Here is part two of the interview the ifmagazine interview with Deborah Ann Woll I posted a few days ago.

Kelly

The actress talks about apparently throwing an actor twice her size into a wall on the HBO hit series

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN, Contributing Writer

Although author Charlaine Harris created a set of indelible characters in her Sookie Stackhouse books, one of the most striking denizens of TRUE BLOOD,Alan Ball’s HBO series adaptation of the novels (which wrapped up its second season run last night), doesn’t appear in the print version at all. Deborah Ann Woll as Jessica, the bratty yet vulnerable teen turned into a vampire by Stephen Moyer’s reluctant Bill last season, continues to be a riveting original. Jessica is Woll’s first role as a series regular, and by her own account, she’s having the time of her life in Part 2 of iF’s exclusive interview.

iF: Do you have any specific epiphanies about Jessica that you can point to and say, ‘I suddenly realized …’?

WOLL: Hmm. There was one quite early on. Loneliness was one of the things that hit on me right away [about Jessica]. When I shot the first season, it had been clear to me that this was a very repressed young girl who was now freeing herself and trying to be an individual in a way she hadn’t been allowed to before. But then when they started writing the stuff with Hoyt, I started exploring this relationship with a boy and that love feeling, it occurred to me that this is the first time any man, or woman, or human being, had ever said something to her like, “You, by yourself, are great.” Or “I think your smile is beautiful.” These words are the first time I was ever being complimented in my life or anyone was accepting me and realizing actually what an incredibly lonely life that must be, so Jessica began for me as sort of this strike for freedom, then became this kind of desire and need for a companion, for love and a relationship, and now – I can’t reveal too much – it’s starting to pick up another little thing for me.

One thing that really fascinates me about working in television, unlike working in the theatre and I think even in film, that idea that I’ve spent more time with this character than any film or theatre production would ask me to. I think that as an audience member watching that [evolution over time], you get a really unique perspective on the characters, because you spend that full amount of time with them. You can’t watch them for two hours and form an opinion and then leave. You come back next week and see them do something else, and that might change your opinion or make you realize that what you first thought was wrong. I think about when Jessica was first introduced, she’s kind of this annoying child who speaks back to her maker, but then a couple episodes later, you find that her father was abusive to her, so yeah, maybe she might be a bit aggressive and angry with another father figure who was trying to be controlling. I think in a film, you might have only seen that bratty side and never looked deeper. TV sort of forces you to see that background, and I think people have really adjusted their opinions of Jessica, and I think that’s great, that we can use TV, we can use that medium to do that, to remind us that everybody has a story. I’ve been enjoying that aspect of working in television.

iF: On TRUE BLOOD, when vamps suddenly sport fangs, this is accomplished on set by having the actor raise his or her hand for everything to stop while the fangs are inserted. Have you gotten used to that yet?

WOLL: [laughs] Oh, yeah, it’s pretty routine now. I get to bare my fangs quite a bit this season. The first couple of times the special effects guy comes in and shows you how to do it so they have everything they need. Now I understand the process. I wear tight little dresses, so there’s not a lot of places to keep fangs [hidden] on my costume, but we tend to put it just outside the frame, on a table or the arm of a chair or something, or sometimes even a makeup person will just put their hand right outside [frame] and hold it there for me to reach out and grab.

iF: In the scene where Jessica throws her abusive father against the wall, how that was actually accomplished?

WOLL: They put us on a track, on a moving platform and sort of strapped us into the thing, and then a big strong guy grabbed the back and the camera was sitting on it with us. We rehearsed it a couple of times in slow motion, but then when it was time to go, they rammed us into the wall. [The wall] didn’t break the first time, so they really just rammed this poor actor playing my father into a wall, but then they went in and made a few more scores [in the breakaway wall, so that it would break] and they did it again and it worked right, so that was essentially a one-take scene.

iF: Do you gear up in any way for playing Jessica’s super-strength?

WOLL: You mean push-ups or something [laughs]? No, I – the only thing that I have to adjust is my mentality. I’m not used to being stronger than, say, a big man, so it has more to do with just switching that and knowing in my mind that there’s no hesitation, that without any kind of effort, I can ram that gigantic man against the wall. I think I just tell myself that I’m in control and that there’s nothing he can do about it [laughs].

iF: Is that one of the reasons you got into acting, that you can play something that is not physically likely to happen in reality?

WOLL: For sure. I started in classical acting, in Shakespeare, and most of the stuff that happens in a Shakespeare play is practically fantasy [laughs]. It’s all very heightened. But you have to commit one hundred percent to, ‘I am a vampire, I can throw this man against the wall and there’s no other way about it.’ Or even something as small as speaking with an accent. ‘That’s just how I talk – that’s not an accent, that’s how I speak.’

iF: Do you have a favorite TRUE BLOOD scene so far?

WOLL: Well, I really love Episode Three [of Season Two], meeting Hoyt. For me, that was sort of the first episode where I was working on it and reading the script with this new idea about another struggle, another thing that Jessica was struggling with came to light, so it was very fresh for me, that episode, and I’m quite proud of what Jim and I and Stephen [Moyer as Bill] and Anna [Paquin as Sookie] all found within ourselves to add to that. I really love that episode.

iF: Are you working on any other projects?

WOLL: I’m doing a [film] called LITTLE MURDERS, another called HIGHLAND PARK and a third called MOTHER’S DAY.

iF: Is LITTLE MURDERS based on the Jules Pfeiffer play?

WOLL: I don’t think so.

iF: Are the roles similar to or different from Jessica?

WOLL: Oh, very different from Jessica. I don’t think anybody will ever write a character like Jessica again [laughs]. I’m really safe from repeating that one. Part of the reason I like all three of these pieces so much is that they are very different characters. One is a mother, another is a sexy chain-smoking waitress and the third is a very interesting part, kind of a repressed young girl, but in a very different way than Jessica was. I’m very much looking forward to all of them. I’m happy to have these projects this summer to work on and keep my acting chops warm and fresh.

iF: How was your Comic-Con experience?

WOLL: Out of this world. I have never experienced anything like that before. I went because I had time with my boyfriend. We’re big nerdy genre fans ourselves, so we went to panels every day, we did autograph signings, I waited in line like every other fan girl for my autographs [laughs], so I actually spent more of my time being a fan girl than actually being [approached by] fan girls. But then our actual [TRUE BLOOD panel] was unbelievable. I’ve never seen that kind of [reaction] – people like the show and I’m so honored that they’re willing to tell us about that.

The actress talks about playing a newbie vamp in her first series regular role.

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN, Contributing Writer – ifmagazine.com

Although author Charlaine Harris created a set of indelible characters in her Sookie Stackhouse books, one of the most striking denizens of TRUE BLOOD,Alan Ball’s HBO series adaptation of the novels, doesn’t appear in the print version at all. Deborah Ann Woll as Jessica, the bratty yet vulnerable teen turned into a vampire by Stephen Moyer’s reluctant Bill last season, continues to be a riveting original. Jessica is Woll’s first role as a series regular, and by her own account, she’s having the time of her life.

iF MAGAZINE: When you got the part, what did you know about Jessica?

DEBORAH ANN WOLL: Almost nothing. I had a three-line description – she was a sheltered Christian girl who’d been kidnapped for sacrifice. I had the scene from [Season One’s] Episode Eleven, running through the woods with Bill, so I knew that she had a nice little twist for her right in the beginning there. And then I think they pushed me as far as they could into the bratty mode. I was a little reluctant at first, but I think it turned out better for that.

I would say that [playing] the vulnerability is a little bit easier for me. Whenever you’re playing a side of a character that’s a little irritating or annoying, it’s a little bit of a worry that people will think that’s just how you are [laughs], so I think there’s a hesitation for me, which is why I was glad that they pushed me and said, ‘Keep going, we promise you this is right for the character.’ I had to trust the writer and the director a lot at that time. The vulnerable side is fun. It’s easy to play when you’re acting with someone like Jim Parrack – you just look in his eyes and it’s quite easy to fall in love [laughs]. That’s a really fun thing to play every day. It’s not a bad day at work when a cute boy makes love to you for hours. While I really enjoy the bratty side, and that’s the side you don’t get to explore very often, I like working with Jim and [playing] those scenes.

iF: How do you feel about Jessica’s relationships with Bill and Sookie?

WOLL: Well, honestly, for this season, they’ve kind of abandoned Jessica a little bit. They’ve had bigger problems to deal with and I think the redheaded stepchild was kind of pushed off into another room. I think it’s interesting that in the episode when Maxine Fortenberry accuses her of being an orphan vampire, she says, ‘Well, I was made against my will, I don’t have a family any more.’ I don’t think I’m quite to the point yet of considering Bill and Sookie to be my family or close in that sense. I hope that’s something we can explore and there’s certainly a scene or two coming up that I think is interesting in that regard, but with Jessica, we haven’t spent that much time with [those relationships] yet to make any kind of clear statement on that.

iF: Most of your scenes this season have been certainly with Jim Parrack as Hoyt and with Dale Raoul, who plays his mother Maxine …

WOLL: She is fantastic. She is so much fun to work with.

iF: Were you surprised by Jessica’s ongoing problems with having her virginity physically regenerate after every time she has sex?

WOLL: My father said, ‘You’re probably the very first actor that has ever had to portray that particular situation,’ so I am now the source material for the regenerating hymen. It’s great. I had dig real deep, it took a lot of imagination [laughs] to come up with what that would feel like. I think for me it has more to do with growing up, being a woman, trying to break away from whatever bonds my family had put on me and feeling like now, physically and because of the curse of being a vampire was put on me, I can’t do that. I’m again being restricted and caged in some way.

iF: Are you parents excited for you, or are they going, ‘Ack, our little girl is doing vampy things!’

WOLL: No, they’re very excited. I don’t know if they ever would have expected to be seeing me in a role like this, or on a show like this, but they love it, they watch every week, they invite all their friends – they’re incredibly supportive.

iF: When did you know that Jessica was going to be a regular part of the show?

WOLL: After we filmed the last episode, they had left it kind of open and I thought, ‘Oh, I should be back for an episode or two to take the story further, it hasn’t been completed.’ But then they gave me a call and offered a series regular position for the second season and that was a huge surprise and it really changed my life. Jessica was my first true recurring role. I had never done more than one episode of a character. So to be given the opportunity to work on it as twelve one-hour movies is really an opportunity for me to learn and really get my feet wet [in terms of playing a character over a long period of time]. Even in theatre, we would have runs that were a couple of weeks. This is the longest I’ve performed one role.

I always found when I was in theatre, I would do the run, and then it would end, and a month or two later, something new would occur to me and I’d go, ‘Oh, man, I wish I had thought of that when we were working on it,’ because it would be something new to add to it. Because in theatre, every single performance, you try and just find something else, something different, something more involved to lend it new life each time you do it. With film and working on a role for this amount of time, it’s like that month or two later, when I have new epiphany about a character, I am still working on it, so I can start to incorporate. There’s never been a moment when I was bored or thought I’ve figured this all out. If that happens, then I should quit [laughs]. I am constantly finding new little things that interest me about her and this character and the writing absolutely helps with that. They give you incredibly cool little tidbits that spark your imagination, Even now, weeks and months after filming, when I watch the episodes when they air, I go, ‘Oh, that’s interesting. I didn’t even notice I was thinking about that at that moment, but now I want to play with that later on.’

Come back for Part Two of our exclusive interview!

for Nylon

You know, they look good together.

Deborah Ann Woll is Up for a Little Murder

Deborah Ann Woll is one busy young woman. Along with her recurring role in HBO’s “True Blood” and an upcoming part in Darren Bousman’s Mother’s Day redux, she has joined the cast of Peter “Gaga” Antonijevic’s supernatural thriller Little Murder. The script was penned by father-son duo Gerald and Justin Di Pego.

Joining Woll and the previously announced Josh Lucas, Terrence Howard, and Lake Bell are Bokeem Woodbine (The Rock), Peter Jason (”Deadwood”), and Noah Bean (”Damages”). Littler Murder is set in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and centers on a disgraced detective (Lucas) who gets an unexpected shot at redemption when the ghost of a beautiful cellist solicits his help in finding her killer.

Per THR, Mind in Motion’s Silvio Muraglia is producing the film, which has commenced shooting in Detroit and New Orleans.

Alexander Skarsgard’s Metropia Premieres at the Venice Film Festival

Metropia premieres on September 3rd at the Venice Film Festival. Alexander Skarsgard voices the character of Stefan in a tale that takes place in the future where the world is running out of oil and the undergrounds have been connected in a gigantic subway network beneath Europe. Roger (Vincent Gallo) from a suburb of Stockholm tries to stay away from the underground. He thinks it’s unpleasant and sometimes he hears a strange voice in is head. One day Roger finds out that his life is controlled in every detail. He tries to break free. To succeed he needs super-model Nina (Juliette Lewis) to help him escape the disturbing web of the Metro, but the farther they travel, the deeper he’s involved in a dark conspiracy.

~M.

(Elle) Several weeks ago, when I returned home for the 4th of July holiday, my parents and I had a serious talk about my discretionary spending—specifically, what lifestyle changes I could make so that come the end of the month, I wasn’t left wondering if that last $5 in my bank account should go toward laundry or an Amy’s organic frozen burrito. My Mom and Dad are reasonable people, so even though slightly embarrassing given my age, this line-by-line budgetary analysis wasn’t as painful as it sounds.

That is, until we hit the HBO snag.

“Non-negotiable,” I said.

“But…” my Mom started.

“Nope, next,” I said, cutting her off as gently as I could.

Why was I willing to feel the financial pinch when it came to such beloved former activities as boxing and shoe shopping but standing so firmly on this issue?

It’s as simple as a Sookie Stackhouse analogy: I will not live without True Blood. It, along with brunch, is my Sunday. And of all the characters whose storylines are responsible for this addiction (and there are many), none to me is more I-will-not-live-without worthy than actress Deborah Ann Woll’s, whose role as volatile, sexually frustrated newbie vampire Jessica Hamby is so convincing and three-dimensional you’d just as likely laugh when she’s on-screen as you would cringe, thinking, thank God that’s not my boyfriend’s Mom.

And if being super smart (USC grad) and multi talented (plays piano and fences) weren’t enough to draw you in, there’s her hair—sleek and perfectly strawberry blond—which of course, when the 24-year-old Brooklyn beauty came to the ELLE office last week and mentioned she had been self-dyeing for a decade for under $10, was all I wanted to talk about. Graciously, Deborah Ann agreed.

At what age did you first dye your hair?

During my freshman year of high school, I was 14.

Why red?

As a fair skinned blonde, I disappeared into the background. I’ve always been a loner, so I suppose dying my hair red was a way to say, “I’m here, I exist, I’m a human being and you can’t just push me aside.” I’m also a fan of old movies, and was very into Rita Hayworth at the time. I always fancied someone might call me “red”, like Katherine Hepburn.

You’re a major actress now—why aren’t you going to a fancy salon to get your color professionally done?

That’s very flattering of you to say. I’ve never been a much of a glamour girl. If it’s working and looks natural out of a $9 box — then why spend the money? Also being blond I don’t have to bleach my hair, which you should definitely go to a professional for. My coloring process is very simple comparatively.

Do you ever see yourself going back to your natural blond?

I have for roles. And I’ve been every other shade, too, for different projects. I don’t see myself going back to blonde outside of work though. I really like the red.

And for those who will no doubt want to try this $9 drugstore secret, are you willing to share which product and shade you swear by?

Of course! I use L’Oreal Paris Excellence Crème in Reddish Blond (8RB).

Video from EW’s Ausiello

~M.

Here is an article from E!online.  They had the sneak peek videos for “Shake and Fingerpop” included in this article but I left them out since they were already posted on this site.

Kelly

  by Jennifer Godwin 

Jaimie Trueblood / HBO

After a break (argh!) for the July Fouth holiday, HBO’s cult-hit drama True Blood returns this Sunday with a brand-new ep, and to celebrate, we’ve got a veritable bloodbath of dish.

Read on to see two sneak peeks of Sunday’s ep, and check out three exclusive new True Blood interviews, including a chat with breakout star Deborah Ann Woll and a talk with hilarious series creator Alan Ball, who shares some awesome wisdom with us, including, “If you’re a vampire, you’re not going to want an all-white house.”

Q&A with Deborah Ann Woll (Jessica Hamby)

Jessica didn’t want to become a vampire, and now she’s a part of this vampire family. I take it she’ll have some adjustment problems.
Absolutely. It’s a whole new world. She has to deal with everything you have to deal with as a 17-year-old girl, and on top of that, she can kill people, which is maybe not such a good thing to add with a teenage temper.

Does her dramatic relationship will Bill settle down eventually, or does it remain more of a strained situation?
It settles down as much as a father-daughter relationship ever does. Is that mysterious enough for you?

Does she get involved in the Dallas mystery this season?
Yes and no. I get to go. Definitely a field trip. I’m certainly a complication in many ways.

What’s it like working with Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin?
Stephen and Anna are so lovely and kind and funny and talented. I’m newer to this business, obviously, than either of them, and it’s been an honor to really watch them and learn from them. They’re so willing to teach and learn right along with me, so I have such respect for them.

Jean-Paul Aussenard/Getty Images

Q&A with executive produer Alan Ball

What genre of television would you say True Blood is, if you had to pick just one?
Drama. We don’t have an actual sign in the writers room that reads, “It’s the emotions, stupid,” but we might as well. We feel like we have to keep these characters rooted in some sort of emotional reality because otherwise, it’s a parade of special effects and set pieces.

Last season True Blood was very Southern Gothic and grounded in Bon Temps, La. This season seems more of an epic vampire family saga. Are we leaving Bon Temps for good?
I’m working with source material, so I’m following the books. The show gets a little bigger in scope this year, but it always remains rooted in Bon Temps. That’s where Sookie lives, that’s where Bill lives, that’s where all our major characters live. They may go out of town for this reason or that reason, but they’ll always come home.

Sometimes people on this show are just covered in blood—the first episodes are so graphic. Are you going for a comic-book look for the show? Are you going for a specific visual type?
The reality of the fictional world of vampires is that it’s bloody. Blood is everywhere, they feed on it, and they feed on people when they are having sex, so it’s a messy world. If you’re a vampire you’re not going to want an all-white house. You’re going to need a lot of Scotchgard.

As a writer, what’s your personal favorite storyline this season?
That’s like asking me who my favorite child is! I can’t answer that. If you make me pick one, I’ll have to stay it’s the storyline of the alien invasion that kicks in around episode six.

Steven Lippman / HBO

Q&A with Sam Trammell (Sam Merlotte)

Let’s talk about Michelle Forbes’ character, Maryann. Sam knew her from something before.
I did. I knew Maryann; you’re going to find all of that out. A lot of Sam’s history is explored this year, and you find out how they know each other. My storyline this year is very much entwined with hers. She’s a very, very intense creature for Sam.

Will Sam have a new romance this year?
Yes, Sam has some new romance this year. And he’s got some other stuff going on this year.

Like what? Any vampires?
Maybe vampire. Sam really opens up this year. He becomes more vulnerable than he was in the past. He shares more of himself than he has.

What’s your favorite scene you’ve shot this season?
We did a scene recently that was so crazy. I don’t even know how to describe it. I don’t know how it’s going to come out, it’s just insane. The writers are crazy; they’re not playing it safe at all this year. They’re taking huge chances. If you could think of the craziest possible thing that could happen in a fantastical world of vampires and creatures, you’d have to double it to figure this out. It’s really crazy. I hope it’s good.

Are you guys loving this season of True Blood? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Written by Jace – televisionaryblog.com
Viewers of HBO’s Southern Gothic vampire drama True Blood were likely shocked last week when teenage vampire Jessica Hamby nearly walked away with the series when she sauntered languidly into Merlotte’s in search of something to crave her hunger, both physically and emotionally.

Set to the haunting strain of Marcy Playground’s “Sex and Candy,” the scene not only brought Jessica to the forefront of the talented ensemble cast but memorably established the flame-haired actress who plays her, Brooklyn-born newcomer Deborah Ann Woll, as a major force to be reckoned with in the acting community.

I had the chance to catch up with the incandescent Deborah Ann Woll yesterday, where we talked about what’s in store for mischievous teenage vampire Jessica Hamby, her character’s star-crossed romance with Jim Parrack’s Hoyt Fortenberry, and what’s coming up for Jessica on Season Two of True Blood.

So get your fangs ready, pour yourself a bottle of B-negative Tru Blood, and let’s chat with True Blood’s Deborah Ann Woll.

Televisionary: How would you describe Jessica as a character? And has your perception of her changed at all during the course of shooting Season Two?

Deborah Ann Woll: Well, my feeling about Jessica is that she is a profoundly lonely person. Having lived your life in a family where you were not allowed to express yourself or feel real, that must be a very lonely life. And then to be in a lonely life where you can’t be with your family, you can’t be with the people you knew, and things are happening to you that you don’t understand, I think her story is really about finding love and somebody to spend her time with.

Televisionary: How did you get involved with True Blood? Had you read any of Charlaine Harris’ novels before you joined the cast?

Woll: I hadn’t, no. I actually just came to work last season. They were casting the role of Jessica for just a two or three episode arc and then they decided they wanted to take the character someplace else, so I got to stick around the second season as a regular, which is a dream come true. But I haven’t read the books before, I didn’t know anything about it when I first got cast.

Televisionary: When you shot that first scene in Season One where Bill actually kills Jessica, did you have any indication at all that this would become a series regular gig?

Woll: Oh, not at all. I had no idea. When we shot the second to last episode and that last episode [of Season One], they probably could have just dropped me. (Laughs) I guess they could have after that second episode I shot, but after that last [one] it was nice to hear I would at least come back in some small way. But it was a huge surprise–and a pleasant one at that–that I was going to get to be a larger part of the story.

Televisionary: What was the audition process like for the series? You’ve done a bunch of guest starring roles (such as on Life, ER, CSI, My Name is Earl, and The Mentalist) prior to this but was it a grueling process getting cast on True Blood?

Woll: (Laughs) No, this was no different because this was how I came on. I went straight to the directors, the writers, and the producers to see my work. Had the one audition, did the two scenes–the tribunal scene and the cussing scene from Episode Eleven of last season, which is just a lot of fun, rolling around on the floor and I remember I was eating my tears. (Laughs) It was odd in the scene that True Blood is a unique show but beyond that it was the normal audition, casting, shooting process.

Televisionary: What is like then having your first series regular gig be on a series like True Blood that has such a passionate audience?

Woll: I have nothing to compare it to. It’s certainly surreal but I am very proud. It’s really an honor for the first character that I’ve been really able to carry through many episodes to work with people who are so experienced and collaborative and have such great ideas themselves. This show wouldn’t get put up if it weren’t for every single member of the cast, crew, and production. I have a feeling that I’m a little bit spoiled (laughs) as I move onto other projects I might find a job not quite fulfilling as this one is in terms of the people you work with.

Televisionary: What was your first inkling then, when reading those first few scripts for Season Two, that Jessica had transformed into a hugely pivotal character?

Woll: Well, it always surprises me, every single script we get, what we’re doing this week, because it is so wild and varied and the great thing about this particular role is that because of the impulse control and the background of the character, she really can do anything. So I would say that I was very surprised and certainly after that second episode when we go to Jessica’s house and see her family, it started to dawn on me that this is some really interesting stuff and this character is really original.

Televisionary: There’s a scene in the third episode (”Scratches”), where Jessica enters Merlotte’s for the first time–set to the tune of Marcy Playground’s “Sex and Candy”–that was a character-defining moment for Jessica and announced that she was moving to the forefront of the series. What was it like filming that scene and did the writers or producers prepare you at all for what ended up being such a key role in Jessica’s arc so far?

Woll: I don’t think we had any idea. (Laughs) That’s kind of what happens with art, a bunch of people just get together and suddenly something happens and it works. It works because Jim Parrack is such a good actor and such a good person and is just a delight to work with. It works because Raelle Tucker, who wrote that episode, really gave us an opportunity and has some amazing things to say about humanity. It works because Scott Winant, the director, is a visionary [and because Pat Dempsey who lit it knows what she's doing.] They really made us look spectacular. So it’s all these little bits and pieces that come together without you knowing what it’s going to do.

But I do remember, I was real nervous about it because it was still early on and I was worried about impressing my bosses and everything like that. And I do remember they took us in for that scene and there’s a sign above the bar, right across from the door, that says, “Under 21, Not Allowed.” And I just look at that and said, “Hmm. I’m seventeen.” And I immediately knew where I was in that moment, which was sort of forbidden and sort of risky but exciting in the same way, something I had never done before, that I’d never been in a bar, that I’d never gone hunting for food or a man. Whatever it was, this was a new experience and I had no idea what I was going to do but I was sure as hell going to try to do something.

Televisionary: How much of that forbidden aspect to do you relate to?

Woll: I definitely like a little bit of darkness, a little edge. I get a little bored when things are maybe too simple or too… expected. The best characters and the best stories are the ones that surprise you. And I really like that with this character Jessica, every single arc you learn something new and she reacts and responds in a way that nobody predicted. You might say, oh, I know when that happens, that’s exactly what Jessica going to be like and then you watch and she doesn’t do that, she does something else. I think that really makes it fun and a little dangerous because you can’t predict or control her.

Televisionary: In a series like True Blood that really amps up the unexpected, Jessica is the most unpredictable element in the mix. One of the more surprising twists this season has been her relationship with Hoyt. Did Alan or the writers tell you about Jessica and Hoyt going into Season Two?

Woll: Jim and I kind of guessed in the same way that a lot of fans had, when he had that line in an episode of the first season about looking for a nice vampire girl his age. So Jim and I had some sort of inkling about maybe this is somewhere they are going to go with it. But we didn’t really meet officially and have a conversation until we shot Episode Three ["Scratches"], so I think within five minutes of officially meeting Jim Parrack, we were making out. (Laughs) But he’s just such a sweet person that it couldn’t have been easier.

We didn’t really know for sure but we weren’t surprised either, it seemed like a real natural flow. It’s such an interesting pairing and one that could either totally bomb and not work at all or it could be a real gem. And hopefully it’s gone in the latter direction.

Televisionary: So far this season, we’ve seen Jessica interact with the darker elements of the series, the vampire community, we’ve seen her now show up at Merlotte’s and spend time with Hoyt. Are there any actors in True Blood with whom you haven’t shot a scene at this point that you’d love to work with?

Woll: Oh, boy, so many. I’m the naughty vampire child teenager (laughs), so they keep me locked up for most of this season, I don’t get to go very many places. (Laughs) So I haven’t gotten to work with many people at all. I’d love to work with Ryan [Kwanten] more; I think he’s so funny. That character [Jason Stackhouse], he does it so well; he’s just… delightfully dim in a really endearing way. (Laughs) Who else? Goodness, Rutina [Wesley], Nelsan [Ellis]; I don’t to work with too many people in Bon Temps, it’s mostly the vampires and Sookie and now Jim. But we’ll see. Maybe next season–if I survive–maybe I will get to hang out with a couple of other people.

Televisionary: Obviously, you’re not going to give that away. We know the series is coming back for another season, so can you tell us in any way if you would be part of the cast for a third go-around?

Woll: I hope so… (Laughs) I certainly hope so. I know with every single script I get, I go, oh goodness, is this the one where I perish? I started looking out for wooden stakes all over the place. (Laughs) But some very dramatic things happen towards the end of the season that put a lot of people in danger and in harm’s way. You’ll just have to wait and see who makes it.

Televisionary: Can you give us any hints then about what’s in store for Jessica later this season? Just a little tease?

Woll: A teaser? Hmmm, I would say that if you took any girl’s life, the traumas that she goes through, and then heightened them by about fifty percent, you might to begin to guess at what is going to happen for Jessica this season.

Televisionary: What’s been your favorite scene to shoot so far on the series?

Woll: My favorite scene to shoot, a couple of scenes coming up in Episode Seven ["Release Me"]. I mean, Episode Three ["Scratches"] scenes, I loved. We knew walking away from that, even if we didn’t know going into it, we knew walking away from that that we had something pretty special and I really loved working on [Episode] Three. There are some scenes in Episode Seven that I really love. Jim and I have been rehearsing together a little bit outside of shooting and that really helped and I think that [Episode] Seven has benefited from that. And [Episodes] Eight and Nine are very interesting too.

Televisionary: If the writers could do anything to Jessica, no matter how crazy, where would you like to see them take her as a character?

Woll: Oh, boy. Hmmm. I don’t even know. I mean Jessica has done some pretty terrible things, certainly, and had some pretty terrible things done to her but I think we could lead into her exploring this more violent vampire side. It started out as being sort of an irritating or uncontrollable experience that’s now moving into a new experiences for both humans and vampires. I think it would be interesting to see some real violence.

I think Jessica still has a lot of anger and hate in her from her previous life. It would be interesting to see some of that come out and be dealt with in a less subtle way, find a way to explore that more outwardly. To see some of that past resentment and anger, at the way she was treated by her father and turned and given this turn of events by Bill and then having to sort of live what’s not an ideal life–an un-life–in his house and seeing how that is dealt with among her new family and friends.

Televisionary: In speaking with you, it’s pretty obvious that you’re not from the South. You’re from Brooklyn, correct?

Woll: Yep, I am.

Televisionary: Did you work at all with a dialect coach to get Jessica’s accent?

Woll: I didn’t. It was very, very hard for me in the beginning because, coming out as a guest star, I had no time to prepare any kind of an accent, so I very quickly had to listen to a lot of people talk. I got a little dialect CD but that doesn’t help me so much; I like listening to real people talk. I did the best I could the first season but obviously when you’re having an emotional moment–or any kind of a moment–you want to be thinking about what’s going on and not the way you sound. So I think I went in and out a little bit. But this season has felt much better. During the hiatus, I was able to work more on my own and every night, I’d read my science fiction book aloud to myself in a Southern accent and it just became more natural for me and this season just felt much better.

Televisionary: That’s funny, because I feel that you actually nail the accent more convincingly than a lot of the other non-Southern actors.

Woll: Thank you! I do feel better about it this season, I put a lot of work into it over the hiatus and I appreciate hearing that. I was telling someone else that part of the trouble I had in the beginning was that I used to have a little bit of a Brooklyn accent or at least a New York accent. I got rid of that many years ago because I wanted to act and it limits you a little bit if you sound like Marisa Tomei all the time. Interestingly enough, that and the Southern accent are kind of similar. You have to drop your r’s in some of the same places. When I would slip out of the Southern, I would actually go into Brooklyn, which is really wrong. (Laughs) But now I finally established the difference there so it’s not quite so weird if I slip a little bit.

Televisionary: True Blood must keep you rather busy, but do you ever have time to watch anything else on television?

Woll: (Laughs) Um, sure. I’m a real big nerd so I’m a big Animal Planet and Sci Fi Channel kind of person. My favorite TV show of all time is Mystery Science Theatre. I have every single episode that you can get that’s available, either through commercially released stuff or fan sites. So I literally watch an episode of Mystery Science Theatre every single night of my life before I go to sleep. It’s literally my favorite thing.

Televisionary: Given that you’ve has started out fairly recently, are there any actors whose careers you’d must like to emulate? Do you want to stay in television or branch out into film or theatre?

Woll: I started in theatre, film is what is relatively new to me. I did theatre for about ten years, not in any huge professional capacity but educationally and in small theatres. I would love to go back into theatre and do more of that. I would love to branch into film. I’d love to do all kinds of acting work, I’m not picky when it comes to that. All of it is an extreme interesting experience. I like women who are character actors but can still play leading women, can still be a romantic lead.

I love old-fashioned movies, so [Greta] Garbo is a hero of mine so I think she’s lovely. When you watch her in a time period where things are over the top, she’s very beautiful, and subtle and reserved but still very strong. A lot of actors or actresses, you might not know their names but they are kind of in everything and you certainly recognize their faces but they play different roles in everything. Allison Janey would be one as well, I think she’s great. Really genuine actors where that is their role, they just want to work the rest of their lives and it doesn’t matter if it kills them. Or hopefully that is what kills you in the end: working too hard.

Better that, one would imagine, then being killed by a vampire. One thing is for sure: after seeing Deborah Ann Woll’s star-making turn on True Blood as Jessica Hamby, she won’t be lacking for work for a long time to come.

True Blood airs Sunday evenings at 9 pm ET/PT on HBO.

Deborah All Woll is in a Tyler Shields Video.  Enjoy!

♥Debbie