Mariana Klaveno, who plays Lorena, knows that she isn’t a fan-favorite (except for me, and maybe like three other people). Lorena’s a complex character, and so much more than simply a villain in the True Blood world – she’s driven by unrequited love for her William, as well as an unhealthy dose of self-loathing, and she’s been in some of the most powerful scenes on the show. Playing Lorena requires Mariana to play brooding beauty, charming, witty, and cruel, often in the same scene.
Mariana spoke with Back Stage about embodying a villain, avoiding the urge to Google herself, and why she kept her job as a waitress through the second season of True Blood.
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO PLAY THIS INCREDIBLY RICH, MEATY VILLAIN? It’s incredible. I could not have dreamed up this part. Last season, every script I got, with the ’20s flashback and the ’30s flashback, I just was pinching myself. It’s so much fun. She’s so flawed and fabulous. I love all of that; she is not perfect, and I love her all the more for it. I hope people love to hate her. I know she’s certainly not somebody that you’re rooting for.
THE SHOW SEEMS TO HAVE TAKEN PAINS, ESPECIALLY WITH THOSE FLASHBACKS, TO HELP THE AUDIENCE UNDERSTAND LORENA’S CONNECTION TO BILL. Yes, I hope so. I think the writers really do that well. It’s not necessarily so black-and-white. That’s one of the really brilliant things about the show. They show how vampires relate to humans, and vice versa: What parts of humanity do they maintain, and what parts do they not? And obviously some do so more than others. Bill fights really hard to maintain some of his humanity, and someone like Lorena doesn’t. There’s parts of her that are just not there anymore, nor does she want them to be, because that’s part of her human life, and that’s dead and gone now. But it’s interesting to me that love seems to be something that stays with them. Love and jealousy and greed and lust — those all carry into your vampire life.
HOW DID YOU PREPARE FOR THE ROLE WHEN YOU FOUND OUT YOU WERE CAST? DID YOU GO BACK AND READ THE BOOKS? I did read the books, although she’s not really in the book so much. She’s there a little in the third book, and you kind of hear about her the whole time, but you really don’t see her at all, and there are none of the flashbacks. None of the rich relationship that you have in the show between Bill and Lorena exists in the book. They kind of took some liberties, and thank God they did. I was very nervous coming into Season 2 because I didn’t really know how far to take it, and, really, playing a supernatural creature means it’s sort of anything goes. The canvas is blank and wide open, which is a blessing and is a curse sometimes because you don’t have any boundaries. You think, “I could do anything. So, what do I do?” But I try to embrace those moments rather than run away and hide.
WHAT WAS THE AUDITION PROCESS LIKE? It was not unlike normal auditions. I only read twice. I went in for some producers, and I knew that it was going to be an amazing show. I was immediately nervous. I worked on it with a friend of mine who I often work on auditions with, and we talked it over and started to make some really bold choices, because I’d rather fail big than fail small. It also seemed like the kind of show that allows that.
WHAT HAS IT FELT LIKE TO BE PART OF A SHOW WITH SUCH MOMENTUM AND WITH SUCH A DEVOUT FOLLOWING? It’s really surreal. I’ve only experienced it a little bit, while people like Stephen and Anna and Alexander (Skarsgard) have it on a huge scale. It’s crazy but it’s incredible, and I’m so grateful and thankful. It’s incredible to not only to be on a show, because in this industry it’s amazing to be on any show, but to be on a show that’s, quite frankly, kind of a phenomenon. And to be honest with you, I try to stay off the Internet a lot. I don’t mean to ignore fans. I feel terrible to do that. My close friends will look over some stuff and guide me into the right places. But there’s so much negative stuff that it’s sometimes best to let that be. I think it can be kind of poisonous to be constantly Googling yourself. So to some extent I kind of keep myself apart from that and try to focus on the work and not let that influence me in a lot of ways.
I READ THAT YOU HELD ON TO YOUR RESTAURANT HOSTESS JOB FOR SOME TIME, EVEN INTO THE SECOND SEASON OF “TRUE BLOOD,” PARTIALLY BECAUSE YOU IDENTIFIED AS A STARVING ARTIST. I did. I worked on Season 2 from March through May of last year, and I didn’t quit my job until July. So I’d be filming during the week, and then Saturday night was my shift at the restaurant. I was just really nervous to cut that cord because I was struggling for so many years, and I thought, “I just have to be really, really positive that this is it. I can’t quit and then have to come back six months later. If I leave, it has to be for good.” I stuck it out for a long time, which I know was comical to everyone involved. You just never know.
She’s managed to make this character very intriguing. I like the way we never know if Lorena is ‘all there’ or not. And those 20′s flashbacks were fanatstic. (well, I enjoyed the, ahem, prohibition one a little better, but the one where she freed Bill was moving)
Last time we saw her see she running off in bloody tears and now she’s back smiling and tossing out taunts. It was good to see her back, and fun to see Bill light her up.
Quite the history those two have.
Latbfan, I am one of those three other people who are big fans of Lorena/Mariana although I really do hope and believe there are more of us out there. For me, the screen just lights up whenever Lorena appears and I’m just in awe of Marina’s ability to make Lorena terrifically evil and yet, heartbreakingly sad all at the same time. Since we know nothing of Lorena’s backstory up to the time she turned Bill, it’s hard to know what factors brought her to that place and made her what she was and since making Bill, well, we all know what unrequited love for Bill Compton can do to you. I’m looking forward to seeing more interaction, both past and present, between Lorena and Bill. Call me crazy, but I found some of the scenes disturbingly hot.
Another Lorena fan here and love all the flashback scenes especially ! Looking foirward to seeing more interaction as season 3 progresses .
That’s three right there! I clearly underestimated Lorena’s appeal, which is lovely. I adore her, and MK’s on-screen chemistry with SM just sizzles. They’ve fabulous together. For me, the best moment of S2 was her sweeping down the hallway in Dallas in that gorgeous black and red dress, her fangs running out when she hears her William with Sookie… *sigh* Perfection itself!
Totally agree 100% with all of this latbfan …..roll on more MK/ SM sizzling scenes !
She can rock a dress. Or riding gear, or anything. Even viewers that may not particularly *like* Lorena can’t deny that the woman has style.
I still can’t believe Bill set her on fire. That was awesome. Like she wasn’t hot enough :P
I think Klaveno underestimates her place in fandom. The Bill/Eric mania is on a curve all its own, not a benchmark. Lorena/Mariana is an adornment to the series, its jewel-encrusted, sloe-eyed spider. When she’s in the room, you cannot and dare not take your eyes off of her. Klaveno has so nailed her part. AND she can pass her character for human better than other vamps, IMO. Made a super-convincing lovely young war widow before her black widow metamorphosis.
I can’ stand the character of Lorena. However, I love Mariana’s portrayal of her (which means she’s doing a very good job).
I love Lorena, and MK’s portrayal of her. Lorena is evil, yet you cannot help but feel sad for her because you know that she loves Bill, and will never have her love reciprocated. If only she was a little less evil, and willing to change for her unrequited love, I would root for Lorena and Bill together. Sookie annoys the hell outta me, she is like way too stupid for Bill. But my lovely vampire with the heart of gold is head over heels in love with the blonde. Duh!