Alcide is about to put a major kink in True Blood‘s polarizing Eric/Sookie/Bill triangle. At least that’s the word from the werewolf’s portrayer, Joe Manganiello, who makes a strong case for an Alcide/Sookie pairing in Part 2 of our exclusive Q&A. (You can read Part 1 here.) The 33-year-old actor also weighs in on the length of his commitment to the show and why he isn’t afraid of those crazy Team Bill and Team Eric fans.
Will your Alcide be different from the Alcide in the books?
JOE MANGANIELLO: Alan Ball and I had a conversation about that at one of my auditions. I think it’s up in the air. I know that, at least initially, fans of the book will be pleased with my character.
What’s your take on Alcide?
MANGANIELLO: He’s really big. He’s giant. When Sookie first meets him, she opens the door and looks up, and then has to look up some more. So there’s this giant presence standing in the doorway with dark hair and dark features. He’s strong and protective. He comes from a construction background; his father is in the construction business. He’s heroic and romantic. I don’t think it’s a secret that he has a broken heart when he shows up. He had a really rough go of this relationship with Debbie Pelt, so there’s a lot of friction there. Debbie’s doing a lot of things to get back at Alcide.
How long are you committed to the show for?
MANGANIELLO: Right now we’ve just talked about this season.
What can Alcide offer Sookie that Bill and Eric can’t?
MANGANIELLO: Warm flesh and blood. That’s the neat thing about my character: Although he’s not entirely human, he is flesh and blood. He has a lifespan. In the books he hugs Sookie and she feels his skin and it’s just radiating heat. So I think the fact that he has some kind of sunburnt heat-radiating skin is just completely different. It’s [similar to when] she met Bill and what a relief it was for her to not be able to hear his thoughts.
Are you ready to be thrust into the Eric/Sookie/Bill fan frenzy?
MANGANIELLO: For me it’s fun. I could see how if I was a 100-pound Hollywood actress it would probably be pretty scary, but I’m a big guy, so people don’t necessarily scare me in that way. With that said, I’ve had to go to the police a couple of times for stalkers.
Really?
MANGANIELLO: They were really big… I don’t know how I want to describe it but they were guys. I’ve had two guy stalkers that I’ve had to go to the cops about. But other than that I think it’s a blast. It’s so fun to get caught up in that. It’s so fun to have fans care that much. It’s that whole Comic-Con, fanboy crowd. I love that. I started my career in Spider-Man, so I’m completely familiar with them and I love that kind of stuff. And you hear about love triangles all of the time, it’s going to be interesting to see how the love square works out.
Tool.
You have issues -_-’
I agree. With every new interview his tool-ness grows. Reminds me of Ryan from SYTYCD.
LOL – and THAT is one of the worst insults you can give! I hated that guy….
Sorry, I think you are wrong. He was well informed about the character(s) and seemed genuinely excited to be working on TB. I thought it was a good interview and now like him more than when he was on OTH.
I think some of the comments that seem a little self-complimentary are just b/c he’s excited. The most important thing to me is that he seems to be a fan, and I love that. I’ve seen movies and series where the leads didn’t know a thing about what they were playing and were so out of character. I think he’ll do a fine Alcide…and goodness knows, the man is fine eye candy. Someone should sneak onto the sets and burn every shirt he owns. LOL
Yum.. I can’t wait for season 3. I love that he is so down to earth and sweet. And I hope he’s right about him and Sookie… Awesome!
i’ve read all the books and in the last book shes with eric.
Seriously…there is no need to post spoilers. I’ve read the books so I know how they are right now, but some people just watch the show and don’t want to know what happens in the books. Besides, Alan Ball has proven that he doesnt really care what happens in the books. He can make his own decisions. Lafayette is still alive, isn’t he?
So have I and the wonderful thing about the show is that its completely different from the books, cause Bill never proposes to Sookie in the books.
You haven’t read the last book, because it comes out in May 2010. But in Dead & Gone, it’s up for interpretation as to which one her Great Granddad endorsed – Bill or Eric. And is Quinn really out of the running? Is Alcide over Maria-Star?
shes with eric do to the bb marriage that eric got her into.. sookie is with herself she doesnt call eric her bf or husband till she does.. shes not going with him lol
Thats not true exactly.. We still don’t know who Sookie will end up with. But I can’t wait to find out!! Ready for the book to come out in May and ready for season 3 of TB!!
yummy!
A love SQUARE? Oh dear lord, save us from the geometric idiocy. This was/is my problem with the books: TOO MANY LOVE INTERESTS! PICK ONE DAMMIT!
amen sister! I made it through book 8, can’t talk myself into buying book 9 because I’m so burnt out on the new love interests. Ugh!
Book Nine is all Eric-Sookie with no one new. Really good if you’re a fan – I read it first before I read 4,5,or 6 and liked it better – it’s made reading the middle books a little hard. =)
In book 9 I fell in love with Bill again. He was quite the hero. By book 9 I was getting bored with Eric and sookie
Puuullllease. She never dated. She should settle down with the first person she falls in love with/dates? What a disaster that is for people.
I never said she should. But five is too many. Bill, Eric, Sam, Alcide AND Quinn. At the very least stick with one for more than 1 book.
She was with Bill for over 1 book. That didn’t trn out too well. She was never committed to Eric because he was never committed to her. Alcide was basically using her as a rebound and Quinn wanted her forever but she couldn’t deal with him mommy issues. Why should she or anyone else settle?
What about that calvin dude? And Sam?
I’m also sick to death of the multiple love interests not because there’s a lot of them but because it’s weird that most of them are at the same time.
Sookie is really annoying.
Really, and did you settle down with the first person you loved/dated? Not very realistic. Most people have to date and sometimes love any number of people before they settle down to one. Why should it be any different in entertainment shows.
I can see where you’re coming from, when you put it that way it is a lot of love interests, especially if you read all the books back to back. I started reading the series in 2004. I read the first four books (happened to take them out of the library) and then after that one came out every year in May and half the time it had been soo long since I read the last one, I had forgotten a lot of the details of the last book. So all the love interests weren’t a big deal for me.
I’m so with you on that one, the books have too many love interests and I really don’t want the show to go down that road. Fingers crossed all we get is some sexual tension because of the intital attraction with some Eric/Bill jealousy on the side, that’s all that’s needed as far as Alcide the love interest goes. His character is far more interesting when dealing with the were pack politics and his ex!
Let the vamps fight each other and then Sam can swoop in and take off with Sookie.
Thank you! I’ve been saying all along that Sookie will eventually end up with Sam. Charlaine Harris has written several series with female leads and in each one she ends up with ONE guy even though at various times she had other possibilities. I predict Sam will be the guy.
Me too! Me too! A friend of mine and I had a similar conversation two weeks ago and we agree that Sam will be the ever after guy for Sookie (at least in the books). Maybe I am a little biased but it just seems that Harris is writing it that way.
I’ve always been Team Sam. He’s always had the most genuine feelings for Sookie.
Thank you! I thought I was the only one rooting for Sookie and Sam. He’s just the most genuine, least effed-up, and the nicest out of all of the love interests. He would be my obvious choice.
In the tv show she could never be with Sam because she can read his mind. What’s with that anyway? Why can she read Sam’s mind? Will she be able to read Alcide’s? She can’t be with either of them if that’s the case…
I like Eric more and more, especially after the most recent book.
How is this Shnee good? I mean this is the same junk that Stephanie Meyers is dumping out etc etc etc etc etc. … yeah maybe this came first but still??? we are STILL going to add another love interest that is a WEREWOLF after all of the twifi stuff? OH WOW. I have tried to understand and be supportive of people who like this show but it is SOOOOOO bad. SO BAD! And i am so sad that one of Entertainment Weekly’s writers rated this his NUMBER ONE favorite show of the year. I’ll just blame it on Obama since we blame everything on presidents. Thanks Obama.
really?!
This werewold has nothing to do with Twilight. He is in the books. AB didn’t just make him up. The show is amazing.
Thank you for spending your time reading a story about a show you can’t stand from a genre that obviously drives you batty. We fans were REALLY dying to know what you had to say. And I don’t think anyone here is overly upset to lose your support so go back to your tired crime dramas.
I actually love this genre…True Blood is just a TERRIBLE version of it.
I also read this story because I like Joe as an actor….not because I like True Blood. Everyone has actors they like and still read about even if they don’t like what they are doing…
Alcide being a werewolf has NOTHING to do with the travesty that is Twilight series. You can’t even compare the two. Twilight wasn’t the first book or series to feature both werewolves and vampires, and neither was Charlaine’s. Charlaine’s books came first and weren’t even influenced by Twilight. Alcide has always been a werewolf, so why not have his as a wolf on the show? Why should we disregard Charlaine’s story simply because Stephanie Meyer ruined hers?
and PDAWG, what is a good version of the genre for you? I’m just curious…I think TB is an excellent version of this genre. The vampires are mean, they don’t sparkle (thank God) and are slightly original characters compared to a lot of the other crap that is out there.
Agreed. The show is melodramatic and stupid. I cringe every time I see it on a list of “Best” shows. Please. Come on. It’s just plain not good. It’s popcorn and trashy.
Are you sure you are watching True Blood and not something else? This show is amazing and every season better than the rest! The show is very well done with complex characters and several interesting plot lines just not one or two! So go back to watching “Dancing with the Stars” you brain dead idiot!
I love popcorn and trash….takes me away from the seriousness that is my life.
Pdawg:
Have you ever even watched TrueBlood? It’s better than Twilight~hotter Vampires,sexy guys,
sex~that’s not really found in
twilight.
Sheba: June 13th begins Season 3.
I think Joe is going to be fabulous!!! He seems to have really done his homework on Alcide. That shows dedication and hard work, and thats terrific to me!
Whatev … is it season 4 yet?
It *sounds* like AB is adapting Alcide’s character how CH wrote him. It would be a shock if it were to *actually* happen though. I enjoyed the dyanamics of Eric/Sookie/Alcide in Club Dead, and it would be great to see that onscreen. I didn’t include Bill b/c he wasn’t around for most of it, and I don’t think he will be in TB either since he was kidnapped.
I wouldn’t put it past AB to get Bill in as much as possible. He seems pretty in favor of the Sookie/Bill relationship.
Yeah, we all know how much AB looooves to pimp Bill…… ugghh, so annoying! I know there are Bill lovers out there, but IMO, I’m so over it!
I read that AB said we would see Bill quite a bit, sort of like how he showed Lafayette when he was taken by Eric…we will see though. I was kinda getting sick of all the Bill/Sookie stuff. I’m interested in seeing how Alcide is gonna shake it up
I love the ppl that hate this show but still read the article and comment. Hey morons if you don’t like it ignore it! Bring on the werewolf!!!
I like the actor but not the show…
Then you’re in the minority
I watched the entired first season only to discover that it is really, REALLY, terrible. My friends who stuck out the second season said it really went downhill. I have trouble imagining that considering it started at the bottom.
the one question that keeps coming to me is WHY IS EVERYONE SO INTO SOOKIE? she’s annoying.
Darn that fairy blood…
The tooth gap is cute, and she looks good naked
yeah, if you put a bog on her head
Oh come on, sookie’s got SPUNK! She’s a telepath. She’s… more than human!
I blame it on the fairy glamour. Sookie has the bloodline so that she has the ability to basically date waaaay above her looks, and Bill basically admitted early on that she tastes good ( and maybe less filling) and this attracted him to her.
I’ve read the books and I wasn’t a fan of Alcide but I do like this actor and I think he will be a breath of fresh air. Personally I’m Team Eric but I think Joe is going to add a lot to Season 3 and I look forward to seeing it. Also, I wish the ‘haters’ who keep posting their ignorant comments would just grow up. If you don’t like a certain genre or series so be it–but you don’t need to insult other authors. You can respectfully agree to disagree-that is what adults should do.
Here here!!!
word
He sounds like a great guy, and I think that’ll translate to his character. Fun!
I thought in reading the books Sookie was confidently with Eric and everyone was fine with that until the end of the last book and the alas with Bill. I had shut out the Sam idea around book four or so since they seemed so platonic, but the vampires and the werewolves use Sookie too much and have too many other motives. Sam just wants to run his bar and Sookie just wants to have quiet life. Alcide just has too much emotional baggage and then, with what happens between Debbie and Sookie..well, you all know…
I’m still rooting for Quinn lol *sigh*
i hope that he does not have sookiedoing everyone in bon temp. That cheapens the love story with her and bill and willmake it less emotional when the innevitable happens
You obviously have not read the book series? It is in no way clear who Sookie will end up with.
He sounds so sweet. I think i love him!!
iof u have rewad the books like u say we do not know who sookie will end up with.. only 2 bfs she has had in the boks are bill and quinn.. i dont know why ppl say shes with eric, when shes not.. shes will him at the end of book 9 cause of the bb that tied them to marriage against sookies will lol