Kristin Bauer : SFX

What’s it like on the True Blood set? Are some of the things that are scary – and very bloody – to watch, actually quite funny to film?

Kristin Bauer: Oh, shooting on stage is hysterical. It’s not bloody and scary and gross because when you are there, filming it, it just isn’t like that. A good example came during the first season when Sookie was soaked with like a fire hose of blood for what seemed like minutes. And it was pretty intense on screen – an amazing sequence. And Anna (Paquin) was great. And it wasn’t easy because the director was saying to her “make sure that for the first shot of blood your eyes are open.” And she was like, “Oh my God, okay…”

And what they did is they ran a garden hose up the side of the actor’s face but the camera can’t see it. From the camera side all you can see is the guy vomiting blood. But when you’re actually there, if you look three feet to the right you see an orange construction ladder with a big sweaty guy on top, with a flannel shirt and construction boots, pouring gallons of blood into this thing and pumping it (laughs). So you look one way and it’s creepy and scary and you look the other way and it’s hysterically funny.

And that’s how everything is – I’m immortal and powerful with my cool fangs but I’m in a graveyard scene and my heels keep sinking and I’m waving at the director as I slowly sink into the earth and also, with those fangs in, I’m lisping! It really is a lot of fun. And you know there is a third actor in every scene – these special effects guys and they do an incredible job. You can’t see them on screen but believe me, they are a big part of it.