Alexander Skarsgård

Press & Interviews -EricNorthman.net

Interview with Kristin Bauer van Straten (Pam), conducted over the telephone using Blog Talk Radio on June 25, 2010. Click here to download an .mp3 of the interview.

DEEDEE: Hello?

KRISTIN: Hi! Can you hear me?

DEEDEE: Hi, Kristin!

KRISTIN: Hi! How are you? Who's this?

DEEDEE: This is DeeDee from EricNorthman.net.

KRISTIN: Hi! How are you?

DEEDEE: Good, how are you doing?

KRISTIN: Great!

DEEDEE: Well, you ready to go?

KRISTIN: Sure!

DEEDEE: There's a chat room full of fans right now who are all saying hi.

KRISTIN: Oh, that's so nice! Tell them hello back and thanks for showing up.

DEEDEE: Okay, well, I'll go ahead and ask you the first question.

KRISTIN: Okay.

DEEDEE: To start off with, is there some funny story you could tell us about you and Alex during filming for season 3?

KRISTIN: Oh, my God, Alex is one of the funniest people I've ever met, so there's so many. I'm just not sure what will translate... but it's always just... There's so many laughs. I think we always have a challenge when either one of us has to speak another language. He's had to speak Russian, German, and then I've had to speak Swedish. But he's constantly... He's very helpful and very sweet about it, but he also bursts out laughing when I think I don't get it right. So it's just... I don't think I have a specific story. We just have so much fun every day.

DEEDEE: Okay, well, Audrey Fisher does an awesome job with Pam's ensembles. Have you ever suggested something for Pam to wear, or is it all her?

KRISTIN: It's all Audrey. I come in just like a kid waking up on Christmas morning, and every single time, what she thought of is so wonderful that I have to do nothing. It's a real joy.

DEEDEE: So in the books, Pam and Sookie become friends - at least as much as Pam could be anybody's friend. [Kristin laughs] Are we gonna see any of that this season, or is that kind of still in the future?

KRISTIN: This season we have a lot of interaction, and it is... There's lots of conflict. It's very exciting. My scenes with Sookie and Stephen and Alex are very intense. And I wonder if, for next season, that won't sort of breed a friendship, because we go through a lot this year together. But I don't know what they're gonna do next year.

DEEDEE: But we are gonna see some more interaction with her and Sookie this season?

KRISTIN: Definitely. Lots of interaction.

DEEDEE: Well, are we gonna see more of Pam and Jessica? 'Cause that was really fun in the last episode.

KRISTIN: I was just trying to think back on that... I think Pam has her hands full this year. I think she's a little too - preoccupied, I'll call it - to help Jessica much more.

DEEDEE: Oh, okay. It was nice to see for a little bit there.

KRISTIN: Yeah, I know, I love that scene with Jessica.

DEEDEE: It was cool to see Pam in sort of a mothering, mentoring role.

KRISTIN: We do have another... There is some interaction with Jessica. And I can't remember, but I believe it might even be coming up this week.

DEEDEE: Oh, okay.

KRISTIN: Yeah.

DEEDEE: Well, that'll be fun.

KRISTIN: Yeah! It's a very fun scene. It's another good one.

DEEDEE: Okay, cool! Well, Alexa Castro sent in this question. She says you seem like such a sunny, well-rounded woman. How do you put yourself into a character like Pam?

KRISTIN: [laughs] Yeah... Pam is in there. Pam is that person that we'd all like to be sometimes, so it's really great to have an outlet. Because mainly, I try to be very polite, but we all have things that go through our mind that we'd love to say, but we edit. And it's just so much fun to play a character who just doesn't edit, you know? She just says it like it is. So I have those thoughts. It's just, you know, my mom and dad raised me well. [laughs] So Pam is in there.

DEEDEE: Okay, well, somebody in the chat room just posted a question I think is really good. Are we ever gonna see sort of a flashback with how Eric turned Pam?

KRISTIN: Oh, I would love that! I have no idea if that's in the works.

DEEDEE: I hope so, 'cause that would be really neat.

KRISTIN: Wouldn't it be great? Oh, I would absolutely love that. That'd be great.

DEEDEE: Well, Pam obviously thinks that Eric is the best maker ever in the history of the world.

KRISTIN: Yep.

DEEDEE: If you had to choose a maker, who would you want to turn you? Would it be Eric or somebody else?

KRISTIN: Oh, it'd definitely be Eric. He's the best.

DEEDEE: Definitely.

KRISTIN: Definitely, definitely. He's the best, you know? And he's just... really perfect. And this year, I got to learn so much more about their relationship, and it's a wonderful, deep, multi-layered relationship.

DEEDEE: Y'all's interaction in that first episode was great, where she's actually trying to advise him for a change?

KRISTIN: Right! Wasn't that interesting?

DEEDEE: [overlap] Yeah, it was cool to see that dynamic.

KRISTIN: [overlap] We get to see a lot more of... you know, it's sort of a... He has a paternal relationship to Pam. There's definitely that. It's, you know, very fatherly. And then also there was a romantic relationship, and also there's a real partnership.

DEEDEE: Mmhmm. That was really cool to see in the first episode. I can't wait to see more of that this season.

KRISTIN: Yeah! You will, and it was very fun for me to find that out.

DEEDEE: Well, @SookieBonTemps - you might have seen her on Twitter - she plays Sookie on Twitter - she wants to know, how are you finding your interactions with the fans online?

KRISTIN: I'm having a lot of fun. I think it's great. I'm really... You know, I do a lot of environmental things, and so there's a lot that I can share and talk about, and it's really nice because when we're on the set, you know, it's a very cloistered, small, intimate group - and I love that. It's my favorite part of acting. But it's also neat to see where this stuff goes and how people like it and what they're interested in and to collaborate to maybe make the world a better place, for me is very exciting.

DEEDEE: Yeah, I thought it's really cool how you post, you know, things you're really passionate about, so other people can get into it, too.

KRISTIN: Yeah, I think that's really fun, and fun to see. I'm gonna do a sketch of Alex, and then we'll both sign it and auction it off for charity. And I think that's really neat that people would... That's such a great collaboration. Everyone wins.

DEEDEE: Yeah, definitely.

KRISTIN: And I love the internet for how you can connect like this. I find it amazing that people from around the country just need something common that they both are interested in, and how many people you can connect with. It's really great.

DEEDEE: Well, there's another good question in the chat room, where somebody saw an interview with you, and they want to know if there's gonna be a fight scene with Pam this season.

KRISTIN: I... think... Let's see, how can I put this?

DEEDEE: Can't really say?

KRISTIN: [laughs] I can't really say, but I will say that Pam really is tested this year.

DEEDEE: Okay. Well, that sounds close enough.

KRISTIN: Right? [laughs]

DEEDEE: Are there any little personality quirks or maybe a little back story that we never actually see on the show, but that you personally like to imagine for Pam?

KRISTIN: I'm trying to think if there's anything new this year that we didn't know before. It's funny how all the seasons and episodes kind of... I get confused as to what was where. Yeah, I think... There's so much that gets revealed this year, but I wouldn't call them quirks. They're more big, hallmark, defining character traits.

DEEDEE: Yeah.

KRISTIN: You know? Like... [overlap]

DEEDEE: [overlap] A lot of big stuff?

KRISTIN: Mmhmm.

DEEDEE: Okay, well, Liz wants to know if you're planning to be at Comic-Con this summer.

KRISTIN: Yes, I will be there. I'm very excited about it.

DEEDEE: [overlap] Oh, yay!

KRISTIN: Yeah.

DEEDEE: We missed you there last year.

KRISTIN: Yeah, I missed you guys, too. I was off to get married. So this year... We were supposed to be in Africa, but I moved the trip so that I could be there.

DEEDEE: Is your husband gonna go with you?

KRISTIN: Yeah, he is. He can't wait to see it. We both heard it's quite something.

DEEDEE: He kind of looks like an Eric himself, the way he's described in the books?

KRISTIN: Yeah! That's what I've heard. He's definitely a Viking-looking guy.

DEEDEE: Well, going back to this season, do you have a favorite episode?

KRISTIN: Hmm. Every episode I film is my favorite, so we're just filming episode 12, and I'm having a blast. But I'm very excited to see... There's a few scenes, I think it's around episode 10, that I think are very revealing, that have so much depth as far as Pam, that I just can't wait to see how they come together. And you never... I never really know if I completely pulled it off 'til I see it. So there's a lot of great scenes between Pam and Eric that I can't wait to see.

DEEDEE: Awesome. Well, here's a question from Stephanie. If you could ask Pam one question, what would it be?

KRISTIN: Hmm. Yeah, I would ask her... What I'm curious about is the perspective you would have on earth and humanity when you don't ever die... when you see so many generations go by and so much change. I'd love to know what she predicts for the future of earth and for the human race. 'Cause, you know, people that study history have such a better perspective on cultures and countries and the environment. And she doesn't study it, but she was there.

DEEDEE: Well, do you think Pam would be an environmentalist like you are?

KRISTIN: Yeah, I wonder because... I suspect, you know, of course I like to think she would. But I suspect that she has... that it may be where some of her frustration comes from with the human race and why she's just bowed out. She's just left that group and entered the group of vampires, and so people are pets and food 'cause she thinks they're just ridiculous.

DEEDEE: Right.

KRISTIN: [laughs] You know? She just didn't want any part of it, got disgusted, and left. And made, you know, got... convinced Eric to make her.

DEEDEE: Yeah.

KRISTIN: And I can understand that impulse.

DEEDEE: About Pam's past, she said to Lafayette the other night that... don't call her "hooker," that was a long time ago?

KRISTIN: [laughs] Yeah.

DEEDEE: Was she just being funny, or in the world of the show, are they really having that... Is that really going to be a part of Pam's past?

KRISTIN: Yeah, they haven't told me. But I think it was... For me, I took it as real because I just... it just seemed so Pam.

DEEDEE: Yeah.

KRISTIN: [laughs] You know, isn't it just great? It was the best line. So they haven't told me, but I took it as truthful.

DEEDEE: Okay. Well, that'll be interesting. Now there's a thing for a flashback!

KRISTIN: Right? I know! Gosh, I can only hope. And I can only imagine her incredible costumes if it was a flashback from, you know, a hundred years ago.

DEEDEE: Yes. Well, apparently, one question that some "makeup freaks" on Twitter want to know - that's not my wording [laughter] - I don't even know what this question means, but it's, "Was that a NARS velvet matte lip pencil in the last episode, and what color was it?"

KRISTIN: I remember them using a NARS pencil on me. So it definitely... yeah. There was a NARS pencil, and it was a peach color. But I don't know the exact color.

DEEDEE: Okay. But you... yeah, they did use a NARS velvet... I don't even know what that is.

KRISTIN: Yeah, there was a NARS makeup, you know, lip pencil that was flat.

DEEDEE: Okay.

KRISTIN: And then she put gloss over it. But it was definitely a NARS.

(Edit: Kristin asked, and the color of the lip pencil was "Damned.")

DEEDEE: Okay. On your website where you have all your artwork and stuff, your painting Mother and Child is gorgeous. I was looking at your art the other day, and I just had to stop and stare at that one for a while.

KRISTIN: Oh, thank you.

DEEDEE: What inspired you to paint that? Was there anything in particular?

KRISTIN: You know, there was two things. I was looking at my... online there were so many pictures that were coming out around, you know, the war. And also I was listening to Sting, and there was the song he wrote on, "The Russians love their children, too."

DEEDEE: Mmm.

KRISTIN: And I just thought it was... And then there's all sorts of women's rights issues for Western women, looking at women in their burqas, and it just seemed so interesting to me to have this little girl who gets to be seen by the world--

DEEDEE: Yes.

KRISTIN: You know? And then the mom, who can't. And the hopes that she would have for her daughter just seemed like it invoked so many questions and so much thought that I wanted to turn it into a painting.

DEEDEE: I would actually love to have a print of that. I don't know if there's any way that your site offers prints, but I just love it.

KRISTIN: Yeah, you know, once I do... I can do prints of any painting. And basically, what I have to do is just... I think I just have to run one, and then... So any painting that people wanted to buy prints of, I should put prices up and then people could let me know. And if I get enough, then I will just run, you know, a limited edition series.

DEEDEE: I really hope... that would be cool.

KRISTIN: Yeah! I could do that.

DEEDEE: Well, it also says on your website that you hope to do more art and have your own show?

KRISTIN: Yeah.

DEEDEE: Is that one of the things you're planning to do when you finish filming this season, or are you gonna be too busy filming other stuff?

KRISTIN: Well, I would love to do that this hiatus. And I also... It's hard to say no to filming because I love that as well. But in a perfect world, I would do some acting, get to travel to South Africa to see my husband's family, but also get some time to paint. That's my fantasy for this hiatus. It's always hard, you know. There's so many things we're juggling. But I'm gonna try for that. 'Cause then I could have a show, maybe in the fall.

DEEDEE: Well, one last question, and a couple of people are asking this in the chat room. Are we gonna see a softer side of Pam this season, maybe a tear? Or would that be too much from her?

KRISTIN: [overlap] Yeah. That you're definitely gonna see, her soft side. Definitely.

DEEDEE: Okay, great.

KRISTIN: That was the fascinating thing for me this season, is that we discover where she is vulnerable.

DEEDEE: That'll be really cool to see.

KRISTIN: Yeah! I hope so. Those are the episodes I can't wait to see how they come out.

DEEDEE: And before I let you go, there's a line from the latest book... I sent out a question on Twitter, asking people what their favorite Pam line was from the books.

KRISTIN: I saw that!

DEEDEE: Oh, you saw it?

KRISTIN: Yeah, I saw your question. I wondered what you got back.

DEEDEE: Well, what I got back was - from several people - is... And we'd like to hear you say this in your best Pam voice, and it's... She says it after she gets kind of a bad kind of surprise in the latest book that just came out. And the line is: "Fuck a zombie."

KRISTIN: [laughter] Fuck a zombie. I wonder if she's, like... Is that just her cursing, or is that, like, literally there's a zombie?

DEEDEE: There's not literally - in this world, you don't know, really, do you?

KRISTIN: Yeah! [laughs]

DEEDEE: It's not a zombie. It's just an expression she says. Sookie tells her something that kind of shocks her, and not in a good way, and she says that.

KRISTIN: All right, well then, here's a couple of deliveries for you. It could either be: "Fuck a zombie" [kind of deadpan] or "Fuck a zombie!" [laughs] Like if she's surprised. Fuck a zombie. That's hysterical. God, Charlaine Harris is so much fun. I'm just... She's amazing.

DEEDEE: Yes.

KRISTIN: You wouldn't expect it, looking at her and talking to her. She's so sweet. But she's definitely got that in common with Kristin and Pam. We look very sweet, and we're very nice, but deep down inside....

DEEDEE: Well, thank you so much, Kristin.

KRISTIN: Yeah, thank you! It was nice talking to you.

DEEDEE: You, too! It's been so much fun.

KRISTIN: Yeah, thanks, and great job on the website and everything. And thanks to the fans. We couldn't do it without them. We wouldn't have a show without all of the support.

DEEDEE: Well, we love all of y'all. All of the cast is so gracious and nice to the fans, and we really appreciate that.

KRISTIN: Isn't it a great cast? It's just a wonderful group of people.

DEEDEE: Well, thanks again, Kristin. I know you have to go, so...

KRISTIN: Yeah, thank you so much, and have a great weekend.

DEEDEE: You too, and have a great summer.

KRISTIN: Yeah, I'll be working on that sketch this weekend, of Alex.

DEEDEE: Yay!

KRISTIN: Yeah! So thank you, and I'll talk to you again, I'm sure.

DEEDEE: I hope so!

KRISTIN: Yeah, definitely.

DEEDEE: All righty, bye!

KRISTIN: Okay, bye!

Want .mp3 files of the two "fuck a zombie" lines? Click below. ;-)
Version 1
Version 2