corner — or any room of the house. Score one for Team Bill.

But during the escape from Russell’s mansion that eventually leads to this moment, Moyer hints, “Sookie does something we haven’t seen her do yet for Bill. It being the roller-coaster ride that their relationship is, something happens immediately that makes things go awry.”

Without Twilight here to compete at Comic-Con, the most in-demand vampires are those living in Bon Temps. CreatorAlan Ball and the cast from HBO’s True Blood were met with the accordant shrieks at the show’s Friday panel. And they were plenty talkative about this season (witches!), behind-the-scenes antics (socks that aren’t for the feet!) and the future (Sookie and Bill 4ever!)

How do the menfolk on True Blood handle all that nudity? Joe Manganiello(Alcide) said there are a few options: “Sock with a draw string, a plastic-backed thong, which apparently breaks if you’re running fast, or the man panty, or manty, which reduces you to a Ken doll.”

Did Alexander Skarsgard come off a little two-dimensional during the panel? Yes, but he had a good excuse. Skarsgard had said he wouldn’t be there because he’s busy shooting a movie, but Anna Paquin and Steven Moyer carried out a cut-out of the actor on stage. The ladies in the audience screamed anyway, and Paquin lovingly caressed 1-D Skarsgard. Ryan Kwanten, who plays Jason, was also missing from this year’s lineup.

Hasn’t Tara suffered enough? One would think so. But things aren’t going to get any easier, to hear it from Rutina Wesley (Tara) and Ball. Asked about her bad taste in men, Wesley began singing “looking for love in the all the wrong places,” before explaining. “When Tara gets close to loving someone, she immediately runs away… She’s unstable right now but I’m hoping for stability in the future.” Ball added, “There will be a brief break for her at the end of the season, but it won’t last.” And there you have it, Tara fans.

Will fans will ever learn why Franklin is a bit, er, off? Ball said no, he just is. “He does care [about Tara] in his own twisted way. Unfortunately, he is also a psychopath.”

What’s more challenging for the cast, the sex scenes or the violence? “Well, you have to fake the violence,” Paquin said. Also, she prefers to get naked earlier in the day and kill people later, “that way you’re not all messy for lunch.”

We heard there was a porn version of True Blood. True? Ball said not only is there a porn version of, but the Sookettes in the Snoop Dogg music video — an ode to Sookie, which you can view here — wore the same wig that Porn Eric wore.

What’s up with Sookie’s all-mighty microwave fingers? Paquin said viewers will find out what’s behind her other power before the season’s end. She added that she’s enjoying getting to do more of the ass-kicking this season. “I never got any action in X-Men… I wore some really hot gloves.”

How long are fans going to wait to see Jessica and Hoyt reunited? Deborah Ann Woll (Jessica) hinted that it might be awhile. “You have to learn to love yourself before you can love someone else,” she said. “With the confusion of becoming a vampire I don’t know if Jessica loves herself enough, so we have to wait for that first.”

Any celebrity fans we don’t know about? Elizabeth Taylor, according to Kristin Bauer van Straten (Pam), who’s friend is Taylor’s lawyer. Harris also said Anne Rice is a big fan. Did we hear the word “cameos” just now?

Which is Bauer van Straten’s favorite live animal on set? “Skarsgard’s not so bad once you get used to him,” she dead-panned.

Is there any character who Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels, is most excited for viewers to meet? Sookie’s great-grand father. Harris gave no further details.

What is Paquin’s favorite gross-out moment? With so many to choose from, it must be like choosing a favorite child. But she settled on the scene in Season 2 in which Sookie enters Gran’s house after it has been run over by neighbors under Marianne’s spell. “There was a small naked man in my sink doing something quite intimate with what looked like intestines… that was pretty interesting,” she said.

Is there any hope that Bill and Sookie will end up together? Ball is rooting for the couple. “I do believe they’re soulmates,” he said. “I believe their love is genuine and it really is true,” he said. Harris’s books on the other hand? Relationships may not end up the same way. “I think [the books and the series] are separate entertainment experiences,” she said. “I’ve had my ending in mind for the past 8 or 9 years.”

Move over, Jason Stackhouse. There’s a new set of abs on True Blood.

Joe Manganiello, who plays werewolf Alcide Herveaux, has been promoted to be a series regular for Season 4, a show rep confirms to TVGuide.com.

The One Tree Hill alum was originally brought on to appear in few episodes, but has impressed producers with his performance during Season 3. Manganiello’s character plays a substantial role in The Southern Vampire Mysteries novels, on which True Blood is based.

Source: Movieline.com

Historically, pop culture is full of vampires who are calm, collected, and more than a little mysterious, which is what makes Deborah Ann Woll on True Blood such a hoot. Her fledgling vamp Jessica is none of those things — instead, she’s equal parts giddy and grossed-out (and blessedly free of those centuries’ worth of wisdom that make most other vampires such a drag). Heading into season three, Woll’s just as much of a delight as ever, and even feature film auteurs like Paul Thomas Anderson are beginning to take note.

What’s in store for Jessica this year — and for Woll herself? Movieline talked to the 25-year-old actress about the third season’s arc and her upcoming projects.

Jessica is my favorite character on the show, but I have to confess that when she was introduced, I worried that she might be really annoying. How do you keep her endearing when she could so easily tip over the other way?
Gosh, first of all, thank you! I’m glad she’s your favorite. The only thing I think you could do wrong with the character is not commit to it, maybe. You know, people do things that are wrong or annoying or inconsiderate. We are not a perfect race — and neither are vampires. [Laughs] I don’t particularly believe that acting is about winning people over or having them like your character.

Is that commitment harder when you’re having to portray something really emotional or when you have to indulge some of the fantasy aspects of the show? Do you just have to say, “I may look stupid in front of the crew, but I just have to go for this”?
Many times. Not only is it stupid to run and jump and pretend that the things that aren’t happening are actually happening, but even the emotional stuff could sometimes come across as silly. I had to be ‘devirginized’ in front of a lot of people — that’s maybe not the most flattering or easy thing to portray! I had to kind of come up with my idea of what it would be like to go through that experience, and they could all judge me on whether I’ve gone in the right direction or not.

You came on board near the end of season one and had to join this cast already in progress. Does that inform how you treat new actors who are going through the same thing in seasons two or three?
Oh, for sure. Luckily, my experience in coming on was extremely positive. Nobody tried to pull any sort of power play against me — everyone was absolutely welcoming and happy to have me and encouraged me to do the best job I could do. One hundred percent, I try to provide the same thing for any cast member who comes along with us. Really, you’re only as good as the sum of your parts, and if you intimidate someone so much that they can’t do their job to the best of your abilities, that detracts from the experience. We all want it to be as good as it can be in every aspect, so as soon as a new actor comes on, I’m so excited to meet them and make them feel as absolutely at home as I can.

When you first came in, did you know at that point that you would become a regular, or was it still just a guest star part?
It was still a guest star — it was a recurring, two-episode guest star. The way it was written, it looked like there was a possibility of coming back here and there over the next season, but I had no idea what their plans for their character were. After I filmed the first two episodes, the day before I came in to film the finale for the first season, I got the call that they were offering me a regular position for the second season, which was extremely exciting. I was really surprised, but of course I was so grateful, because it’s meant a lot to me.

What is Jessica’s relationship with Hoyt going to be like this season?
Oh boy. Tumultuous, for sure. Both of them have been really hurt by the people in their lives and by each other, and there are other issues. Jessica has things she is ashamed of, and I think she doesn’t find herself as deserving of someone as good as Hoyt is. There’s a lot that has to change for them before they can really forgive each other. Maybe their relationship shouldn’t reconnect — it could be stronger that way.

Did you know there are dozens of fan videos and romantic montages dedicated to them on YouTube?
[Laughs] Romantic montages?

Oh yeah. They’ll compile scenes between you and Hoyt and set it to, like, a Miley Cyrus song or something.
Aww! Oh, that’s really sweet. I’ll have to check that out. My mother is the one who’s on the Twitter and the Facebook, and she gets all the updates on what the fans are doing. She’s usually my middleman for the internet stuff, but I don’t think she does YouTube. I’ll have to look for that — that’s great.

So you guys have actually shot the season finale already, haven’t you?
We’ll finish it in the next week or so.

What do you feel like Jessica gets to do this year that she hasn’t before?
Oh, I’ve been very lucky with the writing and what they’ve allowed me to do with this role. Each season, I feel like I start and end in a different place, and that’s what you want as an actor. You like those arcs and those changes and the feeling that the events that happen to you as a character fundamentally change who you are in some way. This season, there’s a lot of growth and a cool arc that happens. There’s even a cool moment — I think it’s in episode eight — where I found myself reacting the way that Jessica from the second season might have responded, a bit more impulsively. Then, within the scene, I felt myself going, “No, I’m past that. I can respond to this in a different way.” It became kind of a cool moment, and we ended up keeping it; here was Jessica right in the middle of a transition.

I think my favorite moment in the premiere was when Jessica was freaking out about a dead body but as soon as she heard that Sookie might be getting engaged, she immediately became a giddy teenager about it.
If there was a buzzword for Jessica, it would probably be “impulsive.” It’s very moment-to-moment living for her, and it’s fun to play that. It’s fun to go, “Oh my gosh, I killed somebody,” and then jump straight into, “But oh my gosh, you’re gonna get married!” It’s a nice playground.

Are you going to Comic-Con again this year for the show?
I am going to Comic-Con, definitely.

I heard the cast was unprepared for how big the True Blood panel would be last year. Do you feel like you guys kind of shoot it in a bubble?
It’s funny, I guess when I thought of these TV shows of old, I always imagined them filming on these maximum-security sets and nobody could get in and it’s very highly guarded, but we go into work and it’s just like anybody else’s office building. We have a card, we show up, we get let in and we shoot right in the middle of Hollywood — it really doesn’t feel like we’re really that hidden at all! I guess because it’s such a short season and we do films on the off-season and we don’t shoot it at the same time as it’s airing, we don’t hear any of the hype while we’re shooting it. The hype comes after it’s done. If people get really excited about a scene, we go, “Oh great, I shot that six months ago!” We do feel very removed from it all.

I’ve heard that you might be in talks for the new Paul Thomas Anderson movie, The Master, to play the daughter of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s character.
There’s nothing official. I will say that I have talked with him, and he’s very nice. I don’t think we or he is anywhere near making a decision — I think he’s still working on the script, so he’s got that job to do. There’s really nothing official there, it’s just some interest that he and I both have.

But you’re definitely in the upcoming remake of the horror film Mother’s Day. What can you tell me about it?
I think it has a lot of unique qualities to it that you wouldn’t normally find in that kind of home invasion drama. I do like that women are playing both the villain and heroine — I think that’s an unusual thing to see in this genre. I also like that nobody dies with their top off. [Laughs] That’s a positive.

Source: Movieline.com

There wasn’t a new episode of True Blood last Sunday, but then again, you probably needed that downtime to decompress from the previous episode’s insane final scene. On a show that co-mingles sex and violence as a general rule, that last encounter between Bill (Stephen Moyer) and Lorena (Mariana Klaveno) may have shredded the envelope: testing the limits of vampire-on-vampire hate-sex, Bill twisted Lorena’s head completely around between thrusts — and true to Lorena’s malevolent nature, she loved it.

Did Klaveno feel the same way about having to shoot it, though? With True Blood resuming its run this weekend, she called up Movieline to discuss exactly how they made it work, why Lorena just can’t get over Bill, and how J.J. Abrams is inadvertently responsible.

So you had a very, shall we say, “head-turning” scene in episode three?
You could say that. You could say “twisted.”

I’m sure you’re going to hear all of those jokes.
We were making them on the day of filming, trust me.

Please tell me what your reaction was when you read that.
I think my jaw dropped to the floor, and my initial thought was, “Oh, my poor parents.” [Laughs] There was sort of an anxiety about it, but upon reflection, I realized it was going to very much be a water-cooler scene for the season, and given the choice, I’d rather be in the water-cooler scene than not. I made my peace with it, although I’m nervous to actually see it! I’ve seen it in pieces because I had to go back and do sound for it, but I have not seen the finished product yet.

It’s insane.
It was kind of insane, wasn’t it? Unfortunately, so many great scenes happen in episode three, and I don’t know that anyone will remember them when the last moment of the episode occurs.

Well, how the hell did you film that? I want to know everything.
I think it’s CGI magic, but they actually built a puppet — a Mariana puppet, or a Lorena puppet, I should say. I did a lifecast of my torso and my face, and it came out perfect. It looked exactly like me, and her head could twist around. We kind of did it in stops and starts all day long. [Laughs] We did it with Stephen and I facing up, Stephen and I face-down, Stephen with the puppet…there were many different versions that we filmed, and they sort of pieced them all together with post-production magic to make it all look, I’m hoping, horrific.

On a show like True Blood, it’s kind of an honor to have the most talked-about sex scene, isn’t it?
Yes, yes. I mean, I had a pretty gruesome sex scene last season when we were rolling around in blood, but this one pushed the envelope for sure, as far as incorporating violence and sex. It’s actually one of the things I love about the show: it knows what it is, and it does what it does very well. Alan Ball just knows how to keep upping the ante and how to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Once you think you have the show figured out, they pull something like this, and it’s like, “Wow, I’m speechless.”

What was it that you so enjoyed about the flashbacks in that episode?
I love these particular flashbacks because you get to see the beginning nature of their relationship and Bill really not having a handle on his vampire life. He makes mistakes and crosses lines, and you see Lorena acting as his maker in a maternal sort of way, which you really haven’t seen before. I don’t know if you were surprised, but I was surprised about how things were handled in that scene.

Why do you think Lorena is so obsessed with Bill?
I think he represents everything that she wants. The irony is that the very things that initially attracted her to Bill are the qualities in him that keep him from returning her love: He’s this honorable, dignified man who has scruples and morals. She’s been waiting to find a companion; she’s a very lonely character, and I have my own ideas for why that is, that she was never really loved in her human life either. The problem is that she’s very much in tune with her vampire life and she wants him to indulge in those vampire things, and this season, you get to see a darker side of Bill. I think it’s as twisted — again, sorry for the pun — as it seems that it excited Lorena that she starts to see her input in Bill. The more violent he is, the darker he is, the more he pushes away Sookie for his vampire life, the better it is for Lorena. She thinks, “This is the vampire I made.”

Do you mind playing such a villain, or do you want fans to like you?
I do want the fans to like me a little bit! This season, she does have her evil moments still, but the way she deals with Bill’s wife, I think, is very surprising. You leave that moment where she starts to glamour her and you think, “Oh my God, she’s going to do something horrible to his wife and I’ll never like this character,” but she doesn’t. She’s sort of taken care of in a way. Further on, in episode ten, I think you’ll see more of those moments. I think it makes her a more interesting character and it’s so much more rewarding to play a character who has those sides to her.

You’ve taken a lot of abuse this season, but at least you get to wear some fabulous clothing. I thought Lorena’s riding outfit that she got burned up in was kind of insanely wonderful.
Thank you! Yes, they worked very hard on that outfit. It’s a shame that it was only onscreen for about two seconds. [Laughs] I was set on fire, but I think I had about four different fittings just for that outfit. I’m an extremely lucky girl that I get to wear all these fabulous clothes.

So tell me about this chance meeting with J.J. Abrams that helped launch your career.
Oh, yes. I used to work at Morton’s in Burbank, for about seven years. J.J. used to come in to write when he was working on Alias — he’d come in with his laptop late in the evening and have a steak. I was an insane fan of the show and I knew who he was and I didn’t want to approach him and say anything, but we kind of struck up an acquaintance because I was a hostess and I knew he needed the one table with an outlet next to it for his laptop. So, after about four or five of these times when he’d come in and need that table and we’d have a bit of a back-and-forth, it came out that I was an actress. He started scolding me that I hadn’t mentioned it before and hadn’t been giving him my headshot.

But you couldn’t have!
I know! I said, if I’d done that, he would have been turned off. He was very generous and very gracious and he said, “Please send me your stuff,” which I did, but I thought, “If I just send him my picture and a resume with nothing on it, it’s not going to go anywhere.” So I started to come up with a very clever cover letter about why I needed to be on Alias, full of inside jokes about the show like how I look amazing in colored wigs or how I can pretend that Glendale is the Czech Republic. Apparently, they loved it there and passed it around at the writer’s table or something, and a few weeks later, I got the call from their casting office that they were offering me a little part.

And who did you play?
I play the girl who blows up. I’m literally onscreen for a couple of seconds, and then I blow up.

You’ve gotten blown up, burned up, your head’s gotten twisted around…you have a very interesting resume, Mariana.
I have. I think I’ve died many, many times on TV, and this show is adding interesting some new atrocities to the list.

True Blood‘s third season got off to a strong, if not record-breaking, start on Sunday.

The first original episode in nine months attracted 5.1 million viewers, up 38 percent over last summer’s season 2 opener but down slightly from the show’s 5.3 million peak (for an episode that aired last August).

With the 11 pm replay factored in,True Blood ended the night with 6.4 million total viewers.

the newest poster for True Blood season 3

ps- I love how she doesn’t look like trash in this photo!

Sources confirm to me exclusively that Carrie Preston — a.k.a. True Blood’s Arlene — is heading to CBS’ The Good Wife for a multi-episode arc. She’ll play Elsbeth Mann (not a typo), a member of Peter’s (Chris Noth) legal team.

The timing of Preston’s casting is sure to raise questions about the fate of her True Blood character, particularly since the HBO smash is in the midst of shooting its third season in Los Angeles. The Good Wife, meanwhile, is based in New York.

Although an HBO rep declined to comment, a TB insider cautions against declaring the vamp-hating serial bride dead and buried. “Arlene isn’t a major presence in the third book,” notes the source. “A lot of the action takes place outside of Bon Temps, so [Carrie] probably had some free time on her hands.”

I like that theory better. Besides, Alan Ball wouldn’t dare kill off Merlotte’s only dependable waitress. In other True news, did you hear? Season 3 premieres Sunday, June 13! Viewing party at my someone else’s place!

Recently killed-off Heroes cast member Dawn Olivieri has found new life — as a werewolf on True Blood.

Olivieri will play Janice Herveaux, the sister of werewolf Alcide (Joe Manganiello), the actress’ rep confirms to TVGuide.com.

Herveaux is described as a tough-as-nails biker chick who’s somewhat protective of her younger brother. She is also into horoscopes and psychics.

Olivieri will first appear in Season 3′s fourth episode, “9 Crimes.” She also auditioned for the role of Debbie Pelt, Alcide’s ex-girlfriend. Casting for that role has yet to be announced.

Olivieri just wrapped up a recurring role on Heroes‘ fourth season as Lydia, a tattooed empath and member of evil carnival leader Samuel’s “family.” Her previous credits include My Boys, Entourage, How I Met Your Mother and Cold Case.

Way to go, kids! It’s all your fault that Heroes will be canceled! Well, not really, but you’re pushing it. According to the blog TorrentFreak, which reports on the Internet black market known as file-sharing, NBC’s Heroes was the most illegally downloaded television show of 2009.

The stat shouldn’t be taken as gospel, however, as the site merely lists the number of downloads for a show’s most popular episode and not its entire season run (not to mention that it’s tough to swallow empirical data from a site with “freak” in its name). Still, TorrentFreak claims that the most-pirated episode of Heroes (the particulars of the episode were not disclosed) was “stolen” approximately 6,580,000 times. That’s over half a million more than the show’s average TV audience.

Overall, sci-fi and action dominated the list of most-pirated shows, with Lost (6,310,000 downloads), Prison Break (3,450,000), Dexter (2,780,000), and House (2,590,000) rounding out the top five. Eight of the top ten entries were broadcast shows, and two were premium-cable shows (Dexter and no. 10 True Blood), indicating that TV piracy isn’t committed primarily by those who don’t want to pay extra for HBO and Showtime, but rather by those who don’t want to pay for cable at all and are willing to watch on their dinky computer monitors.

And while online piracy is thought to be the realm of the male basement nerd, both Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives made the top ten list. Either female basement nerds are getting into the act too, or the guys out there are getting soft. That’s what happens when you dudes gender-swap and level a female night elf to 70 in World of Warcraft.

Overall, the takeaway from these numbers isn’t that there are millions of horrible people out there stealing TV (a large chunk of the downloads is thought to be from foreign markets that can’t get the shows legally), it’s this: Television viewing habits are changing. Networks shouldn’t be looking for ways to stop illegal downloading, but rather to find a way to make it work to their advantage.

The list:
Show Title, Downloads of most-popular episode
1. Heroes, 6,580,000
2. Lost, 6,310,000
3. Prison Break, 3,450,000
4. Dexter, 2,780,000
5. House, 2,590,000
6. 24, 2,440,000
7. Desperate Housewives, 2,180,000
8. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, 1,960,000
9. Grey’s Anatomy, 1,740,000
10. True Blood, 1,600,000

Here’s a TV GUIDE interview with the actor playing Alcide.

Alcide is about to put a major kink in True Blood’s polarizing Eric/Sookie/Bill triangle. At least that’s the word from the werewolf’s portrayer, Joe Manganiello, who makes a strong case for an Alcide/Sookie pairing in TV GUIDE’S exclusive Q&A.  The 33-year-old actor also weighs in on the length of his commitment to the show and why he isn’t afraid of those crazy Team Bill and Team Eric fans.

How did you find out that you won the role?
JOE MANGANIELLO: I had three meetings with Alan Ball. [After the last one], I got a call from my agent and manager. And whenever you get a call from your agent and manager, you have a pretty good idea that something good is about to happen.

What was your reaction when they told you?
MANGANIELLO: I’m not afraid to admit that I started crying. I was just so excited. It’s a dream come true. When I was a little kid, the nun at my elementary school said if you pray for something hard enough, it’ll happen. And I would pray every day with all of my heart that God would turn me into a werewolf. And when it didn’t happen, I kind of thought, “You know what? Maybe this stuff doesn’t work. Maybe I’m getting gypped.” So here it is 25 years later and my prayers got answered and I’m going to be a werewolf.

What was it about being a werewolf that appealed to you?
MANGANIELLO: I just loved Halloween. When I was 4, my mother dressed me up as a vampire and brought me to a haunted house. When I think about it now, bringing a 4-year-old kid to a haunted house is pretty intense. There was a vampire in the haunted house that jumped out of a coffin and I went up and tried to climb into the coffin with him. He wound up picking me up and putting me in the coffin with him and closing the lid. I [just] always liked monsters. There was something interesting about having this thing inside of you that you can’t control that comes out when you get angry. There’s something cathartic about the idea of having a beast inside you.

Are you a fan of the show?
MANGANIELLO: Huge fan. I’ve seen every episode.

Have you met Anna Paquin yet?
MANGANIELLO: Not yet. They wanted me to read with her. That was going to be my final audition, a chemistry read with Anna. But she wasn’t available so they had me come in by myself… I think it’s going to be great. I’ve seen a ton of her movies going all the way back to The Piano. I’m excited.

When do you start shooting?
MANGANIELLO: Late January, so I’ve got some time. Every day right now is all about the Werewolf Workout. It consists of Krav Maga, which is an Israeli fighting technique, and Cross Fit, which is kind of a gnarly crazy high-intensity workout. And I’m doing a little bit of weights in between.

Was this something Alan Ball asked you to do?
MANGANIELLO: No. This is something I wanted to do on my own. I’m a big guy to begin with; I work out a lot anyway. In my mind, I see the character as having a big chest, big arms — ripped the way an animal would be. Vampires have a supernatural strength to them, so you can have a vampire that is a little slighter. But a werewolf is this big, powerful, half man, half animal. I want to get as close to that as I possibly can.

Will your Alcide be different from the Alcide in the books?
JOE MANGANIELLO: Alan Ball and I had a conversation about that at one of my auditions. I think it’s up in the air. I know that, at least initially, fans of the book will be pleased with my character.

What’s your take on Alcide?
MANGANIELLO: He’s really big. He’s giant. When Sookie first meets him, she opens the door and looks up, and then has to look up some more. So there’s this giant presence standing in the doorway with dark hair and dark features. He’s strong and protective. He comes from a construction background; his father is in the construction business. He’s heroic and romantic. I don’t think it’s a secret that he has a broken heart when he shows up. He had a really rough go of this relationship with Debbie Pelt, so there’s a lot of friction there. Debbie’s doing a lot of things to get back at Alcide.

How long are you committed to the show for?
MANGANIELLO: Right now we’ve just talked about this season.

What can Alcide offer Sookie that Bill and Eric can’t?
MANGANIELLO: Warm flesh and blood. That’s the neat thing about my character: Although he’s not entirely human, he is flesh and blood. He has a lifespan. In the books he hugs Sookie and she feels his skin and it’s just radiating heat. So I think the fact that he has some kind of sunburnt heat-radiating skin is just completely different. It’s [similar to when] she met Bill and what a relief it was for her to not be able to hear his thoughts.

Are you ready to be thrust into the Eric/Sookie/Bill fan frenzy?
MANGANIELLO: For me it’s fun. I could see how if I was a 100-pound Hollywood actress it would probably be pretty scary, but I’m a big guy, so people don’t necessarily scare me in that way. With that said, I’ve had to go to the police a couple of times for stalkers.

Really?
MANGANIELLO: They were really big… I don’t know how I want to describe it but they were guys. I’ve had two guy stalkers that I’ve had to go to the cops about. But other than that I think it’s a blast. It’s so fun to get caught up in that. It’s so fun to have fans care that much. It’s that whole Comic-Con, fanboy crowd. I love that. I started my career in Spider-Man, so I’m completely familiar with them and I love that kind of stuff. And you hear about love triangles all of the time, it’s going to be interesting to see how the love square works out.

Joe Manganiello should watch his back, because joining True Blood as the new love interest of everyone’s favorite telepath has its dangers, including deadly vampire lovers who don’t need more competition.  

The One Tree Hill star has been cast as Alcide Herveaux, the new werewolf in town who cozies up to Sookie (Anna Paquin), TVGuide.com has confirmed. In the casting call, Alcide is described as good-looking, rough-around-the-edges, articulate, heroic, and decent, but not what he seems.

In the closing moments of Season 2, Bill (Stephen Moyer) was kidnapped. This will lead Sookie to search far and wide for her lover when the show returns. If executive producer Alan Ball sticks to Charlaine Harris’ novels, Alcide will be on the hunt with her on Eric’s request.

True Blood is about to join the ranks of hot pop culture werewolves: the show has just cast actors Grant Bowler as a werewolf and Theo Alexander as a vampire.

Bowler, who has starred on Ugly Betty, will play the head of a werewolf biker gang (how hot is that? I’ll say it again: werewolf biker gang) while Alexander will guest as the boyfriend of the vampire king Russell Edgington (also a new character). The werewolf character is obviously the biggest deal here, as True Blood has previously only seen shapeshifters and a smattering of creepy creatures.