Deborah Ann Woll (TB Jessica) on becoming a Vamp

'True Blood' Star Deborah Ann Woll On Becoming A Vamp: 'I Watched A Lot Of Animal Attack Footage'

by Amy Wilkinson MTV Hollywood Crush

Bon Temps has seen a lot of changes during the second season of "True Blood." Jason left town to bunk at Jesus camp. Sam has a potential love interest in fellow shapeshifter Daphne. And orgies are all the rage thanks to mysterious Maryann. But one of the best additions to the small Louisiana town has got to be newborn vampire Jessica, played by Deborah Ann Woll.

The 24-year-old Brooklyn native spoke with H Magazine(see her full cover after the jump) about preparing to play Jessica, on-set antics and her favorite horror flicks.

For Deborah, portraying a sheltered-teenager-turned-mischevious-bloodsucker took both mental and physical preparation. "Research is a great tool," she said. "The more I know about my surroundings and the situations I am in the more creative I can be. So there is the culture of Louisiana, the primal vampire animalistic qualities, the awkward home schooled teenager syndrome. Even sometimes looking up precisely what a word means can be very eye opening."

Wildlife footage was also a great tool for mastering the "alien/animal" movements of a vampire. "I watched a lot of animal videos and often attack footage. Stalking and attacking and killing are practices lost in most humans, so I needed to teach myself to do them."

The HBO series isn't all blood, guts and gore though. Deborah described the set's vibe as comical, even revealing that hunky Ryan Kwanten, who plays Jason, is quite the prankster, inciting a bit of revenge from the crew. "I heard they filled his car to the brim with tiny styrofoam balls," Deborah said. "I don't believe he will ever get them all out!"

So what horror flicks does a vampire (or a gal who plays a vampire) watch to give herself the willies? "Well, at present I would say Neil Marshall's 'Descent.' That really terrified me and it was shot so creatively," Deborah said. " 'His Dog Soldiers' is great too. But growing up I always loved 'Alien,' 'The Exorcist,' and the original 'Haunting' with Julie Harris. 'The Haunting' would keep me up at night."