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Denis O’Hare: It’s hard to be sexually inventive after 700 years

Last week fans were introduced to Russell Edgington, the vampire King of Mississippi. Now, I’d like you to meet Denis O’Hare, the remarkable actor who brings this “True Blood” baddie to life. Or death … immortality is confusing.

And exactly how long his character has been alive was quite a coup for Denis, a self-proclaimed history nerd. It gave him the opportunity to create three millennia worth of backstory. From the bed of the Danube to the coast of Europe, Denis mentally charted a course his character probably trekked.

A journey that brought him and his life partner, Talbot, to Mississippi and into our living rooms. And while my interview with Denis had me reaching for the nearest Atlas, it was also an enlightening conversation where I learned about his process as an actor, his feeling on playing “True Blood’s” first gay couple and the recurring nightmare this bloody show has left him with.

PopWrap: You were a fan of the show before joining, so let’s start with one thing you love about working on “True Blood” that fans may not know.

Denis O’Hare: The teeth are fun – they’re tough to talk in, so we have soft fangs and hard fangs. Soft fangs are for biting people, so you don’t hurt the other people, and the hard fangs are for speaking, because they stay in better and are easier to articulate with. But either way, my favorite thing to say with the fangs is Sookie Stackhouse [lisps out her name]. It’s like a vampire retainer.

PW: Amazing. Is it true that your the resident history buff on the “True Blood” set?

Denis: I’m something of a history geek [laughs]. So I asked Alan if I could go crazy with research. I’m a big fan of research. I had immersed myself in Roman history for another movie, so I added some early medieval stuff into Russell’s backstory because I thought this guy would be from 900 AD. I also did a lot of research on Charlemagne. Then Alan said,” no, no, no – he’s older than Godric,” so I was thinking like 2200 years old. Suddenly get a script that says, “I’m nearly 3,000 years old.” Oookay. [laughs]

PW: That’s got to be fairly daunting — it’s not like you can get a real first hand account of life back then.

Denis: Exactly. Although one thing I do know from reading a lot of history, the ancient druids came from the area East of the Danube, and they migrated west searching for better land, better food and the bed of the sun. They were sun worshippers, so I love the idea that inside of him, this vampire has memories of being a sun worshipper.

PW: Do you often come up with a backstory for characters that never even gets mentioned on-screen?

Denis: I do. Many actors do. And Russell had two very big secrets that paid great dividends for me as an actor. I can’t tell you what they are, but everyone is fueled by overarching motives – for respect, for affection, for food. Whatever drives you, is the same for vampires – they used to be human, so quite often they’re motivated by their nascent human emotions. The desires they always had. I think even at 2800 years old, Russell has a drive for life. A passion for life.

PW: And a thirst for power. He revealed last week a plan to marry Sophie-Anne and unite their kingdoms.

Denis: It’s kind of like the old royalty of Europe, where you’d get married to prevent an invasion or form an alliance. He also takes cues from today’s politics in terms of playing the media. There comes a point later on when he starts using the media to destroy or create something – it’s wonderful.

PW: This week you have a great scene talking about the nature of love…

Denis: Oh, I love that scene.

PW: What do you love about it?

Denis: All characters are multilayered to the point of being contradictory. And Russell can be deeply vicious, deeply sentimental, deeply vulnerable and deeply hostile all at the same time. It is so beautiful that he has a moment of vulnerability during that speech where he’s attempting to manipulate Bill but ends up speaking about the emotional toll involved with being a vampire in love with a human. He speaks the truth in the middle of this daunting chess game.

PW: How do you see Russell and Talbot’s relationship after 700 years — is it more of a partnership than a love affair?

Denis: I think it’s still incredibly intimate, I just think it’s hard to be inventive sexually after 700 years. Also vampire morals are different, so the idea of being with a different partner isn’t a betrayal, it’s simply them satisfying an aspect of their love. There are no boundaries to their lust – and that’s part of what being a vampire is about. They have bumps in the road like anyone else – but it is a tragic storyline.

PW: As an openly gay actor did you feel a sense of responsibility to the community in playing this gay relationship — or is that silly since there is no such thing as a gay vampire community?

Denis: [laughs] There’s two levels to it – one is a gay relationship and the other is a long term relationship. I love the fact that the longest term relationship on “True Blood” is between two gay men. And I love that Talbot and Russell truly have a marriage. It’s kind of the first vampire marriage we’re seeing, where the people are partners in life, is pretty cool. Like all things with “True Blood,” I think the politics, metaphors and allegories are fairly sly. It’s like a taste of a metaphor.

PW: Did you and Theo talk about “how gay” to make them?

Denis: It’s funny because Theo Alexander [read his PopWrap interview here], who plays Talbot, is straight. So we’d talk more about what it means to be gay and in a gay relationship. Of course the writers are writing the character a certain way, so a lot of our relationship is the way they want it. But I make no effort to make Russell gay because as a gay man myself I feel that gay is a state of being – it’s not an action. I don’t have to act gay, I simply am. So it was easier for me in that respect.

PW: Obviously by kidnapping him, fans can deduce that Bill is an essential component in Russell’s ploy for power, right?

Denis: What’s great about all the characters is that they don’t always know what they’re doing. They have an idea and a plan, but as they go forward, that plan changes. What Russell initially wants from Bill is much smaller. But what he gets throughout his relationship with Bill is information that leads to a much bigger plan. So Russell himself doesn’t always know what he’s doing. There are times when you’ll see him with Eric or Bill where he’ll be dealing lies on at least two different levels – every character is lying about everything. These people are playing a massive game that keeps shifting every episode.

PW: As a fan, what’s your perception of season three?

Denis: It’s a non-stop rollercoaster ride. What’s really great as I think back to episode’s 9 and 10, there are scenes of Shakespearean emotion. There are scenes in those episodes that are the height of triumph and the abyss of despair. Russell gets faced with incredible darkness and despair. Images of myself lying in pools of blood wake me up at night.

PW: Is that because of something that happens on the show?

Denis: Yep! [laughs]

“True Blood” airs Sundays at 9pm on HBO

Photo: HBO; WireImage