Interview with ASkars at Sundance 2015

Interesting interview with Alexander Skarsgard with his costars from “Diary of a Teenage Girl” at Sundance. One of the things I have always loved about him is the thought he puts into his characters.

Check out the video from the LA Times!

Kristin Bauer van Straten talks Pam’s ‘True Blood’ ending

I may not miss Pam’s persistent bitterness all that much (I was over if after 7 years), but I will miss Kristin BVS’s genuine love for Alex. So happy to know they were close friends throughout.

Happy Birthday Alexander Skarsgard

This gallery contains 18 photos.

Originally posted on ERIC AND SOOKIE LOVERS:
It’s the morning after, and still too soon for any of us to really analyse what we actually think about the finale of True Blood. Initial reaction that I have seen across the…

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ASkars is moving to NYC

*thud* That is sound of me passing right out at home when I heard this news because I will then be living only an hour and change away from the Viking sex/acting/book god.  Yes, Alexander Skarsgard is moving to New York City!

Vulture has a very lengthy interview with ASkars to talk about many things, including The Giver, Tarzan and True Blood, but the standout quote for me? His future plans!  To wit:

You told me before that you wanted to move to New York after True Blood was done. Is that still the plan?
Yeah! I’m actually looking at apartments in New York now. I’m in London for another three months for Tarzan, and then my plan is definitely to move to New York. I’m really excited about it. I don’t really have any plans in terms of what I want to do — movies, television, theater — but I’d love to do a play in New York. Anything that would be a break from what I’ve been doing, something different. I mean, my dad did Mamma Mia!, just after he had done a couple of dark indie films, and he had a really good time doing that. He loved it. He was like, “Fuck it! This is fun. This is different. There’s nothing wrong with fun. I’ll do it!” You know? It’s all about trying to find those projects where you get to enjoy yourself, because I think that’s when you create as well, when you’re genuinely excited about something. Then you’re not just doing it because it’s your job. After seven years on the show, where every break before was a hiatus from the show, there’s something quite exciting about not knowing what I’m going to do next. It’s a feeling I haven’t had in seven years, and I’m pretty excited about it.

Big shout out to sweetmg for the heads up! 😀

Askars talks about the end of “True Blood”

Refinery 29 talked with Alexander Skarsgard about The Giver, the end of True Blood — and his role in Tarzan.  Having finally watched an episode of TB this season — #9 — I’m not that excited about how he felt winding up the show, although he was definitely what kept me watching for seven years.   (I found the episode slow and kind of weird, although I admit I am picking up at the end of the season without having seen anything before so can’t really place it in context.  But Sookie loving Bill and Eric acting as their “marriage counselor”?  That tells me that Show Sookie is an idiot and Eric is better free of his love for her if that is what he is reduced to.  Ugh.)

In the interview, I was much more interested in his comments about Tarzan. Apparently, the new movie is set at a time where Lord Greystoke has settled down with his bride Jane but is called back to the Congo.  So, will we get flashbacks of how they met or anything? And I love the comment about how quickly the suit comes off!  😉

ASkars on True Blood:

And, about the end of True Blood…
“Well, I can’t give anything away. There’s only a few episodes left, so I don’t want to say anything about the plot, but I can talk about how difficult it was to leave the show. I had to leave two months before the other guys because of Tarzan, which I’m shooting in London now. It was incredibly emotional, sad, and weird saying goodbye to, not only a character that I played for seven years, but to the show’s dynamic — the cast and the crew.”

How did you stay connected to your True Blood character, Eric? You’ve certainly managed to not define yourself by him.
“First of all, I was very fortunate that the two first jobs I booked in Hollywood were Generation Kill and True Blood. After a season of True Blood, I creatively searched for something different, something challenging, something I was interested in. All the characters I’ve played — between Melancholia, Disconnect, What Maisie Knew, The East or even The Giver — are very different from Eric Northman. I kept searching because I wanted to come back to the show after a five-month break excited to playing Eric again.”

And Tarzan:
Tell us a bit about what you’re doing in Tarzan.
“I’m playing Lord Greystoke. He lives in England with his wife, Jane. The story is obviously based on the novels, so he was born and raised in the Congo. He starts in England as a very well-adjusted British lord, but goes back to the Congo. It’s there that the adventure begins down. The suit definitely comes off pretty early on in the story. [Laughs]”

ASkars talks “The Giver” and “True Blood”

Time Magazine sat down and talked with Alexander Skarsgard about his time filming The Giver with Meryl Streep, Jeff Bridges and Taylor Swift, as well as the end of True Blood.  Here’s  what he had to say about his final season as Eric Northman:

Let’s talk about True Blood. That dream sequence between Eric and Jason got people very excited. Can you tease anything about their romantic-sexual futures as the final episodes approach? The people need to know.

I can’t say much about the plot, but that was a very memorable scene. Ryan [Kwanten] is so funny. It was a very tough night for me — I couldn’t stop laughing. He’s a hilarious guy. But we knew that scene was coming. We shot that scene where he drinks my blood in season six. There wasn’t a real plan to follow through, but then when we shot it, it was strangely sensual, and Ryan and I just looked at each other after shooting that scene last year like, “We’re definitely going to see that dream sequence.” Sure enough, a couple months later we got the script, and there it was.

What was your reaction when you saw how the series ends?

I’ve been really happy with this whole season. To me, that’s Eric at his best, when he’s got one clear objective: revenge. When he’s that focused and determined, it’s so much fun to play that and hopefully watch as well. The fact that I’ve gotten to work with Kristin Bauer [van Straten] so much this season — I always miss her when we shoot seasons and we don’t get to work that much. It’s been great finishing this series side by side with Kristin. I really liked how we leave Eric at the end of this show. I’m very happy with it. Hopefully fans will be as well.

 The rest of the interview is well worth reading, so check it out!

On a personal note, I still have not watched much of season 7, although I caught a few scenes while recording the first two episodes for a friend.  I’ve decided to wait and see how it ends before I watch it all the way through.  At this point, I think I will be able to watch it, no matter what happens, so long as I’m prepared for what I am going to see.  As for my fanfic, that is currently on hiatus until I have made my peace with how Eric and Sookie’s storyline progressed on the show.  Not that I need to agree with it or like it, but just that I can spend time with the characters again without feeling sick about what happened with them in the show.  In the meanwhile, I’m having a lot of fun exploring Asian romantic dramas and thinking about writing an original mystery — although you might recognize one of the characters as being like a certain Swedish favorite.   🙂

Peace, my fellow Truebies!

TV Guide article on final season of True Blood

TV Guide has an article previewing the final season of True Blood and I am less enthused than ever thanks to quotes like the following:

“In  the final season, we’re telling a more personal story,” says executive producer Brian Buckner, who took over after show creator Alan Ball and executive producer Mark Hudis. “We’re going back to the original promise of the show: Bill and Sookie. People are going to be very surprised about the way we get there. There’s romance, sadness and resolution.”

So, while I’ll be checking in periodically to see what happens, I will not be watching live every Sunday and will not be recapping this season.  (In fact, for the first time in six years, I felt no qualms about accepting work shifts on Sunday evenings during the summer.  It just isn’t relevant to me any longer.)

Screen caps from promo

Alexander Skarsgard Fans has put up a series of screen caps from promo and finally I see something that interests me — does it look to you as if Bill and someone else is setting fire to Fangtasia?

 

New trailer

The first trailer with some real hints about is what to come has been released.  I know that they want to be evasive about Eric’s fate for a while longer, but I didn’t see much else in the promo that has me really excited for the season yet. (Especially all the flashbacks to Bill and Sookie’s Twu Luv? Leaves me not only cold, but slightly turned off since I had hoped we were finally past that.)  Anyone else intrigued by something?

 

 

Promos — including one with Eric? *spoilers*

Two promos have come out in recent weeks and one of them finally has (unless I’m seeing things) Eric in it!

UPDATE: I wasn’t seeing things….but the second clip turns out to be a fan-made promo, not an official one.  Can you feel my disappointment? You should be able to.  *sigh*

First, a short one, featuring Sookie’s voice over talking about how the government has abandoned the people of Bon Temps.

And second, a longer clip that I think has our first glimpse of Eric at the 44 second mark, with what looks to me like darker hair and a blue tooth headset on. UPDATED to note that the clip has been identified from “The Giver.”  Which, hey, good to see Alex, but….still not Eric.

 

 

 

Spoiler about season 7 big bad

Our friend Michael Ausiello’s latest spoiler chat has a clue about the possible big bad for True Blood season 7, and I’m guessing the would-be villain may be related to someone who met their death at the end of last season.

Question: Do you know if we’re going to meet any of the beloved but sadly departed characters of the past on True Blood‘s final season? If not, do you have any other scoops? —Kenn
Ausiello: No word yet on any Nights of the Living Dead, but I can tell you that we’re getting what sounds like a new Big Bad in Mr. Gus. Though he’s a Japanese businessman, he’s apparently been so Americanized that he’d make J.R. Ewing seem Asian. (By which we mean he rocks a 10-gallon hat and speaks with a drawl.) Oh, and thanks to a business back-stab, he’s got a thirst for vengeance that’s described as “infinite.” So, while he’ll appear to be middle-aged, I have a hunch he’s immortal.

Anyone else wondering if our Japanese businessman friend could be a relative of the late Ms. Suzuki, who met her end so brutally at the pointed end of Sarah Newlin’s stilettos?  Maybe he’s the reason one of the destroyed Tru-Blood plants was located in Texas.

 

New ASkars book porn :-)

This is why I love ASkars so much: how many other Hollywood actors can be relied on to consistently get snapped by paparazzi with book in hand?  The Daily Mail in the UK reported he was seen dining in the Tender Greens restaurant in Beverly Hills, munching away while engrossed in his book.  What’s he reading? I believe it is Adam Hochschild’s King Leopold’s Ghost, a history of what happened when King Leopold II of Belgium seized the Congo in the 1880s.  I sense a tie-in with his role in Tarzan here…!

Love pics of Alexander Skarsgard and books? Check out my ASkars book porn page here.

Is Askars at risk of bursting into flames?

When I saw the news last week that Porsche was recalling vehicles because of potential engine fires, I naturally worried about our friend Alexander Skarsgard, who is known to drive that brand of vehicle.  Could our favorite Swedish celebrity be at risk for bursting into flames much like his Viking vampire character, Eric Northman?!? Fortunately, AutoEvolution reassures us that ASkars may drive a Porsche, but not the make under recall, which is the 911 GT3.  Instead, he drives a Porsche Panamera S, which means that the only thing that is too hot to handle is Askars himself when he is behind the wheel.  

Happy (future) birthday to me

I can already tell you what I will be doing for my July 4 birthday in 2016 — attending the opening of Tarzan ( in 3-D!!!!)  which will open on July 1 that year. Now, normally, I don’t really care if a movie is 3-D, but this is going to be Alexander Skarsgard in 3-D.  Presumably in a loin cloth. And maybe Victorian dress clothes.

*thud*

Margot Robbie, who recently starred in  The Wolf of Wall Street, has been tapped to play Jane and she and Askars will be joined by Samuel L. Jackson and Christoph Waltz.  The movie will be directed by David Yates, the director of the final four Harry Potter blockbusters.

Is anyone else hoping for a series of Tarzan films?

Details on the film at the Wrap.

Alexander Woo developing show for AMC

Variety is ra eporting that Alexander Woo, one of my favorite writers from True Blood, is developing show for AMC, Bombingham, set in Birmingham, Alabama, that uncovers a 50-year-old murder that may resurrect racial tensions in the city.

What else is the author of “Timebomb” up to?

 At present [Woo is] also developing a comic thriller for HBO and Lionsgate, “Headhunters,” based on the Jo Nesbo novel. And HBO tapped Woo to pen the adaptation of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” based on the nonfiction tome by Rebecca Skloot. Alan Ball and Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Prods. are shepherding “Immortal Life” as a telepic.

Which is all great news for Alex Woo, but he looks as if he is going to be super busy. So you have to know where my mind is going here — does this mean he will not be writing for True Blood any more? He was one of my favorites, and I always felt as if he was Sooric-friendly.  So why the departure? I had actually always hoped he would take a more prominent role behind the scenes after Alan Ball stepped down and was replaced by Brian Buckner as showrunner, but that never happened.

Whatever the cause for Alexander Woo’s apparently moving on from True Blood, I wish him well as one of my all-time favorite True Blood writers.  Love you, AW!