Back in December, we shared the interview of Kristin Bauer Van Straten with The Improper Bostonian. Now we have the cover of that magazine (dated December 14, 2011-January 3, 2012). Looking gorgeous as always, Mrs. Van Straten!
SFX have conducted their annual poll of everyone’s favourite vampires, and released the results on their website to coincide with the publication of their Vampires special edition magazine. You’ll be pleased to know that FIVE True Blood characters made the list!
2. Eric Northman – “Eric the Viking. Once a phrase that immediately meant “flop comedy from the Monty Python guy.” Now it means, “Top Nordic vampire hottie.” Bill was supposed to be the alpha vampire on True Blood, but – although far from unpopular – he was eclipsed by his blond nightclub owner boss in the popularity stakes (if “stakes” isn’t too sensitive a word to use). As in so many other cases (Spike and Damon, for instance) he benefited from the fact that he didn’t have to be the nice guy. Far from it – he’s an utter git, chaining Lafayette to a slave wheel, and tricking Sookie into drinking his blood. Not to mention all the killing. But it’s more than that. Eric is just so inherently cool. So cool it doesn’t matter if he does a bit of killing while getting his hair dyed; or if he cries when his maker dies; or if he wears a shell suit. He remains untouchable cool. Hell, he’s survived centuries with the name Eric. That’s how cool he is.”
5. Pam DeBeaufort – “True Blood has come up with many memorable vamps, but none quite as reliably foul-mouthed as Pam. Her dialogue (which we can’t reproduce here for taste reasons) is often the highlight of an episode. Devoted to her maker, Eric, she’s also a bit of a badass… and kinda hot. And unlike Eric or Bill, she’s never going to be won over by Sookie’s charms. She may not be one of the show’s main players, but she’s definitely one of the most fun. And we loved her anti-Sookie rant in the season four finale.”
9. Bill Compton – “After seeing death up close even before he became a vampire in the American Civil War, there’s no wonder True Blood’s Bill Compton rarely cracks a smile. Played with seductive relish by Essex-born Stephen Moyer, he’s the Bon Temps vamp who it’s possible to believe we’ve only scratched the surface of.”
11. Jessica Hamby – “Jessica, a vampire so-so easy to love, because of her combination of naivety and sexual/vampiric awakening. She’s the suppressed teenager who’s suddenly discovered alcohol and is rebelling, but taken to ludicrous extremes. Savage and fragile, sensitive but headstrong, she a mass of adorable contradictions, whose fangs pop out at the most embarrassing moments. Stuck as an eternal teenager, doomed to losing her virginity each time she makes love thanks to a self-repairing hymen, she is one of True Blood’s greatest creations.”
21. Russell Edgington - “There were a lot of things to grumble about in True Blood’s third season, but King Russell wasn’t one of them. The oldest and strongest vampire in the world, he’s also one of the funniest. A charming psychopath with a hatred for humans, he was responsible for the single best scene in all of True Blood, when he ripped out a news anchor’s heart, live on air, and declared war on humanity. That he was then squandered for the rest of the season was a shame, but no matter. The end of season four is pretty clear… Russell is coming back. Sookie and co had better watch out…”
Read the full results of the poll here: SFX Top 50 Vampires 2012
Alex & Kristin PC: Art Streiber/HBO
Kristin Bauer van Straten gave eonline.com some little tidbits about working on Season 5 of True Blood and working with co-star (and vamp daddy) Alexander Skarsgård.
“Every year I think, ‘We’ve kinda done it.’ Every year I think ‘Wow, that was better than last year. These story lines and these scenes and the cast…I don’t think they could get any better.’ ”
So says Kristin Bauer—who plays scene stealing vamp-extraordinaire Pam on True Blood—when we asked what’s to come for the fangtastic HBO show. “And that’s how I feel about [season] five,” K.B. told us from the set.
So what sort of outrageous things will Pam say this season? And what’s it like for the gal to work with Alexander Skarsgård now that he’s a big, huge movie star?
First off, the gushing: “Every script I get I go, ‘Oh my god, that’s better than I thought it would be.’ And wardrobe fittings, ‘Oh my god, that’s better than I could have imagined,’ ” Bauer practically hyperventilated.
But scoop-wise, Bauer stayed tight-lipped on the secrets of season five: “I have a pretty good inkling about [what's to come]. And I can’t tell you anything.” Though she did tease that we should not only expect more totally over-the-top outfits from Pam, but also more R-rated one-liners.
“We thought last year’s gash in the sundress might be that point and apparently that wasn’t!” Kristen told us when asked the writers ever give her something to say that’s just too much.
“It feels like it’s just in kind. We’re just continuing with all the goodness we’ve had before,” Kristin continued about the naughtiness to come. “I don’t know if you can get much worse than gash in a sundress, but we can certainly stay in the ballpark.”
And as for her onscreen maker, Mr. A.Skars—ya know, now that he’s living on the big screen in flicks like Straw Dogs and Battleship—well, Kristen says he’s par for the course as well:
“He’s the same guy…We’re buddies,” she laughed when we wondered whether he’d changed since the beginning of True Blood. “But watch I’ll go watch the movies and then get starstruck all of a sudden.”
Trust us, we already have been. And starstruck is not a bad thing to be when it comes to Skars, not at all.
Kristin Bauer by Cheyenne Ellis
Kristin Bauer van Straten talks to the Improper Bostonian about True Blood, crushes, her art and acting. Born and raised in Racine, Wis., she attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston until 1993, when she decided to pursue a career in acting.
Weirdest fan encounter?
She was wearing a cape, and she gave me a journal that she’d been keeping. It took me, a few friends and some cocktails to figure out what she was trying to say, and I think it had something to do with her being my maker as a vampire. She also grabbed my ass. [Laughs.] Pretty memorable.
Do you really get to see Alexander Skarsgård naked?
Yes! It’s a nice perk.
Who’s the sexiest man on True Blood?
It’s almost impossible for me to say at this point, because I’m so close to all these people. We’re in year five of our relationships. But I do have to say that one of the set crushes for a lot of the girls is Chris Bauer [who plays Andy Bellefleur]. This is the sexiest cast. Whatever your type, he’s there. But Chris Bauer is sort of the on-set heartthrob. Cute, sweet, cool. He’s the guy you’d marry.
Your idea of a perfect Sunday afternoon?
I love when it’s raining, wearing PJs, a big Sunday breakfast at home, in my slippers, no makeup. That’s heaven.
Read the rest of the interview at the source.
Another delightful little interview with Kristin Bauer van Straten was published today, this time by City Link. Kristin talks about being Pam, her favorite True Blood characters and what it’s like for her now that she’s acquired fame.
How has your life changed since True Blood went on the air?
Well, I now have to shower and wear some makeup to go to Starbucks. I have to borrow a little from Pam — be a tad more vain, as I could never say, “no” to a fan wanting a photo because I’m not wearing mascara. And I get asked my thoughts on things and I have lots to say about rights and free will, especially regarding animals, as they are truly innocent and voiceless. It is also possible playing Pam has opened the door to my being seen as a “fierce bitch,” I think is the term and I’m all for that typecasting.
How do you prepare to play Pam and what do you enjoy most about the role? What’s the most challenging part?
I try to be my most dry and sarcastic self. Then, I get in those clothes, sit in hair and makeup for two to five hours, and walk on to those gorgeous sets with these amazing actors, and 80 percent of the work has been created around me. All of that teamwork cannot be underestimated in how important it is to be able to believe I am an immortally bored vampire.
Were you familiar with the True Blood books before taking the role?
I was not. This entire world has been a delightful surprise.
What has been your most-memorable scene on the show so far?
Every year, there are many “most-memorable scenes” in my mind. Even the ones that I feel may be less memorable for Pam, I find out later from fans, that the fabulous dialogue they wrote made an impact. I can tell you I was very curious to see how the face-rotting scenes looked, like the fight scene I had with Rutina [Wesley]. We worked two long nights on that, and I was really hoping I was very edgy. And I hear I was.
Since you played Jerry’s girlfriend with “man hands” on Seinfeld, what were your thoughts on that role and do fans still recognize you for that?
They do. Seinfeld fans are also a great, loyal group. It was such an amazing show. I have played such a variety of parts, I feel more like a character actor in many ways and value that about the parts I have gotten. I did a lot of comedy, many in sitcom format, and it is another world from True Blood and also so much joy.
On True Blood, who has been your favorite character or character(s) to interact with?
I am very partial to my maker, Eric [played by Alexander Skarsgård]. But I also have gotten to threaten Lafayette, flirt with Sookie, scowl at Bill, try to kill Tara a few times, ignore Ginger’s screams, check out Jason and give horrible advice to Jessica.
What is it like working with Alexander Skarsgård?
Fang f-ing tastic.
Courtesy: HBO
HBO has put out a really cool and gross and informative video on how they got the very glamorous Pam Swynford de Beaufort to look like her skin was rotting away. The True Blood Special FX Producer Dan Rebert takes us inside all of the behind-the-scenes with Kristin Bauer van Straten.
Kristin Bauer van Straten spoke with HuffPost and gushed a bit about Pam’s relationship with Eric, her vulnerability and crying a lot. She even mentioned the Bellefleurs (yay!). We already knew it, but she confirms that Chris Bauer Is One Sexy Mofo and explains how everybody loves him on set.
On her Maker:
“He really is the one rock in her life — the one person she really loves and would do anything for. She would die for Eric. That’s it for her. He’s her maker. He really is her best friend, her daddy, and they just have such a complicated relationship. And she loves being his lieutenant. She doesn’t want to be first-in-command, so when he’s not there to be her rock, she doesn’t like it. That will definitely come into play when we go into Pam and Eric’s pasts next season.”
"He's got some sort of x-factor"
On the True Blood cast & Bellefleurs:
“It’s like lightening striking. I’ve been on a lot of sets, and this doesn’t happen everyday. We have such a big family. Seventy percent of the show, I’m not in, so I like to see everyone’s storylines. I don’t know anything about the werewolf world or Sam’s world. Every week, I’m just fascinated.
One of my favorite moments all season was that great scene in episode 10 between Chris Bauer and Todd Lowe, the Bellefleurs. I couldn’t wait to see that.
Chris [Bauer] is definitely one of the main girl-crushes on set — we all love him. He’s got some sort of x-factor [laughs].”
She may have a crush on Chris Bauer — and let’s face it, who doesn’t? — but she does have some trouble getting one cast-member’s name right.
“I’m watching the show and reading the scripts every week, and after what seems like years, I have a scene with Ryan [Kwanten], and halfway through the day, Anna [Paquin] says to me, ‘Do you realize you’re calling him Jason?’ And Ryan is so sweet, that he never even said a word. He was just responding to Jason all day.”
Read it all at HuffPost
