This werewolf's no regular Joe

By Victoria Barker
my paper
Wednesday, Nov 23, 2011

WHEN it comes to showing skin, American actor Joe Manganiello - who plays werewolf Alcide Herveaux on HBO vampire drama True Blood - is now an expert.

That's considering the raunchy sex scenes and almost-full-blown nudity required for his performance on True Blood, which also stars Anna Paquin.

The gruff-voiced 34-year-old - who was named one of People Magazine's sexiest men alive last year and who works out twice a day, six days a week, to maintain his buff physique - also once went full-frontal for a stage performance in college, he said.

But he admitted that "running around naked in broad daylight" for scenes in True Blood took some getting used to.

On the line with Asian media from Hong Kong, where he was on a promotional junket for the show, Manganiello revealed candidly that "I've gotten more comfortable with it, but I'm not comfortable knowing my parents are watching (such scenes)", he added with a chuckle.

Still, he's fine with those because they add to the character.

The character of Alcide - potential love interest and protector of Paquin's Sookie Stackhouse character on the show - is a new one in the Golden Globe-winning programme, which details the co-existence of humans, vampires and other supernatural beings in the fictional Louisiana town of Bon Temps. It airs on HBO every Thursday.

Manganiello also revealed that he has one thing in common with the mythological, shape-shifting creature he plays on the show: They're both hot.

No, really. Manganiello is, ahem, hot-blooded - almost supernaturally so - just like werewolves are supposed to be in the Stackhouse novels that True Blood is based on.

The Pittsburgh native told my paper with a laugh: "If I have a girlfriend, she doesn't like me to put my arm around her when I'm sleeping, because I'm so hot she'll start sweating. So, I have to go sleep on the other side of the bed."

Apart from that, h! e added, both himself and Alcide eat a lot of meat, and "growl a lot when we're unhappy".

Manganiello - who graduated from Pittsburgh's esteemed Carnegie Mellon School of Drama - is obviously relishing his role as Alcide, which is opening doors for him. The Alan Ball-created hit has led to new offers and opportunities for the actor, though he's had bit parts on shows like How I Met Your Mother and One Tree Hill in the past.

The bachelor will next appear in an upcoming episode of sitcom Two And A Half Men, as well as two movies: rom-com What To Expect When You're Expecting, and Steven Soderbergh-directed Magic Mike. Both movies are slated for release next year.

Magic Mike, which will also star hunks like Matthew McConaughey and Channing Tatum, is inspired by Tatum's past as a male stripper.

And, though he recently lost out in the race to be the next Superman - he was shortlisted for Zack Snyder's Man Of Steel movie, but filming schedules clashed with True Blood's - Manganiello's not bitter.

"The only reason the people behind Superman even knew about me is because of True Blood," he said matter-of-factly. Humble, too. We like.

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