Last time we talked ‘The Beast’ was coming out on DVD and you were just starting ‘True Blood’. Can you talk about how you got involved with ‘True Blood’?

Lindsay Pulsipher: It was just a regular audition through my agent and my manager, they’d set it up. I had two auditions, both with Alan Ball in the room. The second one Ryan Kwanten auditioned with me and a few hours later I found out I got the part. It was a very fast process.

Was it nerve racking to have the creator in the room or have you been through that before?

Lindsay Pulsipher: I’ve experienced it before and to be honest it’s actually a relief for me. It’s one less step that I have to go through since he’s right there. It’s less stress.

Were you a fan of ‘True Blood’ before auditioning?

Lindsay Pulsipher: I was a fan of the show. I was a fan of Alan Ball’s previous project for sure and to be cast in a show that you’re already a fan of is a huge honor. It was very exciting.

Are you Team Eric or Team Bill right now?

Lindsay Pulsipher: I think it would be very interesting to see a Sookie/Eric relationship happen, mix it up. I think it’d be fun and interesting for the audience for sure.

Crystal is your character’s name though we haven’t found that out yet. Can you talk about who she is and what she’s going to be doing in the show?

Lindsay Pulsipher: She’s, as you saw in the second episode, in a meth lab and gets busted by the police and she’s kind of grownup on that compound and lived a very sheltered life. She hasn’t really lived outside of that drug world and when she’s sees Jason there in the woods I think something is sparked in her that she’s never really experienced before. That’s a life and possibly a relationship outside of her compound. This season you’ll definitely see a meeting between Jason and Crystal and a relationship blossom and explode.

Does she have a supernatural aspect to her or is she straight up human?

Lindsay Pulsipher: I guess you’ll have to just watch.

Should we expect some sexy scenes between you and Jason?

Lindsay Pulsipher: Definitely. I think that it wouldn’t be a Jason Stackhouse storyline if there weren’t. There’ll be some romps in the woods.

How was it shooting those intimate scenes with Ryan?

Lindsay Pulsipher: Those kinds of scenes, there’s so much going on outside of the actual work. You go into your professional mode and you don’t think too much outside of the work. Usually it’s not a big deal because it’s all about the work and it’s just another scene. I think you have to look at it through your character’s eyes as opposed to your own.

Does she get involved with any other characters on the show or is it just Jason?

Lindsay Pulsipher: No. She definitely has some interactions with some of the other characters. Without giving too much away she’ll definitely come into contact with some other people in Bon Temps, for sure.

Is there a character or actor that you didn’t get a chance to work with that you wish you’d had?

Lindsay Pulsipher: Actually, yeah, there’s about ten. It’s so funny. We joke that ‘True Blood’, especially this season, there are so many characters and storylines that we’re all kind of on our own separate little shows. There were a lot of characters that I’d really love to work with and I hope that next season I’ll get to.

Can you mention a name or two that you’d like to work with, without giving too much away?

Lindsay Pulsipher: Well, I guess I can’t answer that.

You mentioned next season. Does that mean she’ll be back?

Lindsay Pulsipher: You’ll have to wait and find out.

Any other hints about a favorite episode maybe that you shot, hints about something coming up for her?

Lindsay Pulsipher: The season finale is going to be incredible. We just wrapped. It’s going to be incredible, so exciting and there’s so much going on. There’s a lot of typical cliffhangers and it’s just really, really exciting.

It must be exciting to be done and now know everything that’s going to happen.

Lindsay Pulsipher: I know. I got that last script and I always get very excited to read all of them and the last script definitely didn’t disappoint.

How many episodes do you appear in this season?

Lindsay Pulsipher: Coming up this next week is when my character really starts to show up more. I’m going to be in nine episodes this season.

What’s the atmosphere on set like compared to other projects that you’ve worked on before?

Lindsay Pulsipher: It’s one of the most friendly and welcoming sets that I’ve ever worked on. Everybody is buddies and everyone is friends. There’s a lot of goofing off and joking around. It’s very easy to be on set. The crew and the cast get along just great and are constantly interacting with each other. There are no egos at all. It’s just a real fun set.

Have you experienced any of the fandom for the show?

Lindsay Pulsipher: I think because it is so early I haven’t yet. But I do know that ‘True Blood’ has an amazing fan base so who knows what’s in the future. For now it’s been pretty quiet as far as Crystal goes. Maybe once I’m on some more they’ll be more aware.

Are you going to Comic Con with ‘True Blood’?

Lindsay Pulsipher: I’m not going to be there this season but I know that there are going to be a lot of people and it’s going to be insane, really fun.

Have you been to Comic Con before?

Lindsay Pulsipher: I haven’t, no.

Can you talk about being on HBO versus A&E with ‘The Beast’; is there any difference?

Lindsay Pulsipher: I feel our generation is so blessed because we have such great television available now. I almost feel like our contribution to cinema is the great TV that’s coming out right now. I feel like every cable network are all producing such amazing TV and such great shows. I feel blessed to have been a part of two really amazing shows and I feel like our generation just gets to experience some of the best TV in history.

Any updates on ‘Do Not Disturb’?

Lindsay Pulsipher: I don’t have any details, as far as release dates but I do know that they’re getting ready to submit it to festivals. I’m guessing probably sometime later this year.

You’ve worked in television and film. Is there one that like you better and do you know what you’d like to do moving forward?

Lindsay Pulsipher: Like I said, with this generation of TV being so rich and so amazing. I feel like it’s right up there on par with film and so I’m happy to do both. I think that film gives you something that TV doesn’t and TV gives you different elements that you don’t get on a film set. I appreciate them both and I hope to continuing both of them.

How is it different as an actress preparing for a film as opposed to working in TV?

Lindsay Pulsipher: I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily easier to know everything upfront but I’d definitely say that TV will keep you on your toes. There’s always an element of surprise and spontaneity that comes with every new TV script, each new episode. With film you have time to really think about the character and see the whole process beforehand. You know the whole entire script and you know the story with a film. I feel like there’s some spontaneity that comes with TV that’s really exciting. Then there’s also some comfort in film knowing exactly what your character is going to go through. You get to see the whole picture. They’re definitely different but both exciting.

Källa

I think Pam has some of the best scenes in the show, especially when she tried to stop Sookie in the season premiere.
Right?! I am so lucky to have such great words to say.

How do you relate to your character? She’s not human, but there are human elements to Pam.
Definitely, she was human 100 years ago. She was also very eager to leave that world once she saw the option of Eric’s power and immortality and she’s never looked back. That’s one of the things that makes Pam so much fun to play. She is un-remorseful, unapologetic, which are two traits some of us could probably use a touch of. She is, in some ways, who I wish I could be but alas, that directness might leave me very lonely.

What do you think Pam was like in her human life?
I have no idea, and hope to find out! But in my imagination – I see her as having been a true free spirit in a time where it was impossible for a woman to have any freedom of thought or movement. I am obsessed with free will, it is the basis of all my animal rights work and a hallmark of my beliefs. I believe in free will, very different than freedom. Free will implies choice as opposed to the absence of obstacles. I am pained by the cruelty of taking choice from any living being.

Pam is soft spoken but powerful at the same time. How do you find that balance?
I have often noticed that the most powerful one in the room can be the one who appears to care the least, and is often the most under-spoken. Power is not always loud or trying very hard. I guess power doesn’t have to.

Pam is taking on a bigger role this season, what has the journey been like playing her so far?
FUN! The more I find out about Pam and the more I get to see her do is a joy, it is just a bigger and broader journey for me. It’s always been a pleasure from day one and I have also discovered that more of a good thing is awesome.

What has it been like working so closely with Alexander Skarsgard? (Obviously, very…closely)
Yes, very closely, wink, wink, nudge nudge … Alex is a joy to work with. He is my friend and I am so lucky he is also Pam’s maker.

What are Pam’s motivations? (Loyalty to Eric? Power?)
Loyalty is huge for her, and for me in life as well — so I really appreciate that she has been written that way. Power is actually not as alluring to her as integrity. And that motivates me too, it’s fun to find those things where the character and I overlap but I guess that is inevitable as all Pam has is her creator, so pieces of all of us and our imaginations will be in her.

Do you have a favorite moment from filming the show?
Too many to name. But having fun with my cast mates is a real perk that makes this such a rare and special experience. We all know what it’s like to have annoying workmates and to have great ones. The latter is better and can make or break one’s experience.

Do you have a character you would like to have more scenes with?
I love it exactly as it is and I don’t want to be too greedy but this entire cast is so fantastic and talented, and so well cast, that I would be happy and lucky to work with any and all.

Have you had any interesting fan reaction to your character? (Perhaps in the gay community?)
I heard after last week’s episode that my friend’s living room of gay men stood up and cheered. I love that! I got a standing O! Always happy to hear I did well.

What has it been like working with Alan Ball? He’s quite a prolific producer/creator.
Alan seems to be very aware of the big picture and at the same time the details which is also rare and special. He has assembled an amazing thing here, all out of his vision one day after picking up a book. Many people are being employed and entertained by that vision. I think that is impressive and beautiful. Visions becoming reality is a thrill for me to see and be part of as I think it’s what makes the world go round. Without artistic vision, and the ability to transmute those visions into something others can see … life would be … well, unlivable. He is very impressive and also kind. AND likes dogs!

What do you think sets True Blood apart from other vampire shows out there? Why do you think there was such a positive response to the show?
Well … it’s just better. Hee Hee! Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I’ve seen Twilight and it was great and these are just very different audiences and tones. True Blood is Alan and HBO’s baby – that combination tells us that we will get to do and see more — get to push the envelope a bit more. Maybe touch on deeper topics, show more reality. Alan and HBO together are just sexier … in my humble completely unbiased opinion of course.

Can you give us a little teaser — I know you can’t spoil too much — of what’s coming up in season three for Pam?
Pam is tested this year. Her loyalty, her integrity, her strength … We find out about her and Eric’s relationship, and come to think of it, that is true for so many characters this year. It’s a character defining year for all of us.

You have been appearing more regularly on Secret Life Of The American Teenager. It is difficult to go from one character to another?
No, they are so different. I think its fun for most actors to get to play varied roles.

Thank you so much for taking the time. I really appreciate it, and best of luck with the upcoming season!
Thank you for allowing me to share more of my passions!

TVGuide.com: How does it feel getting to join such a hot cast?
Morgan: It’s such a beautiful cast. It’s amazing. It feels like one of the best and most awesome things that’s ever happened to me. I was real nervous starting out. At the first table read, I could barely think straight. Everyone is just so easy going, despite how good-looking they are.

TVGuide.com: Tell us about your character, Debbie Pelt.
Morgan: Debbie Pelt is a really kick-ass, passionate, ballsy woman. I’m a werewolf with a bit of an addiction to V, so I’m going on a rampage against Sookie. I’m not too happy with her. My character just takes this winding road, a bit of a downward spiral. I’m definitely in attack mode towards Sookie.

TVGuide.com: Did you read the Sookie Stackhouse novels before being cast?
Morgan: Once I was cast, I read two of them. Just the ones I was involved in. I’m not sure if I’m too far off on this, but I think Debbie is much different [in the show] than in the books. In the books, you can tell she was a badass, and that she’s not a chick you want to mess with, but [the show writers] took it to a whole new level of crazy. They also amped up the trailer trash aspect. Nothing is too much. There are no limitations around me. I got to do whatever I wanted with her. There’s nothing better than playing crazy when everyone else is just encouraging it.

TVGuide.com: The stakes are so much higher this year because the werewolves and vampires don’t get along and are both powerful.
Morgan: They don’t get along well, but that’s great because up until this point it’s been vampires ruling the planet because they’re the most powerful thing. It’s cool to see another species that exists within the series that challenges that. There are two other sets of mystical creatures you’ll be introduced to toward the end of the season. There are fairies and there are going to be witches.

TVGuide.com: Who else does Debbie get to interact with this season?
Morgan: I got to interact with Eric [Alexander Skarsgård] a little bit, and I know a lot of people will be envious of me. I got to interact with Bill [Stephen Moyer] and Lorena [Mariana Kleveno]. It’s mostly with Sookie, but I do a lot of interaction with the lead of the vampire kingdom in Mississippi, Russell [Denis O'Hare], who is a captivating villain after Maryann [Michelle Forbes].

Morgan makes her True Blood debut Sunday at 9/8c on HBO.

iF: You’ve done a lot of theatre in New York …

O’HARE: Yeah. I went to school in Chicago and I did all my early theatre work in Chicago, kind of where I learned to act, and then I moved to New York in the early Nineties and that’s what I did. I’ve been a stage actor, I’ve done a lot of Broadway, I’ve done four Broadway musicals, a lot of Broadway straight plays. That’s kind of my thing, that’s what I did, was Broadway. And then I’ve always done TV here and there because of Law and Order in New York, but then this [True Blood, which films primarily in Los Angeles]came along last fall and I was thrilled, because I love it.

iF: Had you worked with Alan Ball before?

O’HARE: I hadn’t.

iF: Do you know if he was a fan of your stage work prior to casting you in True Blood?

O’HARE: I think he’d seen me in Take Me Out [O’Hare won a Featured Actor Tony for his work in the production in 2003] and all those years, it kind of percolated, and when this part came up, I think it was a good fit. A whole lot of us are from New York – Carrie Preston [Arlene] is from New York, Sam Trammell [Sam] is from New York, Rutina Wesley [Tara] is from Juilliard from New York, Kristin Bauer [Pam] is from New York – a lot of these actors, we all come from the same place. Michael Hall, who did Six Feet Under [with Ball], I knew him when we did Romeo and Juliet together in Baltimore years ago, when he first got out of Juilliard. So it all kind of comes full circle, which is really interesting.

iF: A lot of the actors in True Blood are called upon to disrobe at some point. Do you have that?

O’HARE: No. Not yet. [laughs] It hasn’t happened. I’ve gotten this far in my career without having to do that, it’d be nice to keep some things private, you know what I mean? If I’m called upon to, I will gladly, but Russell has dignity. I think he needs to keep his dignity.

iF: Well, most of the characters who disrobe have dignity …

O’HARE: Yeah. They’re 25 years old [laughs].

iF: Do you perform any stunts and/or chomp anybody?

O’HARE: They don’t want us doing anything that’s dangerous, so even though we want to, they’re going to ask us to pull back. I have chomped somebody, I’ve ridden a horse.

iF: When Russell bites another character, do you discuss with the other actor, “I’m going to be chomping you now”?

O’HARE: Yeah, any actor thing you do when you’re being physical with someone in any way, you always check in with them and go, “Okay, I’m going to go here in the neck, you let me know if that’s all right.” You want to check in with them and make sure they’re not hurt and then it’s always a little surprising when you actually do it, because your adrenaline kicks in and you start making funny noises. We were doing one bit where we were attacking a girl and she kept giggling [laughs]. We were nuzzling her neck and making weird noises and she kept giggling.

iF: Are there any aspects of True Blood that you found surprising?

O’HARE: I have to say, I am bowled over by how friendly everyone in the cast and crew is, how hard everybody works, how professional everybody is. Everybody comes here to work. They do a really, really, really good job. Everyone is prepared to go, ready to go, and yet they manage to have fun while doing it. And it’s a really amazing balance. There’s no attitude from anybody, there’s nobody who has any sort of diva position. Everyone is great. It’s pretty amazing.

iF: In the scene you’re filming today, the other actors are comparatively deadpan and Russell is decidedly, well, not-deadpan. What’s that like?

O’HARE: You know what? I’m just going to stand out a whole lot more. I have no problem with that. Everyone’s got their own style, everyone’s got also their own thing going on, and Alan, when he first told me about this character, said, “He’s very charming and he’s very Southern.” And in other scenes, I have been deadpan and I have been quiet, but in the scenes where you’re called upon to have some kind of passion, I love that. [Russell] knows what he wants, he knows what he wants to achieve. He doesn’t know how he’s going to get there. He always improvises. He is not a careful person. He’s a planner and he is somebody who plots, but he’s very, very passionate and he’s very, very spontaneous. So he does things [laughs] in the moment. He’s also hotheaded. This is a person who has a temper – a big temper.

iF: This season, they’ve had some real wolves, playing the werewolves in animal form, on set. Were you around for any of that?

O’HARE: I was. My very first episode shooting, I was on a horse and there were wolves on set and I got to meet a couple of the wolves. I got to hang out with them, and I got to meet the wolf trainer and the wolves are extraordinary, unbelievable animals. They are so otherworldly. And as the wolf trainer kept saying, “They’re not just big dogs. They’re very different animals. Do not think of them as dogs [laughs].”

iF: Do you have to stand very still when the wolves are working?

O’HARE: The wolves are almost always separated from us. You’re not interacting with them very much. We worked with them outside. They had a wire that kept them separate from us, a wire that was electrified. They are a different kind of animal and you don’t know what they’re going to do, and they’re incredibly capable of incredible things. Mostly they’re just very skittish, so the problem with them is not that they’re going to hurt us, it’s that they’re not going to be able to focus.

iF: Is there anything else you’d like to say about  True Blood or your work on it?

O’HARE: I’m so thrilled to be here – I never expected or planned it, but now that I’m here, I don’t ever want to leave.

The Joke:

Two nuns are driving down a road late at night when a vampire jumps onto the hood of their car. The one nun says to the other, “Quick! Show him your cross!” So the other nun leans out the window and shouts, “Get off our f–ing car!”

About the Jokester:

Deborah Ann Woll likes gruesome animal-attack videos. Much more than she thought she would, at least. The 25-year-old Brooklyn native watched them to get into character for her role as befanged teenager Jessica Hamby on the HBO vampire drama True Blood. Before the study of crocodiles severing deer limbs became a job requirement, Woll spent ten years in theater, which led to guest roles on shows like CSI, My Name Is Earl, and The Mentalist. True Blood provided her first recurring gig, not to mention the fresh perspective on gender roles that comes with a pair of fangs: “Having the girl be the vampire, with these external shows of power, just turns the story on its head. The [fangs] flicking out, to me, it’s kind of like a girl boner.” That just doesn’t happen on The Mentalist.

CNN is reporting a new trend among high school students: biting is the new hickey. The claim is that since vampire-mania has hit the big-time, with everything from Twilight, Vampire Diaries, and True Blood fueling the feeding frenzy, biting is how teens are showing affection for each other, and bite marks have become a kind of status symbol, showing “ownership” and desirability.

I’ve not seen anyone sporting bite-marks, although I do live in a small town populated by fundamentalists (vampires aren’t high on their list of appropriate entertainment options), and when I’m out and about, I’m usually being harassed by small children (and therefor am oblivious to what teenagers are doing). So what do you think? New, dangerous trend for teens (human saliva can’t be that good for you), or silly gossip posing as news (and probably spread by the same people who thought rock-n-roll was going to turn everyone into sex fiends)?

Did you already know either the show of True Blood or the books by Charlaine Harris, at the time you were casted for the role as Godric?
ALLAN: When I got cast I did not know anything at all. I did do my research as soon as things were looking as if stuff might happen and was astounded of how huge the project and phenomenon was and still is.

Most of the cast members know each other since the beginning of the show. So how has your first day on set been with all the people, who are already such a well-rehearsed team?
ALLAN: Everyone is great. Really nice people and amazing actors. They made it very easy for me. Though it was nerveracking, borderline terrifying to play everything that calm and so small with the appropriate confidence when everyone around you is someone you admire and want to impress. It took a lot of me to stay true to my ideas and not over-compensate.

Allan or Godric … is there anything which you share with the character?
ALLAN: I have gone through the same stuff Godricv has gone through in my own life but on a much smaller scale. I have experienced having an epiphany if you may about stuff I had been doing that was not nice at all. This I applied in the character and intensified out of proportions.

With a heavy heart we had to accept the suicide of Godric and now can only admire him within the shown flashbacks. Can you understand that Godric has chosen the suicide and what is your general opinion to that subject?
ALLAN: I understand him. He has lived his share of life and a second life. He is over it. He wants to set an example and does everything for a good reason I feel. It is hard to validate suicide though because of other people involved. It’s a selfish thing to do and Godric hurts people who knows what’s to be of Eric now without an ideal?

We have heard from other cast members, that it is very difficult to speak with fangs. How was your experience with that?
ALLAN: Oh yes, it was difficult. Especially because I had to speak Swedish with them in for the first time which is a language I don’t really speak. But you get used to it.

Godric as well as Eric Northman became the most beloved characters to the True Blood fans. How does that Fandom influence your private daily life? Do you occasionally visit fan sites and forums to read what people think and write about you and your character played?
ALLAN: I don’t really feel it too much, which is nice. I can still walk around unnoticed. Occasionally someone will introduce themselves and we will talk for a second but mostly it is nothing but an occasional double-take. I don’t have to visit sites or at least seek for them. I’m pretty sure my mom has a Google alert or something becuase she always knows what’s being said and will send me links every once in a while. I think it’s best not to look at it too much. You don’t want to get a big head or have people ruin your confidence. But it’s nice when people say nice things.

And now the question of all questions: Could you pleeeease give us a small preview on your role as Godric in Season 3?
ALLAN: Unfortunately I can’t say much. You already saw the Nazi -stuff and I hope you liked that. It was fun to shoot – super action packed. Jumping down from the rafters and all.

So besides True Blood, what are your acting plans in the near future?
ALLAN: Just arrived in Denmark to shoot a danish tv-show called Lærkevej and then I think I will be shooting a feature in Ireland this summer. I will Twitter about it when it is for sure.

Is there anything else your fans should know about you or any message which you would like to pass to them?
ALLAN: Thanks so much for being so supportive of me and Godric! It means a lot and got me a little more work this season. Keep calling for him and he might have a little more next season – who knows? I don’t…