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True Blood star Anna Paquin says she uses boxing to get the aggression out of her system – and heads to the gym with her husband, sexy True Blood co-star Stephen Moyer.
“Punching stuff really hard tends to get out aggression,” the stunning Kiwi star laughs. “I think most people who box would probably tell you that – or those who have punched a wall or two!”
The down-to-earth 28-year-old had only ever acted as a skunk in her school play before winning an oscar for her role in The Piano in 1994. Now the actress has become one of the best-known faces on the celebrity circuit.
Dealing with fame and a busy filming schedule, she makes sure she finds room in her life to keep fit.
“I like trying stuff. I was a gymnast when I was younger, so I’ve always really liked that kind of stuff. I do Pilates, I run, I do yoga…”
Having to do nude scenes is also part of the incentive, she reveals.
“And you wonder why actresses are so thin! Someone takes your clothes away and then sticks a camera on your body. You’re going to exercise, even if you hate it more than anything. I’m pretty lucky that I actually like exercise.”
She’s at a loss to understand the success of True Blood. “When you start a project, you all believe in what you’re doing. Sometimes, when it comes out, other people like it too and sometimes it comes out and no-one cares.
“This time, people cared,” she laughs. “Why? I have no idea.”
She adores the blood and gore of her role as Sookie Stackhouse. “I love getting really involved in it and getting into weird, physical, dirty, vampire, blood, whatever. That, to me, is the fun stuff.
“It’s awesome! I was never one of those prissy, girlie girls that didn’t want to get their clothes dirty. I never cared. When I grew up in New Zealand, I was always barefoot and hanging upside down from a tree.”
Anna says she loves playing a strong woman like Sookie. “She can handle a chain, or outrun a serial killer. She’s hardcore, in a very sweet, southern, charming kind of way.”
She thinks her outspoken Kiwi upbringing helped her gain confidence. “I grew up in a really verbal household where, if you didn’t learn to speak fast, you didn’t get to have an opinion,” she laughs.
“Everyone in my family is very bright and very articulate, and I was the youngest. So, you either speak fast and have something to say, or no-one is listening.”
She is surprised by the controversy over a recent photo of her on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine showing her undressed, pressed against her two naked male co-stars. “People seem to be a lot more uptight about that here [in the US],” she says. “I don’t care. I don’t see what the big deal is. People have sex, people are usually naked when they do it. They’re not usually wearing a bra and having the sheets really delicately placed… are you kidding me?”
Anna famously dyed her hair blonde for the part of Sookie, but says she wears a wig in the messiest scenes.
“Last season, they pureed a vampire on top of me. They shot a sort of hose with gallons of blood and vampire chunks at my face. I’m obviously not a real blonde and it would be a really big disaster if I ended up with pink hair or something.”
So, do blondes have more fun? Yes, says Anna. “People stare at blonde people more than they stare at brunettes. I guess it’s because it’s bright and shiny and it catches the light.”
It also means people recognise her more now. “Once they’re staring at you, then they’re like, ‘You look kind of familiar. Did I go to high school with you?”
