Sam Trammell Goes 'Crazy' For New Film

Crazy Kind of Love would accurately describe every single relationship portrayed on True Blood -- from vampires with humans to shapeshifters with vampires. But it's also the name of Sam Trammell's new movie, a stark departure from the supernatural sphere he inhabits every week on HBO.

This insightful, powerful and incredibly enjoyable film tells the story of one dysfunctional family and the two outsiders who forever alter their future. ETonline caught up with Sam Trammell, who plays a pot-dealing, inspiration-doling landscaper in the film to talk about his attraction to the project and find out what True Blood fans can expect from the newly launched sixth season!

ETonline: What attracted you to Crazy Kind of Love?
Sam Trammell: I read the script and thought it was such a beautiful, sweet little movie. I also thought this would be a fun character to play; he was this quirky and kind of eccentric character who was also kind of a bright guy. The stakes are so high on True Blood; it's always life or death and so heavy. This seemed so much lighter. I like that he was this pot dealer who doesn't take this kid's money because he knows what's happening to his family, so he hires him instead. Sure, he's helping the kid get high, but he still has a moral center. Plus, I was psyched to work with Virginia Madsen. The idea of doing scenes with her was so appealing to me.

ETonline: When looking at non-True Blood projects to do, how important is it that the character be different from Sam Merlotte?
Trammell: It's not the number one thing. I look for good people to work with, a good script and a director who will make something good. Those are the first things you look at. That said, I think for most of us, there is a desire to do something different just because it's fun to mix it up when you're an actor. I started in the theater and have always been a character actor -- utilizing accents or limps. That's fun for me. I'd love to do some comedy too, which I haven't had the chance to do in a while.

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ETonline: I dunno, seeing you playing a woman playing a man on True Blood was pretty darn funny last season.
Trammell: Oh yeah! I forgot about that! I have gotten to do so many different characters [laughs]. The show is so dense in the best way possible. We're so lucky.

ETonline: Looking back on what you've been asked to do over the last six seasons, did you have any idea what you were signing up for with True Blood?
Trammell: [laughs] No. I really didn't. I knew I was going to be a bartender, and then Alan [Ball, executive producer] told me Sam was also a shapeshifter, and I was like, "Oh, OK, cool!" I really didn't think about the physics of it and the reality of when you shapeshift into an animal, you leave your clothes and then when you become a human again, your clothes are miles away [laughs]. I have done nudity before, I did full-frontal in New York a few times, so I was no stranger to taking off my clothes. It doesn't bother me at all ... although it's a bitch to stay in shape and it gets harder as the years go by, but I had no idea. Not at all. I had no idea I would be that naked. I also had no idea the show would last this long and get as crazy as it has. This show has taken on a life of its own, which is pretty incredible. We're all amazed and excited by it.

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ETonline: Looking at this season, Sam has lost Luna, seemingly lost Emma and been confronted by a group that wants him to come out publicly as a shapeshifter. What are you excited for fans to see?
Trammell: The thing that's great with the shapeshifters being outed is it allows us to talk about how you deal with that opportunity and how you decide whether or not to out yourself. We look at what it means, politically and socially, for yourself and the species. It gets so complicated with the werewolves and these activists. That's all so exciting. Plus, there are some major twists that happen this year with Sam. This show does a great job of, in a way, reinventing the world every year because we have new villains, new creatures, new characters and new co-stars. It's always different every year. It's not like we're in the same office all the time. I'm not even in the bar that much this year. That keeps it fresh for us, as actors. I'm digging this year more than I've dug the last few years. I love the vampire story this year so much. I can't wait for fans to see what's coming.

Crazy Kind of Love is now available on VOD and True Blood airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.