When Mariana Klaveno was cast on the hit HBO show True Blood as the role of Lorena, the vamp who turned Stephen Moyer’s character Bill Compton into a bloodsucker, she never expected her small part in the first season to grow the way it has in seasons two and three. The talented and enthusiastic actress loves everything about the character she plays, and tells us it’s a lot of fun to work on the show.
Criticize This! spoke with Klaveno during a stop in Toronto to promote the release of True Blood: The Complete Third Season on DVD and Blu-ray. Read our interview below.
Brian McKechnie: How did you land the part of Lorena?
Mariana Klaveno: It came about as an audition, just like the many auditions you go on when you’re an actor. Most of them you go in an never hear back, but I actually read twice for the part. Both times I got to read in front of [True Blood creator] Alan Ball. I left thinking I didn’t get the part. When I got the call a couple of hours later it was a very pleasant surprise to say the least.
BM: Did you expect the role to grow like it has?
MK: They said there would be the possibility of it being recurring. Obviously at that point I was aware it was a book series and I knew she comes into the third book. So we crossed our fingers, but I don’t think anyone knew at the time what they were going to do with her character. I was completely floored when I found out they were going to bring her in for half the season in season two. They expanded her much more than I ever thought.
BM: How fun is it for you to play a vampire?
MK: My god, it’s a criminal amount of fun to play a vampire. The clothes, the attitude, the superpowers, it’s like being a kid in the candy store for an actor to play a part like this. And specifically Lorena, I really loved playing her because of how flawed she is. I love characters that have some sort of duplicity to them and she is so strong and so terrified and dangerous, while at the same time extremely frail and vulnerable in a lot of ways.
BM: What is the vibe like on set?
MK: It’s a blast. Between every take everyone is laughing and making fun of each other. There’s a lot of hijinks and bloopers. Most of my work is with Stephen [Moyer] and he is a wickedly funny individual. Anna [Paquin] is hilarious as well. A lot of the crew are very big jokers. There’s a lot of laughing going on between the moody vampire takes.
BM: Working in both TV and film, do you have a preference over one?
MK: Luckily on True Blood it doesn’t feel like television. It feels like a feature. And it’s shot that way. They really take longer and because the emphasis is so much on the quality. it really does feel like you’re working on a film as opposed to TV, which can feel like you’re just cranking out episodes. I would love to work more in film, a majority of my work has been in television, but I just love stories. Whether it’s the medium of television or in film, I just love telling stories so wherever the best story is is where I want to be.
BM: Any dream roles?
MK: Too many to count. At this point, because I always like to be kept on my toes, I’d love to play someone completely opposite of a glamorous, sexy, powerful vampire. Somebody who is very stripped down and the very opposite of Lorena.
BM: Any actors or directors you’d lime to work with?
MK: The top of my list would be the Coen Bros. If I had my dream job it would be on the set of a Coen Bros. film.
BM: What can we expect from you in season four of True Blood?
MK: I’ll get beaten with a stick if I say anything [laughs].
True Blood: The Complete Third Season is now available on DVD and Blu-ray. Season four of True Blood premieres on HBO Canada June 26.
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