Post by vamp101 on Sept 9, 2009 9:36:33 GMT -5
That Bill-Sookie-Eric love triangle sure has "True Blood" fans' tongues wagging, but we'd argue the season's most refreshing romance belongs to newborn bloodsucker Jessica and her sweet, mama's boy beau Hoyt. Faster than a vamp can run from Bon Temps to Dallas, actor Jim Parrack has gone from Jason's shy friend to a swoonworthy love interest. We caught up with the actor in Shreveport, Louisiana where's he's preparing to film the alien invasion flick "Battle: Los Angeles" alongside Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez and Bridget Moynahan. We chatted with the Texas native about shaping the character of Hoyt, the upcoming season finale and what he thinks about "Twilight."
When Jim signed on to Alan Ball's sexy saga, he had no idea Hoyt would be getting a juicier storyline come season 2. In fact, he didn't know much about his character at all. The actor's never read the "Sookie Stackhouse" novels on which the series is based, mostly to keep his character original, so when it came time to embody Hoyt, Jim wasn't sure what to do.
"In the beginning, I think the way it was going was a friend of Jason's that had a tough time with the girls, but I think more because he was sort of this dumbass jerk," Jim explained. "I wasn't certain, and when we shot the pilot I asked Alan who is it that I'm playing here. We didn't have a really clear idea, except that we had a few clues. I was spending some time with the Rattrays in the beginning. There was some reference to me buying weed from them or selling weed to them. It was kind of a different kind role, and I didn't know what to do with it. So finally in the pilot episode there's a scene where Sookie comes over and asks Hoyt what happened to her brother. And I said to Alan, maybe the reason this guy doesn't do so well is because he's innocent and shy. We tried it and everyone really liked it."
Initially no ladies' man, Hoyt has become lucky in love thanks to teenage girl-turned adorably mischievous vampire Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll, pictured above). But if you've watched the second-to-last episode of the season, you know all is not well between the lovebirds after a livid Jessica took a bite out of Mama Fortenberry's neck. So what will become of the two in next week's season finale? Jim was—not surprisingly—tight-lipped, simply saying, "Something will happen. There will be a finale." Uh, hanks for the scoop, Jim.
Though the pair has their problems, Jim said their unlikely romance is his favorite storyline this season on "True Blood" (and he assured us he'd still feel that way even if he weren't playing Hoyt). "As outrageous as it sounds to have, you know, a newly turned vampire fall in love with a 28-year-old guy who lives with his mother, it seems like it's one of the more grounded storylines," he said with a laugh. Something else Jim is enjoying is Eric's transition from rivaled baddie to fan favorite.
"It kind of came out of nowhere," Jim marveled. "It was so stragegic. Starting the season off with getting the haircut so the Euro-weirdo vampire is more accessible right from the get-go. And he's such a good-looking guy, such a charming guy; it's hard when he does the littlest turn of kindness. It's hard not to want to get on board."
Thanks to his mesmerizing performance as vampire Eric, actor Alexander Skarsgård has become a bit of a target for the paparazzi and was even asked a few months ago by TMZ what he thought of that other hit vampire franchise ("I think they're cute," was his response). Though Alex and costar Stephen Moyer have both taken playful jabs at "Twilight," Jim's stayed out of the kerfuffle, largely because he's never heard of the phenomenon! "I live in L.A. so I'm sure I've seen the bilboards and stuff for it," he surmised. "I guess I don't know quite what it is enough to draw a comparison [to 'True Blood']." Thankfully for Jim, many of Hollywood's heavy hitters are familiar with his vampire tale, making it a lot easier to catch casting's attention.
In addition to "Battle: Los Angeles," Jim has written a script based on the biblical tale of the prodigal son that he'd like to produce with friends from his acting school Playhouse West and actress-wife Ciera Parrack. But in order to do that, Jim will have to find time between "True Blood" and the Hollywood roles that will be flying his way thanks to his portrayal of lovable loner Hoyt.
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When Jim signed on to Alan Ball's sexy saga, he had no idea Hoyt would be getting a juicier storyline come season 2. In fact, he didn't know much about his character at all. The actor's never read the "Sookie Stackhouse" novels on which the series is based, mostly to keep his character original, so when it came time to embody Hoyt, Jim wasn't sure what to do.
"In the beginning, I think the way it was going was a friend of Jason's that had a tough time with the girls, but I think more because he was sort of this dumbass jerk," Jim explained. "I wasn't certain, and when we shot the pilot I asked Alan who is it that I'm playing here. We didn't have a really clear idea, except that we had a few clues. I was spending some time with the Rattrays in the beginning. There was some reference to me buying weed from them or selling weed to them. It was kind of a different kind role, and I didn't know what to do with it. So finally in the pilot episode there's a scene where Sookie comes over and asks Hoyt what happened to her brother. And I said to Alan, maybe the reason this guy doesn't do so well is because he's innocent and shy. We tried it and everyone really liked it."
Initially no ladies' man, Hoyt has become lucky in love thanks to teenage girl-turned adorably mischievous vampire Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll, pictured above). But if you've watched the second-to-last episode of the season, you know all is not well between the lovebirds after a livid Jessica took a bite out of Mama Fortenberry's neck. So what will become of the two in next week's season finale? Jim was—not surprisingly—tight-lipped, simply saying, "Something will happen. There will be a finale." Uh, hanks for the scoop, Jim.
Though the pair has their problems, Jim said their unlikely romance is his favorite storyline this season on "True Blood" (and he assured us he'd still feel that way even if he weren't playing Hoyt). "As outrageous as it sounds to have, you know, a newly turned vampire fall in love with a 28-year-old guy who lives with his mother, it seems like it's one of the more grounded storylines," he said with a laugh. Something else Jim is enjoying is Eric's transition from rivaled baddie to fan favorite.
"It kind of came out of nowhere," Jim marveled. "It was so stragegic. Starting the season off with getting the haircut so the Euro-weirdo vampire is more accessible right from the get-go. And he's such a good-looking guy, such a charming guy; it's hard when he does the littlest turn of kindness. It's hard not to want to get on board."
Thanks to his mesmerizing performance as vampire Eric, actor Alexander Skarsgård has become a bit of a target for the paparazzi and was even asked a few months ago by TMZ what he thought of that other hit vampire franchise ("I think they're cute," was his response). Though Alex and costar Stephen Moyer have both taken playful jabs at "Twilight," Jim's stayed out of the kerfuffle, largely because he's never heard of the phenomenon! "I live in L.A. so I'm sure I've seen the bilboards and stuff for it," he surmised. "I guess I don't know quite what it is enough to draw a comparison [to 'True Blood']." Thankfully for Jim, many of Hollywood's heavy hitters are familiar with his vampire tale, making it a lot easier to catch casting's attention.
In addition to "Battle: Los Angeles," Jim has written a script based on the biblical tale of the prodigal son that he'd like to produce with friends from his acting school Playhouse West and actress-wife Ciera Parrack. But in order to do that, Jim will have to find time between "True Blood" and the Hollywood roles that will be flying his way thanks to his portrayal of lovable loner Hoyt.
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