Truly, Madly, Deadly_ The Unofficial True Blood Companion - Becca Wilcott [74]
What’s it like to work around that energy?
It’s a fun, professional, kind set with a group that works so hard to bring this show to the viewers. The actors are the only ones you see, but the crew is impressive. Take our costume designer, Audrey Fisher. Without her clothes, there is no Pam. She helps me be Pam, period. Then it’s just more crazy outfits, great shoes, great dialogue, some laughs, and some gore.
So the answer to the age-old question — do the clothes make the vamp, or does the vamp make the clothes — is Audrey Fisher. Got it! In what ways are you nothing like Pam?
Pam is over the human race, whereas I still have hope that we can do better.
And if you got to see Pam do something completely outlandish, what would it be? Horrific, hilarious, musical à la Buffy?
I feel like I’ve gotten to do all of that! Except, thank god, the musical part. But I think I’ll leave Pam’s future to the great writers and just show up and try to do their words justice.
Have you watched any scenes from the show and thought, “Man, I’d really like to take a crack at that?”
Yes! Alex made ripping bodies apart look pretty fun, even though it’s probably not as easy as it looks.
I wanted to go back and ask you about your artwork. When did you start painting?
I’ve been drawing and painting since junior high. That was what I went to college for, in fact. It’s a great solace for me, a wonderful escape, and contrast to the hectic life of acting. Art is solo, whereas acting is a huge team effort. I paint whenever I can. It’s always there for me.
Your husband, Abri van Straten, is a musician. What’s it like sharing a household with another artist?
It’s really wonderful because we get each other! We have complete understanding. And I also love his music; that’s also very lucky. Can you imagine if I didn’t? But for me to hear his classical guitar style and that voice in my house is a dream. It’s why I hunted him down! As for challenges, it’s just the usual ones like, “Honey, can you put your socks in the hamper?”
Abri also helps you practice the Swedish dialogue in your scenes.
It’s funny! Another bizarre aspect of acting for a living. But Abri’s first language was Afrikaans, and his grandparents were Swedish, so it is much more familiar to him. Some Afrikaans words are even the same as in Swedish. He’s a big help; I always panic when I have Swedish lines!
When you encounter fans of True Blood, do they mention things they’d like to see for Pam?
They usually ask me about my pumps. And the writers did such a great job on Pam’s dialogue, it’s memorable, which is fun.
A number of the show’s metaphors are quite political and progressive. Does it affect how you play the role, knowing that it has social impact?
For me, the best part of acting is the doing of it on the set, on the day; then, it is over for me. I create it, like a painting, and then it leaves my control and goes to live on with someone else. I try to forget about it. So, any future Pam ideas excite me and also make me nervous as a performer because my mind jumps to wanting to do the writing justice. As far as social impact, that’s not something I can control, what the reaction is, whether good or bad, helpful or offensive. I appreciate immensely being part of a show that is more than meets the eye, that has many layers and deals with timeless concepts of acceptance and, ultimately, tolerance and kindness as we all must share this floating ball called Earth. How we can do that better is a big concern of mine in my life. But as far as playing Pam, I just want to do a good job and I hope that comes across. The larger concepts, the writing that comes before, and the reactions that come after I do my part, are not really my province. My job as an actor