Waiting sucks. But on Sunday, the wait for season 3 of True Blood is over. I have seen the first three episodes and I can tell you they are fantastic. If you have read the books (or even if you haven’t) you know that Lorena (Bill’s maker, played by the lovely Mariana Kleveno) takes on a bigger role this season. There’s also werewolves and witches and more crazy action (and also some clothes-less Eric). Whatever the season brings, I am extremely excited for it. I recently had the chance to chat with Mariana Klaveno about Lorena’s complexities, how she’s able to relate to a vampire, and what makes Bill (and Stephen Moyer) so special.

What originally drew you to the project?

When I first read for it, it hadn’t started airing yet. So I all I knew was that it was Alan Ball’s new show, which that in and of itself was enough of a draw. I knew it was his new show, and that it was about vampires, and that it was set in the south. And that’s kind of all I knew, but I was such a fan of Six Feet Under, and I just love his creative genius, that I was drawn to it immediately just because I knew he was behind it.

Obviously, Lorena’s not human, but there are human elements. How do you relate to her?

I try to focus on — in any scene with Lorena — I always try to go back to what’s at her core, what motivates her. And sadly, it’s a tragic love for Bill. And that’s behind everything, and that’s what makes it easier for me to participate in a scene where my character’s doing something really evil (laughs) or really morally questionable. That’s really who she is. She’s a tragic, lonely, desperate character who may be a little unstable as well. And it all stems from her need to be loved and to have this connection with this  man that will never be returned.

She’s also an incredibly powerful  female character– not just because she’s a vampire — so what has it been like playing her?

Oh that’s just been a dream. (laughs) It’s fabulous enough to play a vampire, but to play a very powerful vampire, and exactly — to be in these power scenes with men, and go toe to toe with them, and sometimes literally throw them across the room (laughs) is a fantasy of mine. It’s an insane amount of fun to play her. Again, I have to give Alan the respect that he deserves for giving so many on the women of the show such powerful and complex parts. That doesn’t always happen.

Absolutely. And what has it been like working so closely with Stephen Moyer?

Stephen is fantastic to work with. He’s an amazing guy, and a brilliant actor, obviously. He’s an incredibly generous actor. He’s always concerned about how you’re doing, and even if it’s somebody who’s only there for the day, who has a couple lines and is there for the day, he’s always concerned about if they’re being taken care of, if their experience is as good as it should be on the show, and that’s the qualities of a true leader, when you’re looking for someone to lead a cast and I have to say that Anna’s the same way. And they’re just the most wonderful people and a wonderful couple and extremely funny. And it’s just a joy to be around them and work with them.

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Do you think that Lorena shares that same instinct that Bill does in that he wants to reclaim his humanity? Is that even a concern for her at all?

I don’t think so. I don’t want to give too much away, because there may be a little hint of that this season. I think deep down the answer is yes, there’s a part of her, somewhere way deep down that is very troubled about that. I think that a big difference between the two of them is she has let go of her humanity, and that’s just not a part of who she is anymore, and she fully embraces her vampire life. Which that also makes it easier for her to do things everybody else thinks are so evil. Because to her, they’re really not, it’s sort of what you do as a vampire. Yes, she’s sort of playing with her food. (laughs) But it’s not as if she’s doing the horrific things that we see her doing, because to her, well, that’s what vampires do. We’re better than humans, and they’re our food, and it’s perfectly fine for us to do that. In my mind, her human life was quite painful and sad in and of itself. And so I think she does not want to go back to her human life and those memories and what those are. And I’ve not been told that. It was something as an actor, I just made the choice myself. So I think that it’s something maybe deep down she wants to, but it’s too painful for her to remember. And it’s much easier for her to be powerful as a vampire, because perhaps she was not powerful at all, and maybe victimized as a human.

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One of my favorite scenes is the flashback to the 20s with Lorena and Bill. But I wanted to know if you have a favorite moment from filming the show so far?

Oh I have so many. The 20s flashback was one of the highlights. That whole day was just (laughs) was incredible to shoot. It was so much fun. It was a long day. I think it was 17 hours or something. But getting into costume alone was just a dream for any actor. I showed up on set and nobody recognized me, I went through such a transformation. (laughs) The director thought I was a background player. He didn’t realize that I was me. That was just so much fun. Wearing the dress, doing the French accent, the makeup and the hair, and eyebrow prosthetics…it was just a whole production. As a nerdy actor, those are the days that are the most fun — when you really go through a whole transformation.

Full Interview