Sam Trammell : Metro.co.uk

Have you been surprised by the success of the show?
Really surprised. I thought it would do well but it’s really taken off with the second season. During the first year the audience grew every week through word of mouth. I’m blown away by that.

 

This is the biggest role you’ve had. What effect has that had on you?
I get recognised every day. It’s exciting – I’m not going to pretend I’m bored by it. I got a round of drinks bought for me last night in a bar, that was nice. I’m also getting more offers for work, too.

 

You’ve done lots of stage work in New York. Will doing a vampire show ruin your credentials as a serious actor?
I hope not. It’s a quality show. I could have been on a show that was as popular but not as well written – there are plenty of those – but this has a good pedigree. It won’t hurt me in New York – they love anyone who is popular.

 

Have you got any crazy fans?
There are varying degrees of vampire fans. I met a woman who shaved her teeth to look like fangs. That’s commitment.

 

Did you have a teenage interest in the occult?
I went through a phase of reading a lot of Stephen King but I was never a vampire person. I grew up in a rural community and the local cemetery was in our front yard but nothing supernatural ever happened. They must have been pretty chilled out ghosts. I went to university in Paris and lived in a really old apartment which I’m sure was haunted. Things moved around inexplicably.

 

You’re from Louisiana. Does that help with the southern accent?
I grew up in WestVirginia and Louisiana. I have the sound of my grandparents’ and cousins’ accents in my ear. I lost mine but it comes naturally to me.

 

How do the rest of the cast deal with the challenge?
We were all over the place in the first year but people do a good job now.

 

There are a lot of sex scenes in the show. Have you had to do any yourself?
Yes, I’ve had to do a couple. I have to get naked a fair amount. It happens more towards the second half of the series. I’ve done full frontal nudity three times on stage, so it’s not new to me. It’s scarier as you get older, as it’s more difficult to keep in shape. I have to diet and exercise for nude scenes. It’s always odd and I’m always naked in weird places – outside, usually. That’s always strange. You can’t close the set in the woods. Everyone sees me.

 

What’s the worst acting job you’ve had?
I played a dinosaur on a sci-fi show that wasn’t great. The idea was dinosaurs were smarter than humans and created holograms to make them look like people. It was pretty silly.

 

Your character is a bar manager. Have you ever worked in catering?
I worked in catering for a few weeks when I first got to New York. I ended up having to serve an acquaintance who was from a wealthy family. He asked me how it was going and I was like ‘fine thanks’, while I was ladling his soup into a bowl. It was a bit of an uncomfortable situation.

 

Have you ever been attacked by an animal?
I was bitten in the neck by a Saint Bernard. I was around 17 but those dogs are huge, it was scary.

 

What’s been your most extravagant purchase?
I’m not an extravagant guy. I spend more on my girlfriend than I do on myself. I got a nice surfboard recently, which isn’t very extravagant. Hopefully it’ll make me sound charming and outdoorsy.