Michelle Forbes: An Introspective Look At True Blood

Michelle Forbes, who plays Maryann in True Blood, was in Paris recently with Alexander Skarsgard, Sam Trammell and Rutina Wesley to promote HBO's hit vampire series, True Blood. Prior to her role on HBO's True Blood, Michelle Forbes was already well known for her roles in, for example, 24, Lost, Prison Break, as Admiral Helena Cain aka Razor in Battlestar Galactica and as Dr. Julianna Cox in the cult TV series Homicide: Life on the Street. A versatile, thoughtful and highly talented actress, Michelle Forbes admits that she's interested in roles that

"frightens me, annoys me, [and] make me question my certainties [...] the humanity of the character is important."

When asked about her character Maryann in True Blood, Michelle Forbes explains that Maryann is indeed a disturbing character,

"[...] Over time, you realize she likes to 'collect' people [who are] lost, alone, seeking solace [...] Viewers will perhaps see a predator."

However, having inhabited the character and played the role of Maryann for seventeen months, Forbes clearly believes that there is more to Maryann that meets the eye. As she explains it, love and faith are central themes to True Blood and Maryann is at the centre of this exploration:

"True Blood [is about] destructive love, sincere love, parental love, but also about faith [...] The series highlights [...] our inability to think for ourselves, our tendency to follow the ideology of a group for fear of seeming an outsider. This is an important reflection especially in an America that comes eight years after President Bush."

At the same time, Michelle Forbes also acknowledges that these themes, while complex, require a narrative and visual arc to allow for a deeper exploration. She compares it to the process of painting a work of art:

"Any complex series needs time [...] It's like a painting. First you need to draw the outline [...] and reach the goal step by step. It is absurd to expect a work to be perfect [...] from the beginning."

When asked if True Blood is a series about vampires, she indicates:

"I do not think True Blood [is simply] a "series about vampires" [...] It is much more than that. It's about a telepath, a man who turns into a dog, a girl who becomes a woman, a traumatized ex-soldier, an alcoholic cop who seeks respect and love [...] This is not a vampire story [it] is the story of a village, Bon Temps, and [the] emotional and existential quests of its inhabitants."

Season 2 of True Blood premiered on French TV on December 2 on Orange Cinemax. SOURCE: Translated from Telerama.fr Picture credit: Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos via exposay.com

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