Comic-Con: 'True' stories

 
Packed to capacity with attendees suspiciously wearing "Team Edward" shirts, the "True Blood" panel had fans standing in line since the wee hours of the morning for a chance glace at Vampire Bill, Sookie, Eric and Lafayette. Needless to say, the crowd was driven to eye-piercing levels for what moderator Tim Stack called the "most attractive cast on television." Here are a few choice tidbits from the Q&A:

Does Bon Temp have an amazing tax credit? Why do people live there?
Alan Ball: Come on, Why wouldn't everyone want to live there?

How do you feel about Sookie losing her innocence?
Anne Paquin: There is part of here that is sweet and innocent, and another part that has very dirty vampire sex with possibly multiple vampires.

Since the memory erasing incident, we've seen a lighter Eric. Do you like playing him?
Alexander Skarsgard: Yes

Why does he forget to wear shirts? And what's with that outfit he wears?
Skarsgard: Sookie finds me in the woods. And when she finds me, she dresses me. It's something she found at her house. Where did that come from, Alan?
Ball: If you translate the spell, it will say "You will lose your shirt, but find a dorky outfit that you will wear for several episodes but still be insanely hot."

First you have weird head-twisting sex, than you have sex with your great, great, great granddaughter. What's up with that?
Bill Moyer: If Bill did a little work at the library, she could have figured out who she was. They will see each other again, but Bill has bigger fish to fry.

Is Lafayette along for the ride with the witches because of Angel, or does he believe?
Nelsan Ellis: He loves the dude. He didn't want to step out into the supernatural.

Tara's transformation from victim to kicking ass and taking no prisons. What do you think of the evolution to

lesbian cage fighter?
Rutine Wesley: I love MMA. I think Tara was sideswiped by love and didn't know what happened. I think it's awesome

that she's happy and smiling.

Ryan, tell us about being strapped to the bed and ritualistically raped?
Ryan Kwanten: It's interesting for an actor when all you have to use is your face, especially for Jason who is a physical type of guy. It's strange for him, especially being called "Ghost Daddy."

We all know what happens when a person drinks vamp blood, so what will happen when Jason drinks Jessica's blood?
Deborah Ann Woll: We all know what happens, but it's more interesting on what happens when it wears off.

What do you think of Pam's "face off" with Marnie?
Kristin Bauer van Straten: We work hard to make you squeamish. It's very physical. I was told to "find the hole in my face and push up." Only on "True Blood" will you get that kind of direction.

Will Eric remember what happened with Sookie?
Alan Ball: That moment if it comes, if you know it is coming, it won't be as good. So, maybe.

Bill and Sookie be together again?
Anna Paquin: It will be a complicated road back. It's impossible for me to call that one.
Moyer: There are only so many telepathic waitresses in town. It's not like I can just move on to the next one.

What is up with creepy baby doll and Arlene's baby?
Moyer: I was with Alan when he looked at the set for Jessica and Hoyt's house, and he said, "This is a great place for that baby to be born. There is something not right about that baby."

Will fans get the infamous "shower scene" from the books?
Ball: There will be a moment where Sookie and Eric are in a shower. It won't be exactly like the books. It might be weirder and dirtier.

What are your favorite moments of this season?:
Ball: I like the ritualistic rape of Jason Stackhouse
Kwanten: Me too. It was a bizarre sense of therapy.
Wesley: The cage fighting
Skarsgard: I enjoyed the swimming in the sun.

Can we talk about the lake scene?
Paquin: Oh, the sausage party. Can I just say that I am 5"4 and Joe Manganiello is a full foot taller than me, so when I would turn around and look at Joe, I have to keep in mind where I was looking.

Why do you think the "True Blood" comics resonate with fans?
Ball: I never did a genre show before, so this is new to me. What I love about the comics is that they tell a completely different story, but with the same characters and attributes. So it's more story.

Ryan, your character was a playboy, but he's been growing up. What do you think of his growth?
He started so low on the evolutionary totem pole, he can only go up. He loses his boyish charm, but makes up for it with new responsibility. I like it as an actor and it's good for Jason too.

Are we going to see how Eric made Pam?
Ball: Unfortunately not this season, but definitely in season five.
Skarsgard: Who's my little girl?
Van Straten: I am, daddy.

Nelsan, thanks for playing one of the most powerful gay characters on TV. If you had a choice, would you date Bill, Eric or Jason?:
Ellis: I'm happy with the squeeze I got. But I'll date all four.
Ball: That's season six.

Why are you guys such badasses?
Skarsgard: There is a softness in Pam, but we don't like to show the vulnerability. But with Eric's amnesia, it comes out more.
Bauer van Straten: Pam was only vulnerable about her maker Eric. And now her face.

Would you do "Zoolander 2"?
Skarsgard: I think that's a question for Ben Stiller, but I like the idea.

What is the timeline for the show in the future?
Ball: It's an organic process. We borrow from future books for seasons that happen earlier than the book timeline, but as it goes on it will be less "Oh, this comes from this book and this comes from this book." It think it has a long life. We just need to explain why the vampires are aging.