"True Blood" Star Sam Trammell on Being a Naked Shapeshifter

I'm so glad that you came. We got you in here finally. We've wanted to have you in our studio for such a long time.

Yes. Oh. This studio is so rad. I cannot it's like a club. What is this?

That's the surfer in you coming out calling it rad.

That's it. That's right. I mean, I was expecting just like a little like a, you know, a hotel room. A hotel room with a bed. Who's a suite of just badass.

I know you love playing a barman in the show. You've talked about how you just you love it. We have a bar here at Young Hollywood. We often ask celebrities to name their we're going to call it like the Sammy special. We're going to people come in, they want the Sammy, what's in it?

Okay, well, I'll tell you. It all depends on my mood, and my mood right now, it's early. 9:00 in the morning. Right. So we need something clean, not too heavy to get me through the day. Something that what's going to smell on your breath? I'm drinking. Nothing's going to smell on your breath. Well, they might smell this, but it's going to get you through the day. Okay. Vodka. Just vodka with like a whole lemon squeezed into it.

So you're keeping it a little fresh.

I'm keeping it fresh and light.

You're like juicing.

Yeah, but still strong, because you want to have a buzz, but you want to be able to you don't want it to weigh you down.

And that's to start the day. Just vodka What's what are you ending the day with?

The day ends at like 11, I think. I mean, when you do that, you're going for a little nap. So this is the end of the day.

So you just had the premiere of season 6. And kind of kind of How do you look Madon? Oh, you had it in the Cinerama Dome. Which curves around. And kind of kind of How do you look curved?

Well, it kind of distorts your face which is kind of a weird way. Well, I don't know. I was sitting really close, like I was sitting like five rows from the front.

Oh, gosh. I can't do that. And I feel like it sort of distorted my face a little. Did it make you look more or less like Brad Pitt? Because when you walked in I said you look like Brad Pitt. You're just I'm loving it. I'm taking it. I'm taking it all in. I'm loving it. So what happened at the after party? Because I heard it was kind of like you had games happening or some.

That was awesome. There were I don't know what was going on. There were people painted red who are sort of naked running around.

When and why would they be doing that? It's nothing to do with

Nothing to do with the show. Not like us at all. I don't know. There were photo booths.

We're people doing shots. Now, which guy are you? Which station are you at the most when you're at a party?

I was I was sit like I usually roam around, but I was so tired. My brother had been in town all week. And I've been we've been doing things every night. Right. So by the time we got there I was like, I want to sit down. Bring me some food, bring me a drink, and I'll say hi to you if you come by.

Okay, so season six, let's talk about it a little bit. I mean, the whole first 10 minutes of the first episode are just like an action Really. I heard there's a shocker. There's always shockers. There's always a shocker in the first one. But it's just like

It'd be shocked if there wasn't a shocker.

Exactly. Maybe we'll do that one year. Maybe we'll do that. Just no shocker. People like what? Oh, my God. So who who, can you tell us any animal or person you're going to shapeshift into this season?

Well, I can give you an animal. Sure. Sure. Great. I mean, I could do that. They won't get mad at me for that. Um I turn into a horse this year.

And what about in life? For a day if you could shape-shift into anybody or any animal?

Any body or any animal. Any body, I mean, that would take I'd have to think about that because that would be a complicated answer. I'd just hit Obama, straight up.

Yeah, Obama?

Yeah. Obama, I would say Obama on an off day, like on a like if he's at if he's kind of at Camp David on vacation.

I see, I'd want him in the in the vault where all the secrets are kept with all the boxes with the with the with a with a key that unlocks everything. You want to know the secrets. I'd go straight to JFK. You want like six floors down like where all the conspiracy theories are like being hatched. That's what I'm after.

Yeah, I hear you.

And I know you've said before, HBO naked is so different from like main network naked. Because you're really naked. You're really naked. Yeah, you're you're pretty naked. I mean, you know, you are kind of covered up a little bit. Right. But how are you prepping for it? Like at what When you take a hiatus who's laughing? When you take a hiatus and then you you get the first scripts for the next season, how far ahead are do you start to work out and do all that stuff? Do you take a hiatus or do you stay in shape all year? What do you

Here's the bummer. Okay. Here's the bummer because we always start right after Thanksgiving. Oh, lovely. So I usually have my first day shooting two days after Thanksgiving and I have to have my shirt off which is BS. I mean. That's total BS. Because part of my deal is starving myself and working out all the time because that's what you have to do just not to look ripped. Just to look passable. Just to look like a shape-shifting passable on TV without your shirt on. You have to starve yourself and exercise all the time.

All right, so we have a game for you. It's it's a "Which Would You Rather?" Okay. So we have called this game in the spirit of true blood. Super surfer or supernatural? Which would you prefer? We're going to give you scenarios. Okay. Would you rather surf Tavarua with Kelly Slater? Tavarua with Tavarua, did I call it Tavaruna? Tavarua with with Kelly Slater or shapeshift as Kelly Slater?

I'd rather surf Tavarua with Kelly. With Yeah. And that's a good question. But I just watched him win Tavarua, Fiji, two days ago. And insane waves, it was great.

Would you rather ride the largest wave of your life at Mavericks or have the ability to breathe for an unlimited time underwater, but not ever be able to tow-in surf?

Oh, wow. I'm going with that one.

Really.

I'm going with that. Because I like I like putting the the surfboard on the rail more than than in the air. I want to tell you. I'm going to take that.

You all know your people though and your surfing. You're like throwing out good references. There's some surfers here at Young Hollywood. I'm impressed. Okay, and last but not least, would you rather have one month to live and spend that last month in maybe you can help me with this one, Mentawai?

The Mentawai. Thank you.

The little islands off Indonesia. Okay, thank you. With perfect surf breaks, so one month to live in in in Indonesia that place, or having eternal life staying in Louisiana?

Oh, gosh. I love Louisiana, but I'd have to go with the former.

You're going against your home.

I know, I hate it, but you don't understand. Perfect waves, nobody there. Perfect wave with nobody there in the Mentawai. I'd have to do that.

But one month to live.

I know, but it would be like

You're a die hard surfer. Thank you for coming in.

Thank you.

Great to see you. Please come back anytime.

I will. I love it here. This is great. I don't want to leave.

Don't. We'll make you a cocktail.

I'll stay here, get the Sammy special.