Truly, Madly, Deadly_ The Unofficial True Blood Companion - Becca Wilcott [31]
Despite the inevitable ascent of his career, Skarsgård holds tight to the simple pleasures while showing up for the causes he believes in, notably the Tails for Whales campaign, in support of the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s (IFAW) global initiative calling for stronger whale protection (www.TailsForWhales.org).
For now, television audiences can look forward to more Skarsgård for the small screen. “I enjoy everything [about True Blood]. Every single part of it . . . It’s HBO, and it’s Alan Ball. Just look at the cast, and the writing is phenomenal. I couldn’t ask for a better job.”
(B. Henderson, www.alexander-skarsgardfans.com)
(B. Henderson, www.alexander-skarsgardfans.com)
Michelle Forbes (Maryann Forrester)
“When someone offers you an entrance where you’re standing in the middle of the road naked with a pig, you don’t say no.”
— Michelle Forbes
“A few bumps and bruises? A small price to pay for bliss.”
— Maryann Forrester
“I love Michelle . . . [S]he’s so good at that part, and she’s so open and free, and she has fun . . . but she’s kind of creepy. She’s just a cool chick, y’know?”
— Sam Trammell
Michelle Renee Forbes Guajardo was born on January 8, 1965, in Austin, Texas. Forbes was training formally at the Performing Arts High School in Houston to be a dancer when, at 16, she vacationed in New York City and on a whim decided to audition for a film. “I started off as a ballet dancer. I knew, pretty early on, that I needed another form of expression, and it just seemed that acting, and this idea of playing pretend and telling stories, was really fascinating to me. It was a natural progression, out of the dance world and into the world of theater and cinema.” While she wasn’t offered the role, she did succeed in signing with the prestigious William Morris Agency, which helped the young Forbes launch into a career as a professional actor.
Many fans will recognize her instantly for roles in such cult faves as Star Trek: The Next Generation and Battlestar Galactica. She’s also appeared, or had recurring roles, in some of television’s most celebrated and talked-about shows: Homicide: Life on the Street, 24, Prison Break, In Treatment, and Durham County, making Forbes one of the most familiar actors to True Blood audiences.
Take a ride in The Way Back Machine, and you’ll get a special double dose of Forbes, who in 1987, at the age of 22, joined the cast of the daytime soap opera Guiding Light, portraying twins Solita and Sonni Carrera. “Every day I [had] to cry or be on edge. It gets crazy sometimes. When I got hired to do a soap, I thought I’d get to wear pretty clothes and talk about who’s sleeping with whom. [We were] talking religion, sex, guilt, rejection, loyalty, greed . . . not what I would have expected at all.”
Forbes left the show in 1989 after earning herself a Daytime Emmy nomination, and relocated to Los Angeles, where she appeared in a number of television guest roles before joining the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation as Ensign Ro Laren (1992–1994). In 1993, she appeared in two films, the dark thriller Kalifornia (with David Duchovny, Brad Pitt, and Juliette Lewis) and Love Bites: The Reluctant Vampire, a romantic comedy with British singer and actor Adam Ant. In a highly publicized decision, Forbes chose not to reprise the role of Ro for the follow-up Star Trek series Deep Space Nine, opting to focus on a film career. “There were all sorts of rumors about why I didn’t take [the DS9 role] . . . It was, again, about wanting variety in my career . . . That’s not to say I wasn’t grateful for the opportunity . . . However, I had to make a choice that felt right for me, which was