By Christina Radish

Rutina Wesley at the premiere of "True Blood" held at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, Calif. on September 4, 2008.

Classically trained, and a graduate of the Juilliard School Drama Division, Wesley, previously known for her lead role in the dance drama How She Move, spoke to MediaBlvd Magazine about being a part of the hit show.

MediaBlvd Magazine> How did you get into acting? Have you always known that you wanted to be a performer?

Rutina Wesley> I’m from Las Vegas, originally. Both of my parents were dancers, so I actually grew up wanting to be a dancer. I went to a performing arts high school and majored in both theater and dance. And then, I decided to focus on acting, when I decided to pursue college. My parents were both performers. My mom did some plays when I was younger, and I remember doing a couple of plays when I was younger as well. I always had a love for the stage, whether it was acting, singing or dancing.

MediaBlvd> Did you have a moment where you knew that this was what you wanted to do for the rest of your life?

Rutina> The first show I did. At my performing arts high school, I was in the first graduating class at that school. The first show we did of my freshman year was Fame, and that’s one of my favorite musicals and one of my favorite movies. When the lights came up and the music was on and we were doing “Hot Lunch Jam,” it was just a moment of, “I live to be on stage!” Ever since then, I was like, “This is what I’m going to do for the rest of my life.”

MediaBlvd> How did you become a part of True Blood? Was it just through the regular auditioning process?

Rutina> Yeah. I was submitted for it and I put myself on tape in New York. I also had a callback for a session with Alan Ball, and then I tested for the role. Then, I received the offer.

MediaBlvd> For those who are not yet familiar with it, can you talk about who Tara is and how she fits into the story?

Rutina> True Blood is based on these Southern Vampire novels by Charlaine Harris, and they follow this character, by the name of Sookie Stackhouse, who’s played by Anna Paquin. She has her own supernatural powers. She can hear people’s thoughts. In the meantime, vampires have made themselves known to this town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. So, vampires are now trying to integrate with the human population, and that’s where you get the drama. There are humans who don’t want these strange vampire people running around their town. I play Sookie’s best friend, Tara Thornton, who has grown up with an abusive background and she had a lot of defenses. She’s very feisty, sassy, self-educated and very intelligent. As the season goes along, you’ll see these defenses and demons that Tara has released, and you’ll see her flower come out. Underneath all of that is a very kind, joyous, beautiful spirit. She’s had a hard life, so she comes off rough, at first, but you’ll see her soften, later on. One of my favorite lines of hers is, “I only go off on stupid people.” She only goes off, if you deserve it. She doesn’t just cuss everybody out. She’s smart about it. That’s what I love about her. She’s very challenging because she has so many layers. She’s funny one moment, and then the next moment she’s going through turmoil. That is definitely a challenge to play, as an actor, and it’s fun as well.             

MediaBlvd> What was it about the show that attracted you to it? Had you been looking to do television, or did the fact that it would be on cable make it more desirable for you, since you can get away with more?

Rutina> The fact that it was Alan Ball’s new show, I couldn’t go wrong there. He’s such an incredible writer and director, and he’s so respected in the community, that when I got ahold of the script, I was just immediately engaged by it. It was really great! And, for an actor to get a good script, it’s a dream come true. And, he’s been a blessing to work with too. I couldn’t ask for a better first television job. I had wanted to do TV, so I was just looking for the next thing, and I felt really lucky that it happened to be this incredible show.

MediaBlvd> As an actor, how do you play a character that’s so abrasive, but still make her so endearing, at the same time?

Rutina> Because she’s a human. As human beings, we have an array of emotions and, sometimes, you can see a character played on one note and you lose sympathy for them. I didn’t want Tara to just be this loud-mouthed, mean girl, throughout the entire season. I wanted her to have range, and I wanted her to be more like a human being would be. She feels, and it’s not always anger. I just tried to soften her, when those moments came up in the script, as best I could, and made sure that her vulnerability shines through more than her anger does, so that the audience can sympathize with her. The writing is great. They write these incredible things for her. She says some incredible stuff.

MediaBlvd> When you were cast on the show, were you aware of the fact that you were replacing another actress who had previously been cast in the role? Does something like that put more pressure on you, or does that motivate you more?

Rutina> I didn’t have any feelings, either way. Recasting happens all the time in pilots, and I guess they just wanted to go a different way. For me, honestly, my initial reaction was that I was scared. I was like, “Wait a minute, I’ve closed that door already.” But then, it was this re-opportunity for me and what I could do with it. I was more relaxed and a little less nervous because I already knew the material and had already grabbed onto this role. I just went in there with a lot more confidence. I thought that it was coming back to me for a reason, and I didn’t know why, so I just tried to do my best with it.

MediaBlvd> What is working with Anna Paquin like?

Rutina> Anna has been really great. She’s a lot of fun, she’s very professional and she brings a sisterhood to it. She was very open to me when I came on, and we’re all buddies. It’s one big family on this show, and that doesn’t happen a lot. I love watching her work because she’s been doing it for so long, and she’s very talented and good at what she does, so I learn so much from working with her. And, she’s also very open, so she’s easy to talk to, which makes it much more fun for me to go to work every day. So, I’m learning, and I’m hanging around people that are actually nice and are good people. You always hope that you like the people that are across the table from you.

MediaBlvd> How did the two of you first meet?

Rutina> We met on set. When I’m playing opposite somebody in a scene that day, I just try to hang out with them all day, and I certainly try to not be annoying about it, depending on how they are. I try to just hang out with them and be close to them all day, so we can have that connection. We’ll eat lunch together, and all that. So, Anna and I would hang out a lot between scenes, and things like that, and get to know each other and conversate, so that it looks like we’re best friends, instead of two people who don’t know each other at all. 

MediaBlvd> Will Tara’s feelings for Jason Stackhouse (Ryan Kwanten) be explored more?

Rutina> Maybe, maybe not. She does like her some Jason. There’s a lot of colors that are going to happen with that relationship, and several other relationships. There’s so much that’s going to go on in this world.

MediaBlvd> Will Tara get to be involved in any of the action at all? Have you gotten to do any stunts, or is that something you hope to do?

Rutina> Yeah, I’d love to do some stunts. Because it is so fantastical, I think we’re probably going to get into a lot more of that stuff, in the second season. So far, I haven’t had to do too many. I’ve had some stunts, but not a lot.

MediaBlvd> Had you been a fan of the vampire genre prior to this project?

Rutina> Kind of. I’ve always had a general curiosity, like anyone else has had. I like a good vampire movie. I don’t collect vampire cards, or anything, but I’ve always had an interest in them and I find them very sexy, sensual, mythical beings.

MediaBlvd> Were you familiar with these books at all, prior to getting involved with this project?

Rutina> I read the first book, and then I just wanted to have my own take on Tara. I wasn’t familiar with them prior to coming onto the show.

MediaBlvd> Is there any intimidation at all, knowing that you’re playing a character from a book series that so many people love and already have certain expectations for the character, or do you just try to look at her as something completely different?

Rutina> It’s hard to adhere to the books because Tara is very different in the books. I try to just go with what my gut tells me, and what I’m getting from the writing, and how I’m directed. I try to not put pressure on myself to hope people like my take. As an actor, you can just get stuck in your head, if you do that, and you need to be free to tell the story. To some extent, you can’t always worry about what other people think. You have to put it out there in an honest way and, hopefully, people will receive. People are going to like the show, and there will be people who don’t like the show, but that’s the way things work. As a reader, you have to let go of the world, and then watch the show and see what happens, instead of going to page 54 and being like, “They didn’t say this.” That would drive anybody crazy, if they tried to do that. And, we only have an hour to create the best snippet of each chapter that we can. I think he’s doing about a chapter an episode. I’m not sure about that. But, I know he’s definitely doing one book per season, which is a lot.

MediaBlvd> How would you react, personally, if you learned that vampires really did exist in our world?

Rutina> I think it would be a little crazy because that would just be one more thing I’d have to worry about, walking around at night, as a woman in this world. I think it would be really scary. I think the same would happen in America, as what happens with the people of the community that the show is about. People would freak out, they would lash out and there would be a race war, so to speak, if vampires appeared. I love how the show has a lot of underlying themes of race and what race has meant in this country, and what it means when new blood comes in and what people do. They’re like, “You don’t belong here. You don’t look like us.” I like the underlying themes that Alan has written in.

MediaBlvd> What is it like to work with Alan Ball, as a director and producer?

Rutina> He’s been incredibly involved. He’s there a lot. He’s definitely a part of the editing process. He’s a very amazing man, I must say. He has a very kind, open spirit. He knows how to talk to actors. He knows how to get what he wants. And, he just knows how to write beautiful characters that are beautiful human beings with incredible ranges of emotion, and that’s a very difficult task. A lot of people can’t do that. I feel special to be a part of this project that he’s written because he’s very good at it and he’s easy to work with. That makes it easier for me, as a new guy coming into this. I was so welcomed, right away.

MediaBlvd> Were you aware of how dedicated fans of the vampire genre can be? Were you prepared for that?

Rutina> I’m prepared for anything. I prepared for having to move, and I prepared for it to be nothing. I’m just trying to have fun with it all because you only get one first experience. This is my first television show. I’m just trying to take each day, and have a lot of fun and not stress about it too much. The fans are what keep the show going. If I have a bunch of crazy vampire people emailing me, then I’ll do what I have to do to keep the show going. I’m not too scared, but it’s something that I’ve definitely thought about.

MediaBlvd> If the attention from this series leads to other projects for you, are there types of roles you’re hoping to do, or specific genres you’d still like to work in?

Rutina> I will love the stage until the day I do. I love Shakespeare. I’d love to play Juliet, some day. I’d love to play Cleopatra. That’s one of my favorite roles. I’d love to do more films. I just like to tell good stories. It’s not necessarily about fame and money, but getting peoples’ stories across and moving an audience with your words. That’s what I love about this art. I love the creativeness of it, and how many stories are out there to be told.

MediaBlvd> Do you have any aspirations behind the camera, or is your focus just in front of the camera?

Rutina> I think my focus is in front of the camera. I think I’d get all mixed up. I might do it, if I had some practice.