Sunday, August 25, 2013

Underwear Profile #13: The Men of "True Blood"

There’s no better place to find the picture-perfect fantasy than in the supernatural.  We have Jensen Ackles and Jaren Padelecki (yum!) of Supernatural; there’s Taylor Lautner of the Breaking Dawn saga; and back in the day, there was David Duchovny (who, unfortunately, is not aging well) buried deep in his X-Files.  My interests have broadened with the advent of cable – I think I’ve mentioned that previously – and although I’m not a die-hard-gotta-watch-veteran, I appreciate the casting in True Blood.

It’s kind of interesting thought that all corners of the faerie realm have centered in Bon Temps, Louisiana.  If you’ve ever been to New Orleans, you can understand the draw.  There’s a misty undercurrent of something in the city that doesn’t necessarily have to do with the debauchery that takes place every evening on Bourbon Street.  (Believe me, I’ve encountered it first-hand, and Bourbon Street won.)  It kind of reminds me of Belgium – valleys of mist, Gothic bridges and old farmhouses, cast iron gates, antiquity – there’s just a feel that goes along with being in places like that.  True Blood has tapped into that, and it deserves kudos for that alone.

But then there are the guys and all of the bare-chested, sexual undercurrents that make True Blood the fun that it is.  Chief among the cast worth watching are Ryan Kwanten, Joseph Manganiello, and Stephen Moyer.

Kwanten is Jason Stackhouse, the brother of main character Sookie Stackhouse.  Jason is portrayed as a selfish bed-hopper whose favorite person is himself.  Like Sookie, Jason is descended from the fey people (faeries), which is the link to his attractiveness to other women.  In the books by Charlaine Harris, Jason is also a werepanther.  Kwanten is an Aussie who obtained a degree in commerce from The University of Sydney.  (Body and brains – turn on!)

Manganiello is an alumnus of the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, and also attended The University of Pittsburgh.  He moved to Los Angeles after his graduation, and three days after auditioning, he was awarded the role of Flash Thompson in the first Spider Man movie.  He currently plays werewolf Alcide Herveaux, one member of the “love square” involving Sookie, Stephen Moyer’s “Bill Compton,” and Alexander Skarsgård’s “Eric Northman.”  Manganiello lost out on the part of Superman (to Henry Cavill) in Man of Steel due to scheduling conflicts with True Blood, and appeared with Channing Tatum in Magic Mike as “Big Dick Richie.”  (The name says it all.)

Moyer is 170-year-old vampire Bill Compton, a native of Bon Temps who fought for the South during the Civil War.  Bill was a farmer and family man in his previous life before being turned; he eventually falls in love with waitress Sookie.  Moyer is British by birth and married Anna Paquin (Sookie) in 2010.  The two had a set of fraternal twins in 2012, which added to Moyer’s existing children from previous relationships.  He graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.  He’s worked extensively in theater (he played Romeo with the Oxford Stage Company on tour), and was a cast member of Quills.  (So … he likes period pieces and isn’t afraid to wear a leotard and a codpiece.  Hhrrmm.)

Regardless of your supernatural leanings – fur, fangs, wings – there’s lots to see when it comes to supernatural strongmen in underwear, swimsuits, or bare-chested (does that count for a werewolf?).  Take a look, you won’t be disappointed; you might even want to travel to dark places like New Orleans or Belgium to take a walk on the wild side and indulge your inner fantasy-creature fantasy.  (Just be sure to pack some extra condoms, AB-negative, and super-rare steaks.)

 


  




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