Sam Trammell
If Sam Trammell isn’t the nicest guy in the country then no one qualifies, he always seems to have a genuine smile and a kind word for all his fans. This lady is going to EyeCon in less then two weeks and I hope to get up close and personal with Sam, well, at least up close. Wish me luck.
Appearing at an “Inside the Main Street Studio” gathering at the Kanawha Players Theater, Trammell said little successes, regardless of the role, are the most important for an actor’scareer development, and also are the most exciting.
Sam Trammell had a word of advice for aspiring actors Friday night: Act.
Trammell was in town as the honored guest of the East End Main Street “HallowEast” celebration. Patterned after the popular Bravo show “Inside the Actors Studio,” Trammell’s appearance Friday featured an interview by David Wohl, dean of arts and humanities at West Virginia State University.
Wohl probed Trammell’s thoughts on the actor’s craft, methods andtechniques. Trammell said the voice and movement classes he took were essential to his development. “You simply can’t do theater without them,” he said.
Audience members, some of whom came from out-of-state after learning of Trammell’s appearance from the “True Blood” Web site, questioned him about his experiences on Broadway and sought to gain insight about what to expect in the coming season. The actor was predictably discreet.
Sam as Sam
At an earlier “meet and greet” at the Culture Center, where fans paid $100 a ticket to rub elbows with the man who is sometimes a dog on TV, Trammell circulated through the crowd, posing for pictures and signing autographs.
Gina Grigoraci, who graduated with him in 1990, brought her yearbook to share with him. “He remembered me when I showed him my high school picture,” she said. “He was always the cool guy in high school that girls had a crush on.” Grigoraci recalls seeing him at the South Hills swimming pool during the summer. She started watching “True Blood” because she’d heard her classmate was starring in it.
Making her second visit to West Virginia, but first to Charleston, Laura Lincks of New York City said Trammell brought her here. “He’s my favorite actor on the show,” Lincks said, noting that Trammell was a genuinely nice guy in person.
Trammell’s parents and a number of his boyhood friends also attended. Former West Virginia Supreme Court Justice John McCuskey said he dined with Trammell at the Bluegrass Kitchen, where the actor accommodated autograph seekers and photo hounds with aplomb.
Trammell said he still recalls every detail when he was told he’d landed the “True Blood” role. “I remember exactly where I was, the weather, the gift I bought myself and, literally, screaming,” when he heard the news, he said. “This was the pilot everybody wanted to get.” The actor said he knew director Alan Ball from his days in New York theater. “Alan hires good actors and doesn’t worry about their star status,” Trammell said. He added that Ball’s approach helps the show maintain its realistic quality.
Trammell drew on his own experiences to give advice to aspiring actors Friday night. ”Start acting, no matter where you are. Just do it and don’t stop,” he advised. “It was a long road for me. The business tries to break you down.”
Just wanted to add another thing that Sam mentioned that I forgot to put in my original post: the first thing he bought as a congratulations to himself present after getting the role of Sam Merlotte was that he was big into surfing at the time, so he bought himself a surfing DVD, and added that it wasn’t very extravagant, and was in fact “a little lame.”
Thinking his gift to himself is “a little lame” just makes him even sweeter. Thanks Kaci for the added info.
I admire this guy So Much! He has a great and goofy sense of Humor,In most of his interviews…whether i see them online or read them here I always get a good laugh out of him! I saw 1 interview of Him online with this gal who called him a “werewolf”. He said,in his own goofy way, “Dont Call Me A Werewolf! I’m Not a Werewolf!” I Laughed my Butt off !! He Is So Cool! He always seems So confident and self assured in front of the cameras! Plus, i’ve heard that He is a nice guy in real life too!! He may Not be a Huge Movie Star but I think He IS a Class act!! Both He and Stephen Moyer seem So Grounded So Professional and Down to Earth
Unpretentious I like that! Sam I admire You and I respect your work and the fact that you are still a little goofy enough to make me laugh now and then You Rock,Man!!