Story by Stereo Williams
Images by Kawai Matthews for Steed Media Service
“True Blood” is one of television’s most talked-about shows. With its combination of fantasy, horror, camp and sex, it’s not hard to see why the vampire-driven melodrama set in rural Louisiana has inspired a devoted fan following in its five seasons on HBO. Rutina Wesley, as troubled waitress-turned-vampire Tara Thornton, has been with the show from its first episode and has seen her star rise exponentially. The Las Vegas native has had to endure come-ons from complete strangers — the kind of thing that happens when you’re on a show that bares as much skin as “True Blood.”
“The [comment] I get the most — even from women — is ‘Hey, I just wanna tell you, you’re much prettier in person,’ ” she shares with a laugh.
“I go to Comic-Con and meet people who are just like ‘Omigod, wow!’” she says, still slightly surprised by the fact that fans love her. “Me and my husband were in New York at this rib place in Harlem and we were eating and one of the cute little busboys walked by and he literally stopped in his tracks and was like, ‘Omigod! Hi!’ He almost ran into stuff, it was hilarious. I love that stuff. It makes me feel good.”
