Chelsea Handler chats up True Blood's Nelsan Ellis, who reveals the inspiration behind his gay character "Lafayette" and what his "super-religious" father thinks of the role.
Via Michael Gipson, watch AFTER THE JUMP ...
Continue reading "VIDEO: Nelsan Ellis Talks Gays and "True Blood" on "Chelsea Lately"" »
Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels that inspired True Blood, talks to The Sunday New York Times Magazine about the pan-sexual universe she created.
"Most of my vampires have experimented with other sexualities. Eric,
Sookie’s lover, was turned into a vampire by a male vampire who had a
sexual relationship with him for many years. Pam is bisexual. Lafayette is
gay."
And: "I think that people might be less tense about it if we would all accept the fact that not everyone is wired the same way. I have a lot of friends who are gay, so it’s kind of a natural thought progression"
When asked if she is bisexual, the author's response: "No, I'm not that interesting."
Speaking of bisexual vamps: The first in a series of six True Blood minisodes leading up to the show's June 13 premiere has debuted. Watch Eric and Pam audition new dancers for the vampire bar Fangtasia AFTER THE JUMP ...
Continue reading "True Blood's Charlaine Harris on Gay Rights and Bisexual Vampires" »
One of the best surprises of the second season of True Blood was the return of Nelsan Ellis' Lafayette Reynolds, the black gay short order cook slash escort. If you were underwhelmed by Sunday night's season finale and are looking to the third season, Nelsan Ellis explores the idea of his character "turning" into a vampire with the Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan.
"I didn't understand why they took me in such a drastic direction [in Season 2], but then again, somebody who is used to being on top because of his charms—once he's completely powerless to defend himself, that can be completely traumatizing," Ellis said.
One of the things that traumatized Lafayette was being held hostage by the powerful vampire Eric. To heal wounds incurred while he was with Eric, Lafayette had to drink some of the vampire's blood, which has healing properties. The result was a special psychological bond between the two men, a bond that is deeply uncomfortable for Lafayette, who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after being set free by Eric. Ellis said he wouldn't mind if his character was turned into a vampire, or if, at the very least, Lafayette and Eric have more scenes together in future. "I love working with Alexander Skarsgard. He brings such gravity to a scene," Ellis said.
Ellis adds that would like for Lafayette to have some flashback scenes with his mother and "it would be nice if we found out...that she was a vampire."
By the way: The actor says his deeply religious mother and father "do not approve" of their son playing a character such as Lafayette.
Nelsan Ellis Talks About "True Blood" Finale [Tribune]
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Lafayette, Black Gay Character on "True Blood" [R20]
Nelsan Ellis on the Return of Lafayette Reynolds [R20]
HBO scores the highest among 15 networks for its representation of gay characters last season, according to a report by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
In its third annual Network Responsibility Index, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation found that of HBO’s 14 original prime-time series, 10 included content reflecting the lives of gay, bisexual and transgender people. That totaled 42 percent of the network’s programming hours, in series such as 'True Blood,' 'Entourage” and “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.”
Cable’s Showtime ranked second, with 26 percent of its programming hours featuring gay characters or themes. Series included “The L Word,” “Weeds” and “The United States of Tara,” a new comedy about a family whose teenage son is gay.
The reports adds: "By contrast, on NBC and CBS only 8 percent and 5 percent, respectively, of prime-time hours included them, the report said."
HBO's southern gothic vampire series has become must-see-television on Sunday nights. Part of that reason: The return of Nelsan Ellis' Lafayette Reynolds (above), the black gay short order cook slash escort slash drug dealer, In a recent interview, Ellis suggested he could remain on the show for another season or tw. Oh and Lafayette's fans will appreciate some background on an upcoming scene where the "homoeroticism in that moment was off the charts."
There is also this explanation from After Elton on Showtime's curremnt LGBT roster. "Showtime dropped 8% from the previous year, and its most inclusive (by definition) program was The L Word, which isn’t returning next year. Still, it offered fresh representation on Weeds and The United States of Tara. While the excellent Nurse Jackie fell outside the time frame of the study, it will help fill the void with Thor and MoMo."
Switching gears from politics: Sunday night programming is once again must-see television with the return of Alan Ball's True Blood on HBO. The second-season premiere ratings are up an incredible 51% from their season finale, averaging 3.7 million viewers. It's the most viewers HBO has had since The Sopranos series finale.
Many fans of the southern gothic vampire series are ecstatic to see the return of Nelsan Ellis' Lafayette Reynolds, the black gay short order cook slash escort slash drug dealer. Last season's cliff-hanger suggested Ball would remaining faithful to Charlaine Harris’ books and send Lafayette to an early grave. The season two premiere saw the return of Layette, who might stick around for the next season or two, Ellis tells EW's Michael Ausiello.
EW:Did he explain to you why he let Lafayette survive?
ELLIS: Not really. He just said he decided after the bar scene in (the pilot), but he didn’t tell me until the 12th episode. He didn’t really go into any detail as to why he decided to keep me — not to me anyway.
EW: When did you realize the character was gaining a large following?
ELLIS: I’m beginning to realize it now. At first I didn’t. I am realizing more and more that people have seemed to respond well to Lafayette, much to my surprise.
Ellis also talks Lafayette's experience of being locked in a dungeon and almost dying: "It certainly humbles him. It shows him there are some situations he just can’t get himself out of no matter how slick he is. He’s going to have to suffer the consequences of what he’s done. And I think he reflects back on his behavior and maybe for a second thinks about changing."
Oh and Lafayette's fans will appreciate some background on an upcoming scene where the "homoeroticism in that moment was off the charts." It's a spolier so I won't give it away—the details are at the interview.
AFTER THE JUMP, watch Lafayette in the dungeon and via LiveJournal's Marishna, a few more screen captures, too.
Continue reading ""True Blood's" Nelsan Ellis on the Return of Lafayette Reynolds" »
Screen capture Marishna/Summerskin
Not sure what you were watching on television last night, but once again HBO's Sunday night programming has once again become must-see television. Alan Ball's True Blood is their newest hit with a cult following. The vampire series is described as a "mix of southern gothic, horror, suspense, mystery, romance, and comedy" and the reviews are uneven but the quirky characters are pushing the envelope. One of the standout character is Lafayette Reynolds, the flamboyant black gay vampire played by actor Nelsan Ellis.
Lafayette Reynolds is a study in contrasts. The short order cook slash escort runs the gamut between hyper-masculine thug and flaming makeup-wearing queen. His storyline will become crucial to the season finale. While the black gay e-telligentsia have been slow to warm to the series and character, Ryan Canty applauds the role because Lafayette is "not a stereotype at all."
[Lafayette] has wit for days and an equally colorful ensemble of fishnets, tight pants, and fabulous makeup. But, there is more to Lafayette than that. He’s quite intelligent and cunning. And, I am enjoying how Ball is peeling away his layers in every episode of the show.
Critics haven’t warmed up to the character yet and have accused Ball of writing the black characters on True Blood as one-dimensional stereotypes. Yet, I question what it is they are seeing. Alan Ball has always been a master of creating flawed and original characters for his many film and television projects. Lafayette is a prime example of this. Lafayette more than fits in with the rest of the community and is not a stereotype at all. In every episode, you learn something new about him that makes you rethink and reconsider how you view him on True Blood.
Screen capture Marishna/Summerskin
There are few depictions of gay black men on television, and, as we saw in Noah's Arc and again in the upcoming movie, when these roles are presented, people are often looking for perfect characterizations. Not sure what would be a "realistic" depiction of a black gay southern man in a series focusing on vampires, telepathy, and, sex orgies featuring vampire blood. Money quote from Ryan Canty's review: "Television isn’t perfect, and I don’t need it to be. I need my shows to be complex, ambiguous, messy, and fun." Bravo for HBO and Alan Ball for pushing the envelope and presenting a layered and multi-faceted black gay character.
Screen captures by LiveJournal's Marsihna at Summerskin.
Also visit the True Blood discussion portal at LJ.
Lafayette Reynolds on HBO's True Blood [Film Geek]
Nelsan Ellis/Lafayette Reynolds Appreciation Thread [FF]
