Kristen Bauer Von Straten sinks her teeth into 'True Blood'

Kristen Bauer Von Straten sinks her teeth into 'True Blood'
The actress talks fangs, wardrobe and narrating the series Blu-ray discs as vampire character Pam



On HBO's hit series TRUE BLOOD, which begins its third season this Sunday, Alexander Skarsgard's vampire sheriff Eric Northman cares for very few individuals, vampire or human. One rare exception is his right-hand woman and vampire progeny Pam. Played by Kristin Bauer Von Straten, Pam has a sense of cool that transcends her lack of body heat. She's able to maintain her composure and deadpan snarkiness in the most dire of situations – unless the occasion threatens to ruin a really good pair of shoes.

Between takes on the TRUE BLOOD set on a West Hollywood sound stage, Bauer Von Straten, whose genre credits include STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE, DARK ANGEL and JUSTICE LEAGUE, talks about playing it calm and tough in the midst of all the show’s heat.

Bauer Von Straten credits fellow actor Skargard with inspiring Pam’s hard-to-faze demeanor, saying in the early days, “What I decided to do was look at Alex and do what he did.”

iF: When you came onto TRUE BLOOD, did you know that Pam was going to be a continuing character?

KRISTIN BAUER VON STRATEN: [laughs] I had no idea. Really, honestly, the only thing I think I knew was, she was a sarcastic vampire. And I thought, “Cool.” But had literally no concept of the scope of the show. I knew it would be good because it was [brought to television by] Alan [Ball], but no concept of where this could lead.

iF: Have you worked out in your mind or do we find out in the story when Pam was sired?

BAUER VON STRATEN: Yeah. I found out a lot more about Pam from the special features for the Blu-ray DVD for season two. I did the [commentary] and there were thirty-four pages of dialogue, and Pam is commenting on the show and everybody, other scenes on the show and constantly making fun of Bill and talking about her relationship with Eric. A hundred years ago, he made her [a vampire]. I don’t know how much of the story that’s in the DVD ended up staying, because I guess they had to change a couple of things, but it was apparently a romantic relationship and she sought him out and wanted to be a vampire badly. She’s really most unapologetic [laughs]. This was not an accident. She met Eric, her life changed and she was ready to go.

iF: She doesn’t seem to have any jealousy issues with Sookie or other characters …

BAUER VON STRATEN: No. I think Alan said she was bisexual and I’ve been calling her Pam-sexual. Alex and I were joking that the first hundred years of a relationship are pretty steamy, but then it kind of cools off [laughs]. Around year three hundred, things tend to cool off.

iF: Are you narrating the Season Two Blu-rays?

BAUER VON STRATEN: It’s not like the DVD commentary, where just I’m speaking as Kristin. It’s actually in character as Pam. And it was all scripted for me, her comments on what’s happening with the other vampires and the vampire world.

iF: One would guess she thinks highly of Eric, and no so highly of Bill, the vampire played by Stephen Moyer, who Eric finds annoying …

BAUER VON STRATEN: [laughs] That’s exactly it. She’s just endlessly hard on Bill.

iF: What does Pam think of Jessica, played by Deborah Ann Woll, the young vampire sired by Bill?

BAUER VON STRATEN: Jessica she thinks has potential. But [Jessica has] got a crappy maker, poor thing. There isn’t a better maker on Earth than Eric.

iF: Does Pam have an opinion on Eric’s maker, Godric, who Eric adored?

BAUER VON STRATEN: I think Pam’s viewpoint on Godric has to do with her feelings for her maker, so she can understand Eric’s feelings for Godric. Godric was a pretty amazing guy. I think we all hope Godric comes back in some way.

iF: Is Pam meant to be originally Swedish? What language are Pam and Eric speaking when they’re having a private conversation?

BAUER VON STRATEN: We’re speaking Swedish. She has a Southern accent, but she speaks Swedish. I guess if you’re around long enough, wherever you live, you pick up that accent. And it’s always a thrill for me when Alan writes in the Swedish [laughs]. Panic attack. But it’s great, because Alex [who was born and raised in Sweden] records it for me, I repeat it three million times and then hopefully I’m saying it right. I have no idea.

iF: It seems that all the TRUE BLOOD vampires have scenes where their fangs pop out …

BAUER VON STRATEN: I’ve had the fangs pop I think twice and it’s going to take me a little bit more to get really good at those. They’re intense.

iF: When vampires grow fangs on TRUE BLOOD, some actors pull the fangs out of their pockets while the cameras pause, pop the fangs in and then raise their hands that they’re ready to keep going. However, right now, you are in something skin-tight and without any easy hiding places for much of anything. Where do you keep the fangs until Pam is ready to bare them?

BAUER VON STRATEN: [laughs] Usually, someone crawls in and puts them in my hand and I stick them in. Pam’s wardrobe is not fang-concealment-friendly.

iF: Have you dressed in such revealing costumes before?

BAUER VON STRATEN: I did a couple of things where I was supposed to play kind of a racy character, but I’ve never had so much fun with a wardrobe person as I have on this show. I mean, Audrey [Fisher, costume designer] is just continually actually helping me create who Pam is. I guess that’s why it’s so wonderful for me, because I just show up at the wardrobe fitting, just ready like a little kid on Christmas to go, “I wonder what the hell she came up with next.” And I’d say nothing, except once it’s on, I’ve never once not thought, “This probably isn’t super-good on me,” where Audrey hasn’t gone, “No, we can do better.” I don’t ever have to worry and her concept of Pam’s idea of fashion and dressing is brilliant. On the first episode [of Season Three], I was in a Victorian leather corset, so it’s sort of modern-day bondage, but Victorian. And then one of the next episode, I was in J. Crew, like this pink V-neck sweater and I’ve been in latex and Juicy Couture sweats and [in Season One] for the vampire trial, she put me in kind of a safari look, like we were hunting [laughs]. I love how she’ll have Pam wearing sunglasses – they’re high in her hair, but she could never go out in the sun – and a track suit when I guess a vampire wouldn’t ever work out. So it’s just hysterical.

iF: Despite the revealing clothing, you play one of the few characters so far who has not appeared entirely undressed so far …

BAUER VON STRATEN: I am so relieved that I’ve gotten to wear clothing. I need a warning [if a scene without clothes will occur], because I need to go to the gym for awhile.

iF: Vampires in TRUE BLOOD are capable of very rapid movement – they’re here and then they’re there. Production accomplishes this in a couple of different ways. How have they done that with you?

BAUER VON STRATEN: The way that we did it was, everybody else stopped moving, and I moved at normal speed. So the other actors in the scene froze. I think that was Season Two. They’re all starting to blend together.

iF: Has Alan Ball or anybody else on the creative side ever said to you, “We want Pam to be more this, less that” or “You should know this about Pam, so that you can play this when it’s coming up”?

BAUER VON STRATEN: No. They keep things very secretive and the writing is so good and so clear. I mean, I feel like I just read it and say the lines and it’s just so well-crafted.

iF: So far, Pam has been a very cool customer. Will we ever see anything that makes Pam lose her cool, besides ruining her shoes?

BAUER VON STRATEN: Yes. We will see other sides to Pam.

iF: Anything else you’d like to say?

BAUER VON STRATEN: Just a huge thank you to the fans. We have the best fans.