 "Photo: Courtesy of The Anderson Group")
Actress Carrie Preston did not know what to think when producer Alan Ball approached her about playing the role of Arlene Fowler in the TV series "True Blood."
"I was cast in this movie of his called 'Towel Head;' and while we were shooting, he said he was doing a pilot for HBO about vampires, which I thought was a little surprising because I knew what he had done before, and it was kind of a departure," Preston said.
"True Blood" is a show based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries novels by Charlaine Harris. The show was created by Alan Ball and tells the story of vampires and humans trying to coexist together in Bon Temps, a fictional Louisana town.
Arlene Fowler is a multiple divorced mother of two children who waitresses with main character Sookie Stackhouse, played by Anna Paquin. Fowler played a somewhat pivotal role when her fiancée was revealed as a serial killer.
"I got a hold of the script and read it and at first I didn't know what character he was talking about," Preston said. "It's not like you look at the description of Arlene and you immediately think 'Carrie Preston.' He really likes to cast actors that he wants to work with. But he lets us find the character."
Preston was not familiar with the books but had read vampire stories before, such as Anne Rice's novels and the Twilight series.
"I did read the Twilight books, but I realized they were for kids," Preston said. "'True Blood' is definitely for grown-ups."
The series at first looked like it might be in trouble as it took a while for the pilot to be picked up. Shortly after that, the 2007 Writer's Strike occurred.
All worries were soon forgotten as the show became the most watched program on HBO since "The Sopranos" and has gone on to win numerous awards, including a Golden Globe.
Preston said she knew the show would be given a chance because of how HBO was not as ad-based as other television channels.
She said HBO allowed the show to find its audience and stretch its legs.
"It appeals to many different types of people, and so you are drawing from many different types of audiences," Preston said. "I understand that a lot of college students are into it; there are a lot of middle-aged women who are in it. There's violence, there's sex, there's a little bit for everyone. I think there's a comedy; it's created a new kind of world. It's different from Buffy, from the Anne Rice novels, from Twilight. I think people nowadays want to escape, and this is the ultimate escape."
Playing a character rooted in fantasy is exciting
for the actress.
"I definitely like playing Arlene because I get to do comedy. I get to do more serious things to balance that out and get to be a red head, which I'm not in real life," Preston said. "It's fun to transform; you don't get to do that a lot in television normally. I get to have red hair and fake nails and an interesting bustline. It's fun."
Preston said she was drawn to the character because she viewed Arlene as strong and opinionated and able to say funny and offensive things while remaining liked by other people.
"I grew up in Georgia and I have been around people like Arlene my whole life," Preston said. "Although I didn't base her off anyone directly, I definitely was able to draw off my experiences as a Southern woman. I wanted to honor those women, and wanted to bring out that essence of strength that I bring to the character. I can be opinionated, but I wouldn't say I'm as blunt as Arlene, but I definitely relate to her strength. She's going to survive in this world no matter what comes, and I feel that I'm the same way."
Preston is a graduate from The Julliard School, one of the most prestigious schools of performing arts in the world.
From there, she began appearing in Broadway in such plays as "The Tempest" and "Antony and Cleopatra" before moving on to movies and television, and starting in supporting roles in "Transmerica" and "Duplicity."
Preston has also done some directing and producing with her production company Daisy 3 Productions, which has released three movies, "29th and Gay", "Feet of Clay" and "Ready? Ok!"
For those who are not fans of True Blood, Preston may still be familiar when she played a small but potentially pivotal part in the television series "Lost" as Benjamin Linus' mother Emily in Season 3's "The Man Behind the Curtain."
"They are very secretive when it comes to plot," Preston said. "When I did the episode, the producers told me they were hoping to bring me back at some point. I am hoping I'll come back because they set me up as one of the dead characters that pop up."
Adding a twist to her role, Preston's husband, actor Michael Emerson, plays Linus. Perhaps not as well known, Preston was actually the one to suggest it.
"I'm the one that actually mentioned it to my husband," Preston said. "They had been saying they wanted to find something for me since I'm visiting Michael a lot. I said to Michael, 'I know which part I want to play, and I know they are going to do your flashbacks, so why don't I play your mom?' because I knew the fans would just love that. It would be a fun little tidbit."
Samir Abdel-aziz can be contaccted at abdelaziz1@marshall.edu
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