By Christina Radish

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

The actor recently spoke to MediaBlvd Magazine about playing such a complicated character, and working with the high-caliber talent, both in front of and behind the camera.

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

Ryan Kwanten> Not at all, no. The arts, and just performing in general, were never on the scale of what I was going to do in life. At the time that I got into it, I was 15 and I was actually on my way to swimming training. My brother was auditioning to get into an acting agency, and it just happened to be on the way to swimming training, and my mom was dropping us both off. And so, I waited in the car with a towel around my waist and goggles on my head while my brother did the audition. Time was ticking by and I didn’t want to miss swimming training, so I ran up the stairs to this audition place. I didn’t even know what it was. I said to my mom, “Look, drop me off, and come back and get my brother.” And, as fate would have it, the lady came out of the audition with my brother and she said, “Oh, are you here for the audition as well?,” and I said, “No, I’ve got a towel and goggles, and I’m going to swimming training.” She grabbed me by the wrist and took me into the room and, the next thing you know, I was in the agency. I got in and he didn’t. It was just being in the right place, at the right time. Otherwise, it was the last thing on my mind.

MediaBlvd> Did you have a moment, later on, when you realized that you were good at it and that it was what you wanted to do?

Ryan> Yeah, absolutely. It didn’t kick in, I must say, until about five years after that, when the jobs started having a lot more meat to them and the lines started having more subtext. No one talks like that in real life, when they’re having emotional conversations. There’s always subtext behind what people say. Once I started connecting to characters from that point of view, that’s when I found a real passion I couldn’t deny. Now, it’s firmly concreted in my veins.

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

Ryan> Pretty much, yeah.       

MediaBlvd> For those who may not have seen the show yet, who do you play and how does your character fit into the story?

Ryan> I play Jason Stackhouse, who is Sookie Stackhouse’s brother. He’s a bit of a rambunctious young man. He likes to sleep around. For some reason, it gets him into a lot of trouble, but he seems to squirm his way out of it. He never seems to end up on the bad side of women, even though they know his reputation. In the beginning part of the series, his reputation precedes him and he ends up being accused of a double murder because he was the last person seen with these women who have died in a very grotesque, demeaning way. There’s video evidence that he was the last person, not only with them, but sleeping with them.

MediaBlvd> What was is it about this show that attracted you to it? Had you been looking to do television again, or did the fact that it was cable, allowing you to get away with more, make it more desirable for you?

Ryan> Exactly that, and the fact that, with Alan Ball being attached, it was a no-brainer. As more and more cast members came on and the process started speeding up towards production, it really just turned into such a great show. Undoubtedly, it’s the best experience of my acting career. Any inhibitions I had before starting the show are now long behind me.

MediaBlvd> What was it about Jason that you were able to identify with?

Ryan> His vulnerability. I tend to overanalyze things so, for me, it was really good to just throw caution to the wind. Jason is a character that just jumps into things before he even has time to think. He tends to switch the brain off and just go with what he’s feeling between his legs. He’ll just jump into something, and that’s something that I very rarely do. In terms of a connection, that was something that I was really looking forward to playing.

MediaBlvd> What has Anna Paquin been like to work with? What was it like when the two of you first met, and started to develop your on-screen relationship?

Ryan> Anna is just a real sweetheart. If anyone deserves to have somewhat of an ego in this business, it’s someone like her, with her extreme body of work, but she’s so down-to-earth and professional, always knowing the lines. These qualities sound like they should be part and parcel of being an actor, but I’ve seen my fair share of people who haven’t been prepared, and she’s at the top of the list of the people who are prepared. She’s willing to give you everything that she’s got, even when the camera is not on her.

MediaBlvd> As the series develops over the season, will viewers get to see more of Jason and learn about why he acts the way he does?

Ryan> They will see more of his relationship with Sookie. There are a few events that happen that strain their relationship and Jason delves into the dark side. And then, he has to try to find the light and fight his way back to it. He goes some place that he didn’t even think was possible, and it’s a very dark place.

MediaBlvd> Before you signed on to do the show, were you aware of how explicit some of your scenes would be? Do you laugh it off and just do it, or is it as awkward as one might expect?

Ryan> You never laugh it off. As much as I come from a country that’s very liberal and open-minded, in regard to one’s body, I feel like I’ve got myself in a position in my career where I should be careful when I’m being naked, as any actor should be. I think it’s important that it’s a relevant story point, and not just nudity for gratuity’s sake. It’s part and parcel of this character. It’s something he would do, so I feel totally justified. In terms of my comfortability with it, once I put on the hat of the character, I go into that mode. Normally, as myself, I’m not particularly open with my body, as much as I would like to be, and as much as Jason is. Once I don the Jason Stackhouse cap, it’s a lot easier.

MediaBlvd> As an actor, do you do anything in those types of scenes to make your scene partner feel comfortable?

Ryan> Yeah. Obviously, I’ve worked with ladies who not only have boyfriends, but may have husbands. It’s important that they understand that it’s coming from an artistic point of view, and it’s never to exploit them. I feel it’s very much my responsibility to make them feel as comfortable as possible on set because it’s only going to make their performance look that much better and it’s going to make our chemistry look that much better.

MediaBlvd> Has the Southern accent come easy for you, or is that something you have to work on?

Ryan> Since I’ve been in the States now for seven years, it’s something that I’ve done. Just coming from Australia, we have a lot of American television, so we’re used to hearing the accents. I’ve always been relatively quick at picking it up.

MediaBlvd> Have you always been a fan of the vampire genre prior to this project, or is this your first exposure to it?

Ryan> I’ve always been intrigued by the supernatural, for lack of a better word. But, in my early years, I didn’t watch that much TV. Mom and dad always kicked me out of the house and had me doing sports, so I was too busy doing that kind of stuff.

MediaBlvd> Had you been familiar with the Charlaine Harris books that this series is adapted from?

Ryan> Not before I signed on, no. But, since we went to Comic-Con with Charlaine Harris, I realized that she has this ridiculous fan base. They’re really passionate. I hope they have that same passion for the series.

MediaBlvd> Did you want to read the books to learn more about your character, or did you want to develop him your own way?

Ryan> Both. I wanted to read the books just to see what Charlaine’s perspective on it was. And then, I thought it was also important for me to bring what I had to the role. It’s that coming together of the two minds, which I think is always better than just one. And, in this instance, it’s three minds because there’s Alan Ball as well.

MediaBlvd> Seeing the size and dedication of Charlaine’s fan base, were you intimidated at all, knowing that you’re playing a character from a book series that so many people love and have certain expectations of?

Ryan> No. If I think about that the moment I go on set, it’s too much pressure. I hope that they like it, but I can’t specifically do it to appease them. I have to make sure that I’m being truthful to the script and what’s in front of me. It’s that amalgamation that makes it special. You take this amazing story and world that Charlaine’s created, and you translate that into a television series. There are certain liberties that Alan has taken to make it more TV savvy.

MediaBlvd> Since being cast on the show, have you given any thought to how you would personally react, if vampires were to really exist in our world?

Ryan> I’m particularly laid-back, so I would think, “Whatever makes them happy.” If they want to come out and show their faces, I’m all for it. Sure, I would accept them. It would be interesting to see, if the world that we’ve created in True Blood did exist, how many people would be for it and how many would be against it. That would be an interesting poll.

MediaBlvd> What has it been like to work with Alan Ball?

Ryan> Alan is just a genius. It’s one of those rare times in your life where you really do feel like you’re in the company of genius. He has such a command of character, and he’s such a sweet man, that he conveys anything he wants to say with such grace. Everyone is going out of their way to do their very best for Alan because he’s such a sweet man, whether it be a cast member, a day player or a grip. Everyone works their butts off for him because he just goes about his business in such a graceful way.

MediaBlvd> Since this is such a high profile project with a built-in fan base, were you prepared for the attention that you are receiving from its success?

Ryan> I don’t know how one can be prepared for that. I’m pretty private. Once the camera cuts and that episode is in the can, my job is done. The rest is out of my control. It’s not that I wipe my hands of it, because I’m definitely proud of what we’ve created, but the accolades, and the fans that love it or hate it, are a by-product. If you get too subjective, then you lose the true tonality of what you’re trying to do and what you’re trying to create.

MediaBlvd> If the attention from this series helps lead to other projects for you, what sort of roles are you hoping to do? Are there types of characters you’re looking to play, or specific genres that you’d like to work in?

Ryan> After having worked with Alan, it’s now a matter of working with people who come up to that kind of par and have those great credentials. I want to work with great directors, great writers and great actors. That’s more important to me now than the actual genre is.

MediaBlvd> Have you done any projects since completing Season 1 of True Blood?

Ryan> There was a film that I was 90% of the way through, before True Blood started, so there was 10% left of the film. For the last year and a half, while we’ve been shooting the series, the producer and director have been waiting for me to finish the series, so they can finish the last six days. So, I’ve done that. And, I’m testing for other films. Jumping from character to character is quite hilarious.

MediaBlvd> What is that film that you were working on before the series?

Ryan> It’s called Don’t Fade Away, and I play a Los Angeles music agent who is living a very superficial life. He gets a call from North Carolina, where he grew up, and he hears that his dad has bone cancer. So, he goes back to North Carolina to deal with a lot of the demons he has with his father, and then also to find true love. He also finds that the only reason that he got the call was the fact that he was already dead. It sounds a little crazy, but it really, really works. It’s a very intelligent script, written by Luke Kasdan, who’s the nephew of Lawrence Kasdan.