Alexander Skarsgård

Press & Interviews - MTV, 11 July 2011

After three seasons of ups and downs, crazy characters, deaths and drama, fans of HBO's Southern vampire soap "True Blood" are used to the series' many plot twists and turns. The fourth season is no different, as the story line of favorite cocky, no-nonsense Louisiana vampire sheriff Eric Northman has changed dramatically, thanks to a coven of witches causing him to lose his memory and, from the looks of things, his entire sense of self along with it.

When MTV News caught up with Alexander Skarsgård, the man behind the complicated vampire, we asked him for his take on "amnesiac Eric," a favorite character twist of fans of the books by Charlaine Harris, upon which "True Blood" is based.

"It's been amazing," he said. "It's really been fun. You've seen the first three episodes, so you know that it's a very different Eric from what we're used to."

Speaking to the new dynamics that have been added to his character — humility, shyness, hesitance — Skarsgård said he's enjoyed the challenges of playing against type, so to speak.

"It's been challenging and fun to kind of find the right balance," he said. "I don't know if I got it right or not, but I really enjoyed the journey this year," he added, careful not to reveal too many details of whether we'll see Eric regain his old self or not.

"It's not a new Eric; it's just a new side of Eric we haven't seen before," he said. "He had that in him before, but he worked really hard [to hide his] insecurities and vulnerabilities. Old Eric wasn't comfortable with that. Suddenly he is, and we haven't seen that before."