The problematic world of a 17-year-old vampire

(Published July 8, PDI-Entertainment)

Deborah Ann Woll on 'True Blood's' virginal vampire

By Oliver M. Pulumbarit

Contributor

Describing herself as “a nerd her whole life,” actress Deborah Ann Woll finds it “cool” to be hanging out with her “True Blood” co-stars. The 25-year-old from Brooklyn plays 17-year-old vampire Jessica Hamby in the Alan Ball-created HBO series.

Woll previously landed guest appearances in TV shows such as “My Name is Earl” and “ER.” In “True Blood,” she appears regularly as Jessica, the problematic undead teen “made” by vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer).

Following are excerpts from a recent roundtable phone interview with Woll, arranged by HBO Asia.

How do you feel about Jessica’s disappointments and discoveries after becoming a vampire?

It’s absolutely tragic and sad. And when I think about her relationship with her father and the cage that he was trying to keep her in, when that moment happened, in my mind, [I thought] “You won, Dad. I will be a child forever.” This is not what you want when you’re 17.

Before “True Blood,” were you interested in vampire or monster films?

Oh, wow. I love the old Universal films, like “Dracula,” “Wolf Man,” “Frankenstein,” “Mummy,” “Creature from the Black Lagoon.” The Ray Harryhausen pictures, like “It Came From Beneath the Sea,” even some old Japanese films like “Prince of Space” and stuff like that were always really fun.

Which other “True Blood” character do you find interesting?

One of my favorite characters is Jason. He’s so delightfully dim. Ryan (Kwanten) plays him so well! I’d laugh at everything he does because he’s so endearing, you just love him. And you want things to go well for him. You want him to find a woman who will stay with him.

What about vampires attracting people, especially now?

We have the stock answers, like “they’re sexy,” and I agree with that. There’s also something very permanent about vampires. They are eternal. There’s a consistency to that and there’s something very comforting in that. I think we live in an inconsistent, insecure world right now, and to watch a show about something that never changes is fun.

“True Blood” season three premieres July 19, 9:00 p.m., on HBO.