Alcide is about to put a major kink in True Blood’s polarizing Eric/Sookie/Bill triangle. At least that’s the word from the werewolf’s portrayer, Joe Manganiello, who makes a strong case for an Alcide/Sookie pairing in Part 2 of our exclusive Q&A. (You can read Part 1 here.) The 33-year-old actor also weighs in on the length of his commitment to the show and why he isn’t afraid of those crazy Team Bill and Team Eric fans.

Will your Alcide be different from the Alcide in the books?
JOE MANGANIELLO: Alan Ball and I had a conversation about that at one of my auditions. I think it’s up in the air. I know that, at least initially, fans of the book will be pleased with my character.

What’s your take on Alcide?
MANGANIELLO: He’s really big. He’s giant. When Sookie first meets him, she opens the door and looks up, and then has to look up some more. So there’s this giant presence standing in the doorway with dark hair and dark features. He’s strong and protective. He comes from a construction background; his father is in the construction business. He’s heroic and romantic. I don’t think it’s a secret that he has a broken heart when he shows up. He had a really rough go of this relationship with Debbie Pelt, so there’s a lot of friction there. Debbie’s doing a lot of things to get back at Alcide.

How long are you committed to the show for?
MANGANIELLO: Right now we’ve just talked about this season.

What can Alcide offer Sookie that Bill and Eric can’t?
MANGANIELLO: Warm flesh and blood. That’s the neat thing about my character: Although he’s not entirely human, he is flesh and blood. He has a lifespan. In the books he hugs Sookie and she feels his skin and it’s just radiating heat. So I think the fact that he has some kind of sunburnt heat-radiating skin is just completely different. It’s [similar to when] she met Bill and what a relief it was for her to not be able to hear his thoughts.

Are you ready to be thrust into the Eric/Sookie/Bill fan frenzy?
MANGANIELLO: For me it’s fun. I could see how if I was a 100-pound Hollywood actress it would probably be pretty scary, but I’m a big guy, so people don’t necessarily scare me in that way. With that said, I’ve had to go to the police a couple of times for stalkers.

Really?
MANGANIELLO: They were really big… I don’t know how I want to describe it but they were guys. I’ve had two guy stalkers that I’ve had to go to the cops about. But other than that I think it’s a blast. It’s so fun to get caught up in that. It’s so fun to have fans care that much. It’s that whole Comic-Con, fanboy crowd. I love that. I started my career in Spider-Man, so I’m completely familiar with them and I love that kind of stuff. And you hear about love triangles all of the time, it’s going to be interesting to see how the love square works out.

It’s about time Lafayette settled down.

The sassy short-order cook on True Blood, who has exchanged sexual favors for V in the past, will find a man that appreciates him for his personality (and smokin body, of course) on season three of the HBO hit.

Lafayette Reynolds Picture

Michael Ausiello reports that the character is getting a boyfriend! True Blood creator Alan Ball – who said this summer viewers would see a more “vulnerable” Lafa

The second season of True Blood has repeatedly toyed with the idea of a Sookie-Eric hook-up, whether it’s just in Sookie’s dreams or in palpable hints insinuated by Eric himself. This very premise has seemingly divided fans of the HBO vampire series— with some rooting for Bill and Sookie, while others are hoping for a Sookie-Eric pairing. To shed light on the subject, Alexander Skarsgard, who plays vampire Eric, spoke to Entertainment Weekly and revealed what’s bound to happen on True Blood.

Warning: Spoilers ahead!!!

According to Skarsgard, a hook-up is definitely in the cards between Eric and Anna Paquin’s character. “It’s bound to happen at some point,” he said. “There is definitely something between Sookie and Eric.”

On the other hand, Skarsgard wouldn’t say if the much-awaited hook-up will commence in season 3. “I’m not sure if it’s going to happen now or anytime soon or in season three, but eventually,” he said. “It’s a big part of the book, so I think something will happen at some point. I’ll do my best to mess things up between Sookie and Bill. We’ll see how well I do!”

Aside from the Eric-Sookie pairing, Skarsgard also revealed that he wishes to see a different side of his character when True Blood returns next year. “Hopefully I get to show more of everything and explore Eric and show different sides of his personality,” he said. “Season two was a lot of fun because in season one, you just got a little taste of Eric; you didn’t get to know him that well.”

“I think a lot of people after season one saw Eric as just Bill’s evil boss, and I would always have to defend Eric because I definitely thought that there was more to the character than first meets the eye,” he added. “Season two was fun because it was a great opportunity to show that there is more to Eric than just an evil entrepreneur.”

The latest face to join “True Blood” in the third season is Lindsay Pulsipher, a former actress of “The Beast” before the show got canceled by A&E. She will play Crystal Norris who in the casting call is described as “a mysterious and hauntingly beautiful young woman in sundress” walking barefooted.

Pulsipher will share a few scenes with Ryan Kwanten for her character is said having “an electric connection” with Kwanten’s Jason before disappearing into the forest. The casting did not note the role as heavily recurring, thus it is possible that Crystal will only appear in one episode or two. Furthermore, the call was made for the second episode where Sam’s family will also make their first appearance.

In the book written by Charlaine Harris, Crystal is a werephanther who would later date Jason. [Spoiler Alert] Crystal will be pregnant with Jason’s baby and he marries her. However, she cheats on him with another human and suffers miscarriage. Crystal meets a dead end when she is killed.

Despite casting frenzy in the past two weeks, the show is still looking for a lot more actors to play characters such as bikers Louie, Gus and Jimmy, a hot gay Latino named Jesus Velasquez, Alcide’s girlfriend Debbie Pelt, NYU grads for Jason’s threesome partners, elderly woman named Olivia and African American couple Betty and Marvin.

The third season of “True Blood” will be premiered in June 2010 but production had been kicked off this month with the filming to start in January.

Guest stars galore and a slew of new recurring characters are coming to season three of True Blood.

Most recently, the show announced that Joe Manganiello was joining the series in the key role of Alcide, a werewolf that gets involve with Sookie.

But what about storyline developments and character entanglements? A pair of True Blood cast members spoke to TV Guide Magazine this week about what’s ahead on the HBO smash.

“There’s more of people with different agendas,” Alexander Skarsgard (Eric) said. “Sam’s got his stuff to deal with, his background and who he is, trying to figure that out. There might be some more tension between the vampire kingdoms and queendoms and they might introduce other creatures than just vampires.”

Skarsgard added that viewers will “see Eric and someone else as a tag team” during a flashback scene, though he wouldn’t elaborate on the era in which it takes place.

Eric Northman PicTara Thornton Pic

Meanwhile, Rutina Wesley (Tara) confirmed the addition of werewolves to the publication and said:

“It’ll be interesting to see how Tara deals with everything that happens with the last season. She’s got a lot grieving she has to do, but I have a feeling that someone’s going to come in and sweep her off of her feet. Then we’ve got Sookie there to help her out as well. They’re making a lot of people the focus. That’s the one thing that I love about being on the show – that it’s truly an ensemble.”

To whom is Wesley referring? James Frain has been cast as Franklin Mott, a vampire that cozies up to Tara.

We still have awhile to go until season three of True Blood premieres on HBO. TV Fanatic will be your source for casting and spoiler updates until then!

It seems that the third season of True Blood is about to get complicated with all the pairing mix-ups. As some of you know, almost every character on this HBO vampire series is getting a potential love interest in the new season— which you can read about in our spoiler section. But while a lot of new players have already been added to spice up the crazy little town of Bon Temps, it looks like there’s more to come. Case in point: Eric’s new love toy!

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

Eric Northman, played by Alexander Skarsgard, will be engaging in a sexual relationship with a new dancer at Fangtasia, according to Entertainment Weekly’s Michael Ausiello. His new squeeze is reportedly named Yvetta and will be portrayed by actress-model Natasha Alam.

Alam, who has been cast on True Blood in a potentially recurring capacity, is perhaps best known for her role on The Bold and the Beautiful as Ava. She will also be appearing in an upcoming episode of Drop Dead Gorgeous and in the movie 39.

The unexpected pairing, however, does not end here. Gregg Daniel, who is credited for his roles on NYPD Blue and Desperate Housewives, has also been cast to play Reverend Daniels. And if you’ve been reading our True Blood Season 3 Spoilers, then you’re already aware that Tara’s ever-distraught mom will be turning to the honorable Reverend for comfort and “maybe a little more.”