FIRST PUBLISHED: September 12, 2011 6:40 PM EDT
By Jolie Lash
LOS ANGELES, Calif. --
Kevin Alejandro said goodbye to his life as Bon Temps’ resident nurse, brujo and the love of Nelsan Ellis’ Lafayette Reynolds on the season finale of “True Blood,” and his exit produced an outpouring of emotions from the actor’s friends and colleagues.
“My phone’s been blowing up. The ones that I’ve worked with have been like, ‘Great job!’ and the ones that didn’t know [the twist] – it was another sort of ‘Southland’ effect,” Kevin told Access Hollywood on Monday, referencing the shocking death of his TNT character, Detective Nate Moretta, on the cop show. “A lot of people were actually kind of touched by it and surprised and shocked.”
It was around the time they began work on Episode 2 that Kevin heard from “True Blood” writer Alexander Woo and creator Alan Ball, that his character, Jesus, would be meeting his end in Season 4.
“It was, actually. I thought it would be interesting. The direction that they put the characters in [was] so ‘in love,’ where we balance each other out,” Kevin explained of his idea. “What an incredible statement to go into the show, creating such love and having the one person that you love the most have to take your life.”
Filming the moment – with just the two men on screen – was emotional, not just because the characters were in love, but because the two actors have become very good friends in real life.
“It was really sad for me, ‘cause it’s the inevitable end. I know what’s coming, we all know what’s coming,” Kevin told Access. “Nelsan wasn’t exaggerating when he said that we’ve become extremely close. My family loves him. When we found out that I was gonna die, he was the first person out at my [home]. We were talking about it and trying to figure out if it was something that we did, just trying to figure out why exactly they were going in this direction with the character.
The decision actually had to do with creator Alan’s much-talked about idea that happy couples don’t make good TV, the same notion that led to Bill Compton and Sookie Stackhouse splitting up in Season 3.
“I think in a strange sense, I think it made Nelsan and I closer as friends, because we knew that our time as buddies on the show together was coming to an end,” Kevin said. “It sort of put our friendship into fast forward, in a sense, and became super set.”
While Jesus is no longer in the land of the living, Kevin is ready to come back when the Bon Temps powers that be come calling.
“I’ve talked to a couple of people who make those decisions and yeah, I think I will be back in some aspect of helping [Lafayette] try and figure out how to use his magic, or if he gets in trouble, I think there might be an easy way to see Jesus come back,” Kevin said.
On December 6 at 9 PM, fans looking for a Kevin fix can head over to his old “Southland” home on TNT, and catch him in the television movie, “Hide.”
“It’s a detective story. I get to play a detective again, working with the amazing Carla Gugino,” he said. “It’s just the two of us going on this journey together, trying to find this serial killer who kidnapped young women.”
Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
[Source]
FIRST PUBLISHED: September 12, 2011 1:08 AM EDT
LAST UPDATED: September 12, 2011 10:08 AM EDT
By Jolie Lash
LOS ANGELES, Calif. --
On Sunday, in a bloody and emotional episode, “True Blood” wrapped up Season 4 in a very dramatic fashion that included saying goodbye to several Bon Temps’ faces – including Lafayette Reynold’s true love, Jesus Velasquez.
While he never expected his character, Lafayette, to live happily ever after with Jesus, Nelsan Ellis told Access Hollywood he was still thrown by the twist that took the nurse and brujo, played by Kevin Alejandro, out of the land of the living.
Having shot the scene months ago – one that saw Lafayette, possessed by the witch Marnie, stab a tied-up Jesus to take his brujo powers — Nelsan said he understood why Kevin wanted his character to go out at Lafayette’s hands.
“I kind of see why he requested that. It was just he and [I] that started and he and I that sort of went out in bloody flames,” the actor told Access.
Filming those final moments between the two men was “painful,” according to Nelsan, who praised Kevin and what the former “Southland” star brought to the small screen.
“It was painful because we’ve become good friends. That’s my dude. He’s one of the best people that I’ve come to know — and his wife… I just love his family… and his energy,” Nelsan said. “I’m not gonna have that any more, so it was painful and we have such a good rapport, the best rapport I’ve ever had with another actor.”
While Jesus’ life was brutally ended on Sunday’s episode, Nelsan said he expects that Lafayette’s newfound medium abilities will create future opportunities for the two to connect.
“He definitely will be coming back. Next season, as Lafayette learns how to use his power, then we certainly will see Jesus,” Nelsan said.
Nelsan too, is supportive of the idea, which was hinted at with the exposed concrete and silver chains Alcide Herveaux (Joe Manganiello) discovered in Sunday’s season finale.
“I would love Denis O’Hare to come back,” Nelsan said. “And he should could come back to be my boyfriend.”
“The king of Louisiana and the new medium of Bon Temps? I think that would be a good combination, certainly a powerful combination,” he added.
Filming the next season is still months away and Nelsan is currently at work on “Gods Behaving Badly,” a film about Greek Gods living in modern day New York City, who encounter trouble after being discovered by a human couple, played by Alicia Silverstone and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.
“I am shooting it as we speak,” Nelsan, who plays Dionysus in the film, told Access Hollywood. “It’s fun.”
Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Following clip is an interview with Kevin at Comic-Con 2011.
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