Author: Emma Loggins
Date: 2009-06-14

Interview:
We had the pleasure of speaking with Alan Ball, the creator and writer for HBO's True Blood. He spoke about the second season, Anna and Stephen's real-life relationship, and the future direction of the series. Here's part one of our two part (Part 2) interview:

You've mentioned in another interview that this season is just going to be more of everything, and the show is already incredibly sexy and gory, so what can you tell us what "more" we can look forward to.

Alan Ball: Believe it or not, the show is sexier and gorier. Yeah, I think it's also funnier; I think it's also deeper. I just feel like the show is finding its identity and settling into itself in a way that feels really organic. And it definitely feels to me as if things are amped up for season two.

For those who haven't read the books: Last season the story was about a serial killer, this year it's about a mysterious creature. Is each chapter or season going to be a different mystery or how will it play out?

Alan Ball: Well, we are basing the show on a source material: a very, very successful line of novels by Charlaine Harris, and there is an element of mystery in each book but it's more than just that, that's just part of the mix. There's also a love story, there's also horror, there's also a mix of funny. I wouldn't say that each season revolves around a mystery, because, for example, in the first season we, the audience did not know who the serial killer was, and we were sort of trying to figure it out at the same time Sookie was trying to figure it out. In this season, as the show progresses, we know that there is a character who is really up to no good and who is dangerous long before any of the other characters on the show know it. So it's a little bit of a flip in that regard.

How do you feel about Anna and Stephen's real life romance and how that affects filming.

Alan Ball: They are such constant professionals, both of them, that it doesn't affect filming whatsoever. It only affects filming in the sense that they're incredibly comfortable with each other and their chemistry translates to the screen. And I'm very happy for both of them; they're both terrific people, and they really found somebody that they really want to be with. There's nothing negative about it.

Given just how dedicated and passionate the fanbase is, is there any concern to the subplot involving the cult and how that reflects on zealotry?

Alan Ball: (Laughs) No. That never even crossed my mind prior to you asking that question. I really don't think the fans... actually there are two cults in the show this year, which one are you talking about?

The main, anti-vampire cult. The Fellowship of the Sun.

Alan Ball: Oh, okay. No, because I don't think vampire fans are going to associate themselves with anti-vampire zealots.

You could also talk about Maryann, and how that plays into people who are so overwhelmed by pleasure that they give up to everything else.

Alan Ball: I think people who are overwhelmed by pleasure will love this show! The kind of people who would look at this and say, "Oh, that's-they're making fun of me" and "That's casting me in a bad light," are not really the kind of people who are going to be watching the show to begin with. They're going to be watching FOX News.