True Blood - Stephen Moyer by Guest Blogger: Krizia Bajos

Hello, my name is Krizia. And I'm a virgin blogger.

I have been asked by a twitter member (@TrueBloodFamily) to report my experience at the SAG Foundation event where a True Blood screening (ep. Sparks Fly Out) was presented along with a follow up from one of the stars of the show, Stephen Moyer... Bill Compton if you will. So I take my first bite...
;-)

First off, he's smashing with accents. With that convincing old Southern drawl, one would never suspect he had such a strong British accent.

He started his own theater company when he was only 17 years old and named it "The Reject Society". Great name.

Stephen loves what he does. So much that he teaches what he's learned to children. He insists to them to keep "play" alive during the acting process. That even if something "doesn't work", you can still use that feeling/emotion for another instance. Play with choices.

Before he landed True Blood, Stephen had lost two series, lost a tax rebate from a project in Australia (worth a nice chuck of change), and had his residence burglarized of memories and belongings. So, young grasshopper, whenever you think "it can't get any worse", you may have just hit the jackpot. Stay the course.

He shows appreciation to American Film Crews and how they complete 16-18 hours of work everyday without tire; and even when taking breaks, most are going over the scripts and engorging themselves into the story because of how much they love the show they work for. They show the same fervor for the project as the actors themselves. And that's invigorating. Because of this, he shows the same respect for their work and instead of retiring to his trailer after his scenes, he sticks around. He likes the camaraderie with the crew. He enjoys learning every aspect of the production and watch everyone else. Especially since photography is his passion, he has a keen eye and is observant to everything that has to do with the camera.

At this point, the mediator receives a visual to end the session and thanks Stephen for his time. He graciously declines and says he has time for more questions. Which was a refreshing difference from other events and actors I've encountered.

He jokes on how many dogs are now named Sookie and when he's run into their owners, they beg him to "call" for their dog. Which he then slapped on the Bill voice and slurred "come 'ere Soookie". Such a charmer.

Stephen also dished out some acting tips: When researching a new character, write down everything everyone else says about him/her, and also, what 'you' say about everyone else. You'd be surprised to learn a bit more when seeing the various perspectives.

Someone then asks how he's handling the newfound fame. Stephen responds with explaining how he hasn't done any publicity in 16 years, and that now, contractually, he must. He explains how that wasn't why he got into acting. He wants to stay anonymous with his children and enjoy the outdoors with them, without worrying about what clothes he has on. Or if his knobby knees are going to end up on US Weekly. But he did end with this...

"There's no other gig I'd rather be doing... I'm profoundly happy." "For the first time in my life, I'm not chasing after anything, nothing out there I want. I'm not running away from anything because I'm not scared of anything"

That made me smile. I hope for the same one day.

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