Michelle Forbes : LastBroadcast

Set the scene for you character Maryann...

When we meet Maryann in the first season we’re not quite sure what she’s up to. She’s this odd benefactor, and she’s got some odd fascination with Tara - it seems altruistic at times but then you have to question what it is. We also know that there’s some relationship with Sam but we don’t quite know what it is. Season two starts off with a bang for everyone – but Maryann’s agenda and her intentions and her quest are revealed over the course of time.

Did they tell you where it was all going when they gave you the part?

No! I had no idea where it was going. Not a clue. And no matter how much I sat there guessing I never came up with where it was heading at the season end. But when Alan [Ball] and I first met we had a few quick conceptual conversations about it. We discussed what a maenad is, had a brief discussion about Greek mythology and what have you. But it didn’t always line up to what was on the back of the page. You have that knowledge in the back of your head but then you open it up and you’re dancing to the B52s! So it was a wonderful riddle to try and figure out. It’s what actors live for – it’s an unusual story, we haven’t seen it before, and it’s just this whole other world. People don’t even know what a Maenad is. I certainly didn’t.

What is a Maenad then?

A Maenad is a female follower of the Greek God Dionysus. And they can get pretty wild. It was an enormous amount of fun to run around in evening dresses and bare feet and dance in the woods… and there are quite a few orgies involved.

Sounds like Maryann throws all the best parties...

She’s quite the hostess. I like to think that Maryann was there during all of those transgressive periods in time. That she was texting Caligula: what are you doing this evening? And that she had something to do with Woodstock as well – working everyone in to a frenzy.

Do viewers need to brush up on their Greek mythology to understand who Maryann is?

No. You learn about it as you go on. It is revealed through other characters: you don’t have to be a Greek scholar in order to get it. 

How did you prepare to play what is essentially a mythical being?

I went to two different places. For some reason I went to Lydia Lunch who was a part of the whole punk subculture in New York in the 80s and who really had so much to do with breaking down all sorts of moral and ethical boundaries. And I watched a lot of Ken Russell films. Which was great fun – I hadn’t seen them in a while. I was just trying to really get in to the spirit of that abandon.

Would you say Maryann is evil?

I suppose you could say that. I could never see or play her as that because you can’t approach any character like that. And hand over heart I really didn’t get how evil she was until probably the last week of shooting. There was one scene of shooting that actually kind of turned my stomach. It was a scene where Eggs and I pull out a heart from Miss Janette. It’s in a flashback. It was really stomach churning. And then hearts and cookery – yuck! And I’m not going to say anymore or I’ll spoil it.

This couldn’t be further removed from your previous roles in In Treatment or opposite Ken Stott in Messiah – it looks more…

Fun? Time of my life. It is really nice to go off and do other things like playing Kate on In Treatment and Susan Metcalfe in Messiah – to play a real person who’s vulnerable and trying to figure things out like we all are is really rewarding. But with Maryann, no one is having more fun at work than I am. You just can’t believe that you’re getting paid. There were days when we were running around half naked in freezing cold weather, night shoots, 20 hour days sometimes, stunts. It didn’t matter. It was the most fun in the world.

Why do you think True Blood has gone from strength to strength?

On network television shows, if something doesn’t work in the first 2 or 3 episodes, if they don’t get the numbers they pull it. The vaudeville stick comes out and they’re gone. The powers that be who head up HBO, they really trust their creators so they give them the room and as much time as they need to tell the stories that they need to tell. If a storyteller has that freedom then their passion is able to thrive. The show just really found its footing, every episode has got better and better and for whatever reason it’s just found its audience and people have just gone mad for it.

What sort of response have you had in the US for Maryann?

I've had a few people gasp and step away from me. Which is a little odd. I had one person who started shaking and crying a little bit. I usually try to hug them to remind them that it’s just a TV show and I’m just playing a character. And then eventually I hear ‘oh you’re so nice I had no idea.’ Also, now, when I go to a party and I don’t instigate an orgy I feel like I’m disappointing everyone! I get ‘Oh, she’s a stick in the mud isn’t she.’

Is Alan Ball making any comment about faith, or people’s willingness to believe, in the character of Maryann?

One of the writers was on set one day and I asked that question. I said is this a metaphor for religion. She said we’re not preaching. So much about this series is up for interpretation. For me the 2nd season really is about the question of belief systems. Everybody’s belief systems are challenged in one way or another. We’re so frightened of independent thought that we latch on to group thinking and a pack mentality. True Blood shows how destructive that can be - it can lead to chaos and violence. We’ve been going through incredible transition in America and people have been questioning their belief systems. People were always so willing to go along with what was happening and we can see where that led us. I’m not saying that was Alan and the writers’ intentions but as they told the story that’s what I felt as I was watching it. For other people it’s just a bunch of pretty people running round with their clothes off!

Which of your fellow cast did you most enjoy working with?

One time I was looking at the screen and I was like, ‘We have a Brit, an Aussie, a Dane and a Swede all on screen at the same time,’ which is fantastic. We’re a very tight group. There’s so much love and everybody’s very welcoming – zero ego on that set. Chris Bauer is an actor that I bow down to. I can’t say enough about Anna [Paquin] and I adore Moyer [Stephen Moyer]. I haven’t worked with Skarsy [Alexander Skarsgard] yet - quite sadly because I think he’s a fascinating actor and Rutina Wesley is a new talent that’s come out of nowhere. And Nelsan Ellis – where the hell did he come from?

What have been your Maryann highlights in season two?

God there are so many. I have a scene where I come in after a night of ravaging in the woods and I just have a casual conversation with a dead rabbit over my lap. I love that scene so much. And I love the frolicking in the woods and dancing. I had no idea how bonkers it was going to get towards the end of the series. I can’t imagine I’ll ever play another character like her again! It’s insanely unique.