Since the day we started devoting an insane amount of time to this website, one of our hopes was to nab an interview with Jessica Tuck. Her character, Nan Flanagan, had fascinated us from the very first True Blood episode, “Strange Love.” Nan was always in the peripheral, setting the tone for the state of vampire politics; but now, it has gotten to the point where she is the focal point of most of the speculation that involve our dearest vampires. What is Nan’s agenda? How high up is she with the Authority?
Last October, Jessica was upgraded to a regular on True Blood and the theories have run wild regarding her implications on the show’s storyline, American Vampire League’s agenda and most recently, her possible relationship with Bill Compton. Finally, here it comes: enjoy our chat with Jessica, but be warned, this interview contains spoilers.
TB-N: You graduated from Yale with a psychology degree, did you ever practice psychology? What drew you to acting and what was your first role?
JT: I have never done anything “professional” with my psychology degree but I do feel that my studies have helped me as an actress. Psychology is the study of mind and behaviour and as an actor you are always exploring characters – who they are, what makes them tick, how they interact with others. This is in part what drew me to acting – the opportunity to explore the psychology of human being. I am also a restless person and acting promised constant challenge and change – it’s a very engaging profession. I started out doing a lot of NYU student films and small independent films. The first job that really paid my rent was a three year gig on the Soap Opera, One Life To Live.
TB-N: Your experience in television has been very vast, you’ve been nominated for an Emmy and you’ve been in one of my favorite (cancelled!) TV shows, 1999′s Cupid with Jeremy Piven. Are there any favorite genres that you prefer? What are you watching now?
JT: I love both comedy and drama. It’s more about the character for me – is there something to sink my teeth into? I don’t watch a lot of TV- don’t seem to have the time. OF COURSE, I watch True Blood. I was also a huge fan of Big Love before it went off the air. I like Grey’s Anatomy and I watch Project Runway and Dancing With The Stars with my 8 year old daughter. My husband and I like Real Time with Bill Maher and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
TB-N: Did you audition for the role of Nan Flanagan or another role? Can you tell us a bit about the process you went through to become Nan?
JT: I did audition for Nan. It was a pretty straight forward process. It was one audition for Alan Ball. Originally, Nan was only going to be in a few episodes and then they just kept writing her in. I feel very fortunate that she has grown into the character she is today.
TB-N: Nan has a very public-friendly persona, she is a well-spoken politician and dresses elegantly while on TV, however, off-camera we see her as some kind of dominatrix who is one of the toughest vampires we’ve seen on True Blood. How does Nan juggle her PR job role with that of vampire enforcer?
JT: I think part of what makes Nan so scary is the fact that she can flip from one persona to the other so easily. I don’t think it’s a “juggle” for her. She doesn’t have much of a conscience. She does what she has to do to get the job done and doesn’t apologize for it. She believes in her power and her right to wield it .
Read on here
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