TAFs Talks with the Stars of HBO’s “True Blood”.

HBO’s True Blood will BE BACK for it’s 7th season to premiere on June 22nd. No, we’re not here to announce that Schwarzenegger will be appearing on the show BUT you can expect a couple of his co-stars to return. Sabotage’s Joe Manganiello is back as the Wolf-pack master, Alcide Herveaux, and Terminator 2’s Robert Patrick, as Jackson Herveaux, returns again as Alcide’s dad.

TheArnoldFans is here to pump your blood for the new season so we spoke to several key players in the series. First, I met Joe Manganiello at his Los Angeles office where we spoke of a few topics including this final season of True Blood.

TheArnoldFans: The T-1000 plays your dad in True Blood. What's it like to work with Robert Patrick?

Joe Manganiello: “Robert's awesome. I really, really get along with Robert. Robert will probably be the number one thing I miss the most about True Blood but I just moved into Robert's neighborhood so he and I can get together all the time. He's another cigar aficionado. I love cigars and hanging out with Arnold, it's always cigar time.”

TheArnoldFans: I understand you have a wolf ring, yes?

Joe Manganiello: "Yeah, they (King Baby) gave me the prototype. They made a Lon Chaney Jr. snarling Wolf Man ring and they gave me the first one."

TheArnoldFans: Nice. Are you a collector? Do you collect anything?

Joe Manganiello: "I collect artwork and paintings. I had a painting commissioned recently of my wolf from True Blood. This oil painter painted this badass snarling wolf. It's a one of a kind oil painting that I have in my office, up over my desk."

Although nothing is confirmed, I hope Joe promotes True Blood soon on Howard Stern or GeekTime on Howard 101.

Joe Manganiello: "I love Howard and I know Howard loves True Blood. I love Stern."


Next we had the opportunity to chat with Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse / True Blood series.

TheArnoldFans: If an overweight person gets bitten by a vampire and comes back as a creature of the night...can that bit, fat person ever get fit? Or would that person forever be a large person (even if Schwarzenegger trained them daily)?

Charlaine Harris: “I'd really have to think about that, but off the top of my head, in my world you don't change when you're turned. You stay that way forever."


We also spoke to Sam Trammell (Sam Merlotte), who tells us he likes to “Stay Hungry.”

TheArnoldFans: Since you're often required to be nude in True Blood, do you feel a need to stay fit, hit the gym and get your Schwarzenegger on?

Sam Trammell: “If only I could get my Schwarzenegger on! I'm just trying to get a passing grade out there--and it TOUGH AS HELL. You know, the camera DOES add 10 pounds and that includes 10 on the gut. YES, I exercise a lot when I know I have to take my shirt off--and by the way, that's the issue. Shirt off or naked--all the same to me. It's the gut. It definitely requires exercise and dieting. Really cutting down the calories. And I don’t even lift weights or do tons of sit-ups. We all have a six pack, it's just about clearing away the fat to see it (not that I was ever fully successful at that). So yes, tons of work to do when you have to be naked and a lot of being hungry...so hungry, you're angry."


Kristin Bauer, PAM from True Blood, answers our next question.

TheArnoldFans: Hi Kristen, What kind of exercises and lifting do you do to stay fit?? And is it TRUE that Joe Manganiello is really just photoshopped and not really that muscular?

Kristin Bauer: Joe Manganiello is 110% real. I've seen it in person, and it's incredibly impressive. He is large, and ripped. I am neither. I do mainly yoga and elliptical at home, while I'm watching Breaking Bad at the moment (and Buffy). And then I do cardiobarre class in LA.

Chris Bauer, Andy Bellefleur of True Blood, was also ready for an Arnold question.

TheArnoldFans:  Chris, You appeared as the masked character "Machine" in the 1999 film 8mm . Who'd win in a fight? Your leather-masked character or "The Gimp" from Pump Fiction? And speaking of "Machine", It's Schwarzenegger's birthday in a few days...can you give a birthday shout out to the original Terminator Machine?

Chris Bauer: Shout out to ah-nold. the gimp would've choked machine in under a minute with full eye contact. don't you remember the end of 8mm? guy was a full nerd without that mask.

Finally, Ryan Kwanten (Jason Stackhouse) tells TheArnoldFans his favorite Schwarzenegger film is “Total Recall” while he signed one of my Arnold magazines. With such a fantastic cast...and eye candy of Deborah Ann Woll, we hope you tune into True Lies, I mean True Blood when it returns on June 22nd.