Have you been surprised by the success of the show?
Really surprised. I thought it would do well but it’s really taken off with the second season. During the first year the audience grew every week through word of mouth. I’m blown away by that.

This is the biggest role you’ve had. What effect has that had on you?
I get recognised every day. It’s exciting – I’m not going to pretend I’m bored by it. I got a round of drinks bought for me last night in a bar, that was nice. I’m also getting more offers for work, too.

You’ve done lots of stage work in New York. Will doing a vampire show ruin your credentials as a serious actor?
I hope not. It’s a quality show. I could have been on a show that was as popular but not as well written – there are plenty of those – but this has a good pedigree. It won’t hurt me in New York – they love anyone who is popular.

Have you got any crazy fans?
There are varying degrees of vampire fans. I met a woman who shaved her teeth to look like fangs. That’s commitment.

Did you have a teenage interest in the occult?
I went through a phase of reading a lot of Stephen King but I was never a vampire person. I grew up in a rural community and the local cemetery was in our front yard but nothing supernatural ever happened. They must have been pretty chilled out ghosts. I went to university in Paris and lived in a really old apartment which I’m sure was haunted. Things moved around inexplicably.