Could "True Blood" possibly be more sexy, sinister and naked? Yes, the stars emphatically told TODAY.com at the sixth season's Hollywood premiere.
When the dark dramedy returns to HBO on Sunday, June 16, the humans have declared all-out war against the vampires. Blame Billith, the bloody, naked reincarnation of Bill Compton.
The premiere is directed by Stephen Moyer, his second time working both in front of and behind the camera.
"Three hours of makeup and then directing my fellow actors naked -- that was a lot of fun," he said drily about his double duties.
When asked whether his own experience made him more sensitive to the actors' nude scenes, he said, "I'm naked for a great time of it; I think I'm quite sensitive -- I'm a sensitive bloke.
"There are all sorts of inappropriate fall-out situations," he added. "John Gielgud once said to one of his leading ladies: 'I apologize to you if nothing happens below, and I also apologize if something does.'"
Stripping down in front of the camera was a new experience for Rob Kazinsky, joining the cast this season as fairy Ben, the new man in Sookie's (Anna Paquin) life.
"I got a lot (of tips) from Anna, which was along the lines of 'Stop being a p---- and just do it.' You can't have an ego on this job," he told us. "If everybody else is getting naked all the time, you better damn well get naked (too)."
"I had a moment a couple weeks ago when I was (dubbing) a sex scene, and I had this out of body experience where I realized I'm watching my own behind from third-person perspective," he said. "That's not something many people get to do. "
Kazinsky called the show's hunky stars -- Moyer, Alexander Skarsgård and Joe Manganiello -- "hard acts to follow": "Tall, sexy and Swedish; cool, sexy and British; and ginormous, muscly and American -- where do I fit in being kind of squat, ginger and hairy?" (Trust us, Moyer's fellow Brit is being too modest. He fits right in with his fellow hotties.)
Although his character "has a good heart (and is) ruled by conscience," Kazinsky notes, "he does have a dark side -- he's also ruled by human passions."
Skarsgård said he's "having fun going back and forth" between dark and light.
"That's what I loved about Eric since we first started. When you first meet him, he's the bad guy. That's what I responded to when I first read the books and first met with creator Alan (Ball) six years ago. We're still exploring that. This season as well, he's both good and bad."
Although he seemed to turn 100 percent bad when he drank Lilith's blood, we will see glimpses of the old Bill Compton in the premiere.
"He's out to try to find out what he is," Moyer said. "And there's a lot -- you don't know what his purpose is. (When) he drank (Lilith's) blood, he didn't know what he was going to do -- he just knew he'd been led to that point. From then on, you are finding out just at the same time as he is."
But with humans openly persecuting supernaturals, even an all-powerful vampire prophet is going to have some challenges.
"With all the crazy things going down in Bon Temps somebody's gonna need a lawyer," said Courtney Ford, who's reprising her role as Portia Bellefleur, Bill's descendant and attorney. "Portia has her work cut out for her this season," she added with a laugh.
Like her co-stars, Ford's also used to baring all on screen. "I was talking with my husband (Brandon Routh) the other day and said I don't think there's anything I've done that my son is gonna be able to see until he's like 40!"
For those who are allowed to watch the show, Ford promised that season six is "dark, it's sexy -- it's gonna keep you on your toes."
"There are a lot of surprises in store," confirmed new cast member Amelia Rose Blaire, who plays Willa Burrell, the anti-vampire governor's daughter. "It's very unpredictable, so get ready for some shockers!"
"A war has broken out that's made everybody unpredictable," she added. "I think everybody is a threat in some way."
Most everyone agrees that the biggest threat is Warlow, possibly the alter ego of Sookie's grandfather Niall (iconic actor Rutger Hauer). "Warlow is a threat to everything," revealed Kazinsky. "He's a threat to every fairy, he's a threat to every vampire -- not only the biggest threat ever but also only thing that can save them. When he comes into the show, it's going to be pretty scary."
"Just hold onto your hats," warned Carrie Preston, who plays Arlene. "This season goes to a really, really exciting place. I haven't been this excited about a season in a while."
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