Exclusives
TV: [Interview] Giles Matthey On New Character “Claude”, The Departure Of Alan Ball And Where “True Blood” Is Headed In Season 5
At the end of last week’s episode of “True Blood” you may have noticed an unusual character who enters the shop where Jessica was trying on dresses only to bolt when she approached him. Enamored, she gives chase only to find his Volkswagon Bug abandoned in the middle of a field. That characters’s name was “Claude” and he’s played by Giles Matthey. You can keep an eye out for him tonight in Episode 5.04, “We’ll Meet Again”, and he’s sticking around for the rest of the season.
In the episode, “Eric (Alexander Skarsgård) and Bill (Stephen Moyer) have doubts they will survive the search for Russell (Denis O’Hare). Sookie (Anna Paquin) opens up to Alcide (Joe Manganiello). An irate Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis) unwittingly puts Sookie’s life in danger. At Authority headquarters, Roman (Christopher Meloni) and Salome (Valentina Cervi) continue interrogating Nora (Lucy Griffiths) about the Sanguinistas – and a possible traitor within the Council. Pam (Kristin Bauer van Straten) forces Tara (Rutina Wesley) to toe the line; Andy (Chris Bauer) and Jason (Ryan Kwanten) go to a burlesque party; Sam’s (Sam Trammell) shifter friends invite him for a run; Terry (Todd Lowe) flashes back to a deadly night in Iraq; Hoyt (Jim Parrack) tests the fangbanger waters; Sookie drowns her sorrows.”
I recently hopped on the phone with Giles to talk about his role and the arc of Season 5 in general. We also touch on the departure of longtime show runner Alan Ball. Head inside to check it out.
Tell us a little bit about your character.
My character’s name is Claude. And he’s a fairy. He’s very loosely related to Sookie. In the book he’s described as a ripped, musclebound strip club owner. They’ve gone a different way with me obviously, small skinny little rat that I am. But he’s a mentor figure, he helps Sookie to understand some things.
The characters on the show shift a lot. Is yours consistently what he seems to be?
I’ll have to be vague, but Claude cares. But in the last season – played by a different actor – he helped Sookie escape a bad situation. So he does care a lot.
This is Alan Ball’s last season on the show.
I know. I’m gutted. He’s a genius. You’ve got to be a genius to create what he has, from American Beauty to all his other works. But it’s so well run, it’s a machine. The writers know this world so well. It’s his baby, so even though he’s stepping away from it, he’ll be consulting. It’s like sending your child away to school and checking in with his teachers to see how he’s doing.
Do you think next year will mark a different era of “True Blood”?
This season certainly builds up to a climax. It’s spectacular. The fans will not be disappointed in the arc. I’ve watched a lot of “True Blood” and I think this season has started sharper and more focussed than the last, and that helps with the arc. It’s a whole journey with these characters.
What’s the biggest challenge of playing this character?
In the books Claude is described as bisexual and preferring men over women. But he puts his fingers in both pies if you will. And I’ve been raised by women my whole life, so I have that effeminate feel. I’m not the macho type, I’m very in touch with my emotions. That side of him is something that’s natural to be. I can empathize with what’s happening in the scene, and that’s the way you can create something great.
Exclusives
‘The Haunting of Pennhurst’ Exclusive Clip Trains Scare Actors For Historic Haunt in Tribeca Doc
The past and present collide in haunting, poignant ways in the genre documentary The Haunting of Pennhurst, which sees a Halloween haunt serve as a reclamation of true historic horrors.
Ahead of its world premiere at the 25th Tribeca Film Festival, we have an exclusive clip that sees scare actors in training for the Halloween season. The catch? This haunt is opening at the historic Pennhurst State School & Hospital site, a facility that caused immense harm to its disabled patients over decades of its operation.
In the documentary, “For over seventy years, Pennhurst State School & Hospital was called a place of care. What happened inside killed over half its population. It closed in 1987, leaving behind unmarked graves and an unresolved history. Today, on those same grounds, disabled performers – many living with the same conditions that once sent people to Pennhurst – put on their makeup, pull on their costumes, and prepare to scare people for a living.
“Through grit, compassion, and buckets of blood, the eclectic performers of the Pennhurst Asylum haunted attraction are wrestling with a space that is at once a lucrative business and a gravesite.”
The upcoming documentary hails from directing trio Nathan Stenberg, Mike Attie, and Katarina Poljak, who explore their socially-relevant subject through archival footage, first-hand accounts, and an immersive verité.
“Pennhurst has haunted us since we first passed through its dragon-tooth gates; the horrors of the institution echo through the site today. We are so grateful to bring this film to the Tribeca Festival, particularly the Escape from Tribeca section, which feels right for a story where past and present bleed together. We hope audiences leave unnerved and asking the same uncomfortable questions we did,” Attie, Stenberg, and Poljak said in a statement.
Watch the clip below that sees disabled and neurodivergent scare actors learning the ropes of a Halloween haunt, reclaiming the site’s grim history in the process.
Tribeca Screenings:
- Public 1 (Premiere) Screening – Friday, June 5 at 9:15PM at Village East by Angelika
- Public 2 Screening – Sunday, June 7 at 3:15PM at Village East by Angelika
- Public 3 Screening – Tuesday, June 9 at 6:15PM at Village East by Angelika