Kristin Bauer Van Straten as Pam on HBO's True Blood

Recently, TVFanatic interviewed Kristin Bauer van Straten about her character on the popular show True Blood and on an upcoming project that focuses on the endangered species of Africa. Here are some of the questions and answers that we think will give some insight into Pam and Pam’s relationship with her maker, Eric, and her progeny, Tara.

The scene where Eric released Pam as his progeny had fans reaching for tissues. I read once you said Alexander Skarsgard likes to make fun of you all the time for crying on set. What was that scene like to shoot and did Alex poke some fun at you to lighten the mood?
Anyone who has known me for more than an hour quickly realizes that I just cry a lot. Alex one time asked me what is it that triggers these emotions, like a particular scene. Because he was trying to figure it out and I started crying before I could even tell him. It’s the triumph of the human spirit I finally was able to tell him.

At the table read I cried, at rehearsal I cried. Normally you save it up for when the camera is on your face but since I had been crying so much my nose was already all red and runny, but Alex assured me they would make my snot match the color of my blood tears. It was such a sad scene, though. Usually you need to keep a thought of your dead dog in your mind during those scenes, but this scene was just seamless. I’ve done a lot of guest stars and and a lot of acting and sometimes you just have to make the words work, but not on this show. The characters have evolved over five seasons in such a slow build, it’s been really great.

One of my favorite aspects of this season has been the relationship between Pam and Tara. How has that new development been to explore for you and Rutina Wesley.
It has been super fun for both of us. I didn’t really know Rutina and she has been so great to work with because she really cares about the scene and the relationship and I think she is having so much fun being a super. For example, she was really excited about Comic-Con and I thought that seemed funny because she has been multiple times before but she said ‘yeah, but I’ve never been as a vampire!”

It was so, so cute. Comic-Con is such a great opportunity to put faces with our fans instead of just Googling our ratings. We are all just really grateful to all the fans out there. I think we probably have the best fans of any show.

I couldn’t help but notice the proud look on your face a couple of episodes ago after Tara told off her former classmate at Fangtasia.
I’m so glad that came through in the scene. Rutina and I really work to find those tiny little moments of connection.  I am looking for this motherly quality in the most untraditional manner and the respect and care for her is really growing based on the moments when Pam sees how similar she and Tara are. They both come from a rough background, as we got to see in Pam’s flashbacks this season.

I’m glad you brought that up. The revelation of how Eric and Pam met was one of the best moments of the season. Were you excited to delve deeper into Pam’s origins?
Alex and I waited years for that. As an actor I had so many questions as to how to play this character. I was always trying to make up this backstory in my head.

This past week we were forced to watch as Pam was thrown off her own stage at Fangtasia. What can you tell us about the aftermath of that scene and what it means for Pam going forward?
I’ve been asking all year if Pam was going to get sucked into this Authority thing and how would it affect her world. As we now have seen she and Tara are now being pulled in and it wreaks havoc on their lives. The new sheriff, Elijah, announced to her that Eric was history but she had no idea just what that meant for her maker.

The stakes are just getting higher and higher. Pam is a tough girl but doesn’t want to go forward without Eric so she takes action. Pam’s whole existence, her entire world, is in jeopardy but the bond between her and Tara will be strengthened in the remaining episodes as things get really intense.

Bauer is also set to produce a documentary about Africa and endangered species that reside there. I asked her about the cause and the ways in which she’s hoping to illuminate it…

While filming this last season of the show, I’ve watched rhinos go extinct in the wild with the only remaining specimens having to be kept in sanctuaries under armed guard for their protection and I’m seeing the same atrocities happen to elephants at alarming rates. I just wanted to see what I could do to help these people in Kenya who are trying to prevent this. I had to make a real choice during this hiatus from True Blood: do I want to work on more acting and stay around home working on my gardening and playing with my fur-babies?

Or do I want to try to make a difference and know that if nothing else, I tried?

So I tried to make it really fun for everyone to try and help save a species, so on the Kickstarter.com site I continue to put up a number of True Blood giveaways. Everything from a Pam tee shirt to a dinner for a fan with me and Joe Manganiello.

Visit Kristin’s Kickstarter site to learn more about her Out For Africa documentary and to read more of the interview, please click here.

Thanks to TVFanatic for forwarding their interview to us.

With only three episode left in the season, we are biting our nails to the nub wondering who will and will not survive this season of True Blood. This ominous feeling is not helped with episode titles such as, “Gone, Gone, Gone.”

The synopsis for the episode is: With vampire attacks are on the rise, Bill starts a public relations campaign to gain public favor. Nora, on the other hand, is having a hard time selling Lilith’s gospel to Eric. Jason’s discovery of a mysterious scroll could reveal details about his family history. The new sheriff of Area 5 presses Pam and Tara to obey a new directive. Sam and Luna search for Emma. Russell seeks out his destiny.

Shake your fists to the sky and take deep breaths, these last few episodes are going to be a roller coaster of a ride.

We interrupt the Men’s Swimming Olympic coverage with a little visual recap of True Blood’s Somebody I Used to Know.

The best storyline of the episode had to be that of Sam and Luna. As Sam went off on his quest to ride Bon Temps of it’s Supes Serial Killers, Luna started to lose it and eventually lost herself externally… that is.

Watching Luna as Sam walk around with his/her butt out and then Sam/Luna and Sam almost kiss had us in stitches and falling even more for this coupling.

Now, since kids go to this site, I will only have a still image of the scene that had many a women repeat over and over again:

Next up, Pam and Tara’ relationship keeps moving forward and for the better:

There was a bitter-sweet moment and that revolved around Lafayette:

These two had the best relationship and unfortunately these moments between Lafayette and the spirit that is Jesus are not enough for the fans.

Awwwww…

The funniest moment revolved around the vampire that we all love to hate and the former preacher that had the hots for Jason:

There two will be fuckbuddies in no time…

Craziest moment is that of the mysterious vampire that killed Sookie’s parents and is now after Sookie:

Most unfortunate moment revolved around Bill. Bill, when did you become so easily swayed by which way the wind blows????

What was your highlight and your low-light moment in tonight’s episode of True Blood?

P.S.

True Blood Fun Fact #69 – Albert Einstein was a Hafling (Half Fae/Half Human).

Ro here. Guess what I got for you True Blood fans.

That’s right! As the header states on this post, I have one line synopses of the last 2 episodes of True Blood’s 5th season.

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Courtesy of the fans of True Blood on Tumblr (Sent to me by Ro.)

(E!/Kristin dos Santos)  Well, if you paid attention to yesterday’s scoop-filled post, you know that according to Alexander Skarsgård, Eric still has plenty of love for Pam. And Kristin Bauer van Straten promises that Pam is on a mission to get back in Eric’s good graces. “Pam will go to any length to be reunited with her maker. Any length,” she tells us forebodingly. “And we’re going to see it. Pam has an amazing arc because we get to see her backstory and how she was made. It explains why Pam is the way she is and also why Eric is her one person that she can’t live without.” We’ve seen the first four episodes of True Blood‘s fifth season, and trust us when we say that Pam will more than likely be your favorite T.B. character this year.

The cast of True Blood will grace the cover of the June 15th issue of Entertainment Weekly.  Each member will get their own cover, and we’ve got them!

Be sure to comment, below and tell us who’s cover’s your favorite?

Zap2It caught up with Stephen Moyer on the red carpet at last night’s True Blood Premiere.

When asked about Eric and Bill working together this season, Moyer told them the following:

“They’ve gotten themselves into a pretty dark situation and I think they decide that instead of fighting and being at each others’ throats, that they’ll get together and actually put their heads together.”