True Blood News at The Nest

Bill's Jealous Maker

Mariana Klaveno plays Lorena, Bill’s jealous Maker and the character most True Blood fans love to hate. In another charming interview, the actor spoke about the Emmy nominations, working on True Blood, and, of course, keeping her day job (the question she seems to answer most often).

“She’s not the most likable character,” Klaveno concedes to USA Today, speaking of Lorena. But, “I’m not as evil as Lorena. I know some people have a hard time making that distinction between myself and the character. I get recognized everywhere I go, so I think that just is a testament to how popular the show is. But luckily, nobody has booed or hissed or come at me with a stake. Everyone has been very lovely and warm and excited to talk with somebody from the show.”

Anything goes on True Blood and Klaveno is happy to have the opportunity to show her range: ”The scale of the show, it’s like a dream. You get to show up for work and put on these amazing costumes and have this dramatic makeup and do all kinds of crazy stunts and you’re splashed with the blood. It’s like playing dress-up in a lot of ways. It’s the most fun I think you can have. This character, in particular, is kind of a dream in terms of showcasing yourself as an actor. I’ve gotten to go so many places on the spectrum, and, quite literally, in time, which is quite rare for a television role.”

Mariana Klaveno spoke with ABC about True Blood and Lorena’s “love-hate” relationship with Bill. She talks about keeping her hostess job through Season Two, filming “that” scene, working with Stephen Moyer, reading Ms. Harris’ books, and more. While nothing earth-shattering is revealed, Mariana seems like such a lovely individual and gives a delightful interview. Enjoy!

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.

This concerns the photos we posted last night. If you want to know what happened and why they aren’t here anymore, read on….

Ms Klaveno- not scary at all, honest.

Hollywood Crush has interviewed Mariana Klaveno,  getting some hints from her about her relationship with Bill in the upcoming Season 3 of True Blood.

While Mariana wouldn’t say whether or not Lorena is involved in the kidnapping of Vampire Bill, she did confess that she’ll have plenty of screen time with Stephen Moyer this season.

“Yes, we do spend a good deal of time together in season three,” she told us. “I’m hoping that the fans will be a little bit surprised by it, because there will be some new dynamics in our relationship that are new and [have to deal] with that cliffhanger.”

But that doesn’t necessarily mean she’ll be responsible for Bill’s abduction, as Mariana informed us: “I think you’ll see some sides of Lorena that will surprise you. She’ll be in certain situations where you think she’ll do something, and she will not [do what you expect].”

[...] “I think you can definitely expect much more turbulence between them,” she said. “But it’s not out of the realm of possibility for them to see each other in new ways. I don’t know if they’ll ever be at peace with each other, but there might be some real heartfelt connection.”

read the whole article at the source

Christina Radish of IESB had the pleasure of talking to Mariana Klaveno, who we all know as Lorena, the beautiful, chic and hopelessly in love maker of Bill Compton. Mariana shares what it’s like to act on True Blood, to work with Stephen Moyer and gives us glimpes into Lorena’s character. Mariana also gives us hints of season 3. There’s nothing too spoilerish, so no worries about reading ahead. The following excerpts have to do with True Blood, but I suggest you read the entire article at IESB, it’s well worth it.

IESB: How did you originally become a part of True Blood?

Mariana: It was just a regular audition. At the time, it was just that one scene in Season 1, where you see how Bill gets made into a vampire. When I read for it, I think they said it was possibly recurring. After I auditioned, I found out about the books and read them and realized, “Oh, if I get this part, it will be cool because there’s a good chance that I’ll be coming back in Season 3.” So then, when it turned into an even bigger thing in Season 2, I was elated. It was incredible. But, yes, it was just a normal audition. I read for it twice, and that was it.

IESB: How much did they tell you about Lorena, or were they initially pretty secretive about what you’d be doing?

Mariana: They are very secretive. It’s great because I feel that they’ve really let us create our own characters. There’s a real sense of trust, and they want to see what we bring in and what our ideas are. If they need to be fine-tuned a little bit, then they’ll step in and help us out, but for the most part, it’s a really wonderful, collaborative feel on set. It was really a blank slate when I came around for Season 2. I was like, “Okay, you’re seeing her in modern day now, and we’re seeing more flashbacks. Do you have an idea of where you want me to take her, or can I just show up and have fun?” And, that’s what happened.

IESB: When you’re playing a vampire who has been around for so long, how do you find ways to identify with the character? Do you try to focus more on the human aspects that are there?

Mariana: I do try to focus on the human side. In my own thoughts about how Lorena is, even though she is far removed from humanity, in terms of compassion, I think she really likes style. She really does seem to fit into each period better than Bill does. There’s something a little bit more wooden and awkward about how he relates in the modern world, and Lorena is better at that. She’s much more fluid, in that way. She moves through each decade and adopts the styles, the body language, the etiquette and all of it, which is wildly fun to play. But, I think she’s also much more of a survivor, in that way. She can adapt easily.

Ms Klaveno: not evil at all, honest.

The delightful Mariana Klaveno, who we interviewed back in early November, recently did an interview where she spoke a lot about what drives her character, Lorena, to be such a passionate vampire.

In the interview she hints at some season three plot developments. For that reason I warn those that do not want any spoilers to read no further (they are minor spoilers BTW).

I’ve put together some of the most revealing excerpts below:

Tragic Lorena:

“The way that I look at it is that she kind of operates from a different set of rules and, in her world, she wants what she wants and humanity is something that’s not a part of her any more and she does what she needs to get that unrequited love, which kind of makes her a tragic character, which I love. What she wants will never want her back and the reason that he doesn’t want her is what she loves in him and it’s this horrible cycle.”

Not so evil?

“I think in this season … she may surprise you a bit. You’ll see, or you think you may, you think that she’ll do something horribly evil, and she chooses not to, which I really love, and I think it’ll maybe surprise people. Not as monstrous as maybe once perceived.”

On following the books & Tara:

“[Laughs] In some ways, with some characters, they are loosely following the books, and in some ways not at all. Um, obviously, the character of Jessica doesn’t exist in the book. Tara’s character is much, much different…” They sort of created a storyline for her this season that involves a character that is in the book but it’s just in a different way, which, I think people are going to love.

Back with Bill?

As for me, I don’t think I’m allowed to say other than… I’m, of course, back with Bill, where I want to be, in that we have scenes together.”

Does this mean more flashbacks?

“When I first got the part, which was just the one episode season one, you know, they sort of said it’ll probably be a strong recurring role, but I had no idea how much they were going to get into it in season two. All of the flashbacks and the history is so much fun, and I think it’s great, not only for me. Selfishly, I want to do all of the fun things, but I think it’s great for Bill’s character because you get to see a lot more of who he is and how he’s made and what makes him the vampire he is today.”

On Sookie & Bill shippers

“I think they’re… yes, yes, the hardcore Sookie and Bill fans are going to have some rough road up ahead. Bill has an interesting arc this season, yeah, that’s all I’ll say, but you’ll see different shades of vampire Bill than what we’ve seen before.”

Do yourself a favor and read a bunch more about Mariana at the source.

Along with loving mostly everything about True Blood (especially Bellefleurs), us ladies at The Nest are unashamed Bill devotees. So it was with some trepidation that we sat down with our silver pens to think of some super fantastic questions to ask Mariana Klaveno, aka Lorena, the founding member of Team Bill and downright scary vampire wench from HELL. Realising that the question ‘why are you such a bitch?’ was rather unfair, since Mariana is in fact a) an innocent actress and b) actually very nice, we managed to think of a few zingers, and were delighted with the answers. I think this is my favourite interview we’ve ever done, and ooh look, an exclusive from the lady herself:

“Lorena is definitely coming back and I have a feeling she’s pissed off!”

Ms Klaveno- not scary at all, honest.

Awesome, I’m totally looking forward to it. Read and enjoy this juicy interview y’all, and leave Mariana a comment to tell her what a bloody good job she’s been doing with her mad villain acting skills!

TB-N: You grew up in rural Washington. Did you live on a farm and do you get to go home often these days?

MK: I did live on a farm. I’ve known some people to exaggerate that statement a bit but I can honestly state it as a fact. I didn’t live near one or visit one a few times; I lived on our family’s wheat & barley farm until I left for college at eighteen.

I don’t get home as often as I’d like, but I try to visit at least twice a year. My parents usually make a few trips to Los Angeles every year as well, so I get to see them more often than I do the farm.

TB-N: Did you dream of being an actress when you were a kid or was it something you kind of got into gradually?

MK: I absolutely dreamed of it as a kid and I really have no practical reason as to why. No one in my family is even remotely involved in acting. They are all immensely talented in their own careers and interests, my parents included, but I am the only performer in the bunch.  I was actually quite secretive about it. Growing up where I did, I didn’t know anyone who went on to pursue acting professionally. Our school didn’t even have a drama class. It seemed like such an unrealistic thing that aside from my close friends, I was too terrified to voice to anyone how serious my interest was until I was a senior in high school. Luckily, I’ve received nothing but constant support over the years from everyone back home.

TB-N: When did your acting career start to take off and what was it like working on so many different TV shows?

MK: I guess I started working more steadily after my guest star on the short-lived FOX show called Standoff. It was a very flashy kind of part—not as flashy as Lorena—but I did get some attention from it and I think it helped lead to a few television movies and other guest star parts.  On a side note, my boyfriend on Standoff was played by Jim Parrack. He is such a great guy and I love that we wound up working on the same show again. As far as working on different TV shows, I look at it as part of my training. No class can simulate the experience of working on a set. You really have to learn as you go. I feel like I’m still doing that. I was given wonderful examples in my first few jobs of how and how not to conduct yourself on a set and I try to always remember those lessons.

TB-N: Were you always interested in vampires and the supernatural or are you more into different genres?

MK: I would say yes and yes. I do enjoy vampire mythology.  I read the latest annotated version of Bram Stoker’s Dracula last winter and I was fascinated by it. It’s kind of a long and heavy read but I recommend it for those interested in context and history. I was also a very loyal Buffy fan. I thought it was such a clever and well-executed show. However, I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite genre. I love too many genres to ever list a favorite. I always get frustrated when people ask me what my favorite movie is. I have too many favorites.

TB-N: Tell us about your audition for True Blood. What made you decide to try out for the show? Was the show already being shown when you auditioned?

Lorena in persuasive mode

MK: The show hadn’t started airing yet, but I was aware of it and knew that it was Alan Ball’s new show. That was reason enough for me. I was extremely nervous during the audition process because I instinctively knew it was going to be an amazing part.  I worked on the audition with a friend of mine and he encouraged me to make some bold choices. I also wanted to look as innocent as possible. Some of the other girls at the audition were dressed in black with dark red lipstick, but I thought it would be more effective if you didn’t see the villain coming.  After the second audition though, I was convinced that I didn’t get it. The actress who went in right after me kept getting laughs.  I’m not really sure how to make that first scene funny, but she had the entire room cracking up. So I left thinking, “Oh well.  Would’ve been fun.” Fortunately, I got the good news a few hours later. That was a great day.

TB-N: When you shot the flashback sequences for Season 1 did you know you would be back as a more significant character in Season 2?

MK: I knew there was a good chance I’d be coming back but I had no idea it would be so significant in Season 2. Since Lorena doesn’t appear until the third book I thought I might have to wait until Season 3. Needless to say, I was thrilled with the storyline in Season 2. The flashback scenes are incredibly fun to do. I’m hoping we get to do more of them.

TB-N: Sadistic, selfish, vengeful…does your character Lorena have any redeeming qualities?

MK: Stylish, witty, loyal, cultured…stylish.

TB-N: Lorena is one of those characters we love to hate. Do you enjoy the role of villain?

MK: I do enjoy playing the villain. As much as my dad would prefer me to play a good character, I seem to only get cast as the bad ones. I can’t say that I know why, exactly.  They’re much more fun I think.  I hope that doesn’t make me seem evil in real life. (I promise I’m not!) I like to think of it as “playing my shadow.” I get to explore my opposite self in an artistic and satisfying way. That way she doesn’t come out in a fit of road rage.