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On Season 2 of the hit HBO
television series True Blood,
the mysterious and somewhat sinister Maryann Forrester is stirring
things up in a major way, while her true identity and her real reason
for showing up in Bon Temps remain to be seen.
{sidebar id=1}As the wealthy local with
unknown intentions, actress Michelle Forbes is having a lot of fun
working on the acclaimed show. Best known for her work on Star
Trek: The Next Generation, Homicide:
Life on the Street, 24,
Battlestar Galactica,
In Treatment and
Prison Break, the
former ballerina promises that Maryanns motives will be revealed,
as the season progresses.
In this exclusive
interview, Michelle Forbes talked about working with the talented
cast of True Blood,
and the devotion and dedication of sci-fi genre fans.
IESB: When and how did you
know that you wanted to be an actor?
Michelle: As the story
goes, I started off as a ballet dancer. I knew, pretty early on, that
I needed another form of expression, and it just seemed that acting,
and this idea of playing pretend and telling stories, was really
fascinating to me. It was a natural progression, out of the dance
world and into the world of theater and cinema.
IESB: How did you
originally become a part of True Blood?
Was it just through a regular audition?
Michelle: I came in
towards the end of the first season, and it was a meeting like any
other, to be honest. The show hadnt aired yet, so I wasnt aware
of it. I hadnt read the books. It was just that new vampire show
on HBO with Alan Ball. Thats what I knew. Theres no great story
about that initial meeting, I have to say.
IESB: Have you read any of
the books since then?
Michelle: After everything
was signed and sealed, I do remember running out and buying all of
the books. I read the first one, pretty darn quickly, and then I
decided to stop reading them because I wanted to tell the story that
we were telling and that Alan was telling. And, Im glad that I did
because, although he uses a basic geography of the book, the story is
actually his own, as well as Charlaine Harris. An adaptation is an
adaptation, it cant just be a translation because you have
different time constraints, etc.
IESB: For those who might
not be familiar with the show yet, who is Maryann and how does she
fit into the story?
Michelle: What Ive been
saying about Maryann is that shes very mysterious and she likes
her mischief. She has got quite an agenda, in this town, and she is
going to have one hell of a time when it comes to light. Shes a
wacky one. Its been total fun to play.
IESB: What can viewers
expect from Season 2, for your character?
Michelle: Its so
difficult to talk about this show without giving anything away. But,
what I can say is that Maryann likes to have a lot of parties. She
likes for there to be a lot of food around. She has a very strange
entourage with her, at all times. She lures Tara into her world, but
shes just fascinated by everyone in Bon Temps and she wants to
leave her footprints all over that town.
IESB: Will audiences learn
more about what her agenda is?
Michelle: Oh, sure, but
the story runs over the entire season. There are different storylines
going on at once. Out of that main storyline, in the middle of the
town last year, it spun off into these different stories. Bill and
Sookie are in Dallas, theres the Fellowship of the Sun storyline
and theres the Maryann storyline in Bon Temps, and these stories
spin autonomously. As the season progresses, you understand all of
these stories a bit more.
IESB: Who does Maryann
interact with the most, throughout the season?
Michelle: Tara, Sam,
Arlene, the whole crown at Merlottes and Detective Bellefleur,
played by the extremely talented and hilarious Chris Bauer. Bill and
Sookie are off in Dallas with Eric, so its the Merlottes crowd.
IESB: Since you came to
this world later on, were you nervous at all about working into a
show with a cast that had already established relationships with each
other?
Michelle: No, thats
kind of what we do, as actors. I always consider myself as somebody
whos constantly changing schools. Im just always starting over
in school. No, its great, actually. I prefer coming into shows in
the second season because you have a true understanding of what the
show is, everyone is at home, theyve dug their heels in, and you
get to come in and just fly on that energy thats already been
established. This show hadnt aired yet, when I signed on, but we
all suspected that it was going to do extremely well.
IESB: How much were you
told about this character from the beginning, and how much has been
developing as you go along?
Michelle: I was told a
lot, yet interestingly very little. That sounds like a riddle, but
playing Maryann has been a bit of a riddle. There were more
conceptual discussions, initially. I didnt quite understand how it
was fitting into the stories that I was getting every week. Now that
time has gone on, I see how fascinating it is, and how this character
has also evolved in the writers room, in the costume fittings, on
set with all of us and in the editing room. It really is such a
collaborative show, and Maryann was definitely a group effort.
IESB: What was it about
Maryann that you found so appealing? How can you relate to her?
Michelle: I dont know
that I can relate to Maryann, but Im sure other people will. What
I found so fascinating about her is that shes completely liberated
from everything. She has no sorrow, no guilt and no remorse. She
doesnt live with the same rules that we live with. Oddly, that was
intimidating, at first. We always say that we want to be happy, free
and content, and live with no rules, but when were given that,
its terrifying because we tend to operate better with structure
and guidelines. So, initially she was a bit frightening, but I didnt
realize what a gift she was until about half-way through the season.
I had just finished doing this series in Canada, called Durham
County, that was all about sorrow, remorse,
guilt, regret, dead children and all sorts of light, fun things. You
think youre fine, but you dont realize that youre not fine
until youre back in the world, and I think if I had to go into
another tortured role, I probably would have killed myself. So,
playing Maryann, and experiencing her sense of fun, mischief and
play, has been a lot of well-needed fun.
IESB: Since Maryanns
motives are so mysterious, how do you think audiences will react to
her?
Michelle: Im not sure.
It will be interesting to find out. We all hope that the mystery
keeps people intrigued and not frustrated. But, theres so much
going on, with all these different storylines and all these fantastic
things that we get to play, that I think it will fit in nicely. This
season really just clips along at a wonderful pace.
IESB: Whats it been
like to work with Alan Ball and this cast?
 Michelle: Its a very
tight bunch, who are a very dedicated, passionate, committed group of
people. You cant ask for anything better than that. Its almost
like theres a thread of gratitude on that set that you dont
always see. Ive had the great luxury of working with so many
wonderful companies, but theres a real energy and enthusiasm on
this show. And, of course, Alan is the best. Hes having a ball on
this show, and it totally shows. He wanted to have fun, after Six
Feet Under, and thats really evident.
The writers are having a
blast and were having a blast, and that kind of joy cant help
but really pad the fun and the beauty of what were doing.
Everybodys just so game. People arent sitting around
complaining and saying they dont want to do something. Everybodys
just ready to go. Everybody wants their next challenge. From every
department to every actor to every writer, everybody is pushing each
other to go further and further, and that is such a great environment
to work in, as opposed to being on one of the major networks, where
everybody is living in fear of what the studio, the network and the
audience is going to say. Alan just gets to tell the story, the way
he wants to tell it and, if you want to come and sit down at our
dinner table, great, and if you dont, thats cool too.
IESB: Were you at all
surprised by the huge acclaim the show has received and the devoted
fan following that its gotten?
Michelle: Not really. Im
not surprised by it. Wow, that genre audience is massive, isnt it?
Its dedicated and committed, so Im not surprised. Its always
fascinating to me, how these things happen, all at the same time.
Vampires are so big right now, not that the show is just about
vampires. Its not even slightly just about vampires. But, Twilight
is so in the forefront of everyones
conscience right now. Were just in the Vampire Age. Well all
look back and say, Oh, I remember the Vampire Age of 2009. All
of us, inevitably, get asked the question, Are you a vampire
fan?, and so few of us were. I certainly wasnt. But, what I
love about this show is that they break all those vampire
stereotypes. If you die at different times, youre not going to
have one cookie-cutter idea of a vampire, so in that sense, hes
made these non-humans more human by bringing them into our modern
culture and placing them smack-dab in the middle of this small
Southern town.
IESB: Now that youve
been doing the show for awhile, do you feel like you have more of an
understanding for why people are so intrigued by this genre?
Michelle: My theory is
that were in a big national depression, with the economy and
people being out of work. We have the hope of a new administration,
but we dont know whats going to happen yet and were
exhausted from worrying, and I think that its just a good bit of
fun. Its escapist, and its fun for smart people. Alan still
asks questions about family and love, the pack mentality thinking,
and how susceptible we are to judgement and having our minds changed
about things we dont understand. And, hes able to explore these
themes, but it never gets too heavy. Theres always a pratfall
right behind it, or a really gross sex scene, or something that will
shift the tone. Theres something to appeal to everyone, with this
show. A lot of men watch this show, and they wouldnt normally.
Alan and Charlaine have
really just hit on something that is appropriate for this moment,
right here and now, that is exciting and fun for everyone. People are
tuning into these reality shows that I find completely mindless, but
this show is escape that isnt mindless. Thats why people are
responding to it. And, were just having so much fun, how could you
not want to come to the party? So many of the vampire excursions are
so brooding and depressing, and everyone is just so tortured, all the
time, and Alan brings so much humor to this, but its adult humor.
This is a real and funny, adult look at modern vampires. Whats
great about the show is that its also in the deep South, which
adds another texture to it. Its rooted in that part of America,
where its very racially divided, so race is a big issue. And, its
not just about vampires. Its about shape-shifters, telepathic
waitresses, maenads and the town drunk. It just has all of these
wonderful elements, and this season is crazy. It gets insane this
season. There were times, at the table reads, where I couldnt
believe what we were about to shoot. Its quite interesting and it
opens up quite a bit.
IESB: Whats been the
most enjoyable thing about working on this show, and whats been
the most challenging thing about it?
Michelle: The most
enjoyable thing, for me, is just never knowing whats ahead. Its
a little like Christmas, opening up those scripts. Theres a
certain amount of trepidation because you dont know whats going
to be asked of you. And, whats been most challenging is playing
someone whos absolutely free of any of the things that were
usually restrained by. That was probably the most challenging. I felt
like I didnt know where to move, at first. Then, youre just
given all this really rich, wonderful material, and this fun stuff to
do, and that became the fun part of it. What was challenging
initially became the fun of it.
IESB: Since youve also
been involved with other shows that have had devoted followings, like
Battlestar Galactica and Star
Trek: The Next Generation, have you gotten
used to that kind of fan reaction, or is it still surprising, every
time it happens?
Michelle: Its still
pretty surprising. I am always surprised. I shouldnt be, at this
stage of the game, but I am. All of these shows that have this kind
of cult following, its because it is tapping into something in the
unconscious that is delighting people, be it for good or bad. For the
last 10 years, weve had this obsession with horror films where
they are the genre film of the moment. Why is that? They had
disappeared from the landscape, for awhile there. They were here and
there, every once in awhile, but not in the way that it has been,
this past 10 years. Now, its just come back, full force. Its
always interesting to me that you can chart what people are looking
for through the stories that were telling.
What Alan has done,
without being heavy-handed in the slightest, is use a genre piece and
use it as this beautiful political allegory, like what Battlestar
Galactica did as well. Something very deep
and beautiful was born on that show, and it was allowed to be born
because it grew under the banner of a genre show. Thats true with
True Blood as well. It seems fun and sexy on
the top, but were actually looking at some series stuff too, like
human relationships, and our sense of injustice and judgement of
others, and people and things we dont understand. The inner
conflict happens for each of these different characters in different
ways because theyre different beings. And, it makes us question
ideas of compassion and judgement, of ourselves and others, how we
restrict ourselves and our own thinking, and how we are terrified of
our own thinking, so well latch onto group thinking. It explores
all these different things, but in the meantime, you get to watch a
lot of pretty people, running around in hardly any clothes.
IESB: Can you talk about
juggling True Blood,
Durham County and In
Treatment? How do those schedules all work
out?
Michelle: I love to work.
Theres an adventure that comes with every job, and you can never
have too much adventure in your life. I have been busy this last
year. I did the last couple of episodes on the first season of True
Blood, and then I was on a plane to Montreal
to do the Canadian series Durham County,
which was very beautiful and Im so pleased that I got to be a part
of it. There was a possibility that I wasnt going to be able to do
it because of HBO. I was in Montreal for three months, and then I was
in New York for a fitting for In Treatment,
two days after I finished Durham County,
and was just running on adrenalin from that job. I did a couple
episodes of In Treatment,
was in bed sick for the holidays, and then started on True
Blood in January.
Its wonderful. Ill
never complain about having too much work, but all three characters
were so different and Ive been living my own little repertory
theater for over a year, jumping in and out of these different
characters. Its been a joy because theyve all been such
wonderful writers. Laurie Finstad-Knizknik, who wrote Durham
County, is just such a brilliant woman. To
jump from her pad and pencil over to Alans pad and pencil has just
been a real joy.
IESB: Did it help that the
characters were all so different?
Michelle: It really helped
that theyre so different because they all helped me to shed the
last one. This woman that I played on Durham
County, Pen Verrity, held a lot of sadness
and sorrow, and I didnt realize how much I was carrying around
with me. Maryann helped me to shed Pen, the more I became immersed in
her. I think Pen would have stayed with me a lot longer, had I not
been able to jump into Maryann right after.
IESB: Are there types of
roles or specific genres that youre still looking to do, that you
havent gotten the chance to do yet?
Michelle: I want to do a
period piece because Ive never done one. Ive always said that I
just wanted to do one of everything. I got the Western out of the
way. But, I have wanted to do one of every genre. I did the American
cop drama, I did the British cop drama, and now, Ive done the
Canadian cop drama. I just always want new and different. I never
know what I want, but I usually know what I dont want, and what I
dont want is what Ive already done before. Im always just
waiting to see what else is out there, to see what new adventure is
going to be had.
TRUE BLOOD airs every Sunday on HBO.
Photo Credit HBO / Jaimie
Trueblood
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