Alexander Skarsgård originally auditioned for the role of Bill.
The American Southern accent sounding main cast includes Anna Paquin who grew up in New Zealand, British Stephen Moyer, Australian Ryan Kwanten and Swedish Alexander Skarsgård.
The title sequence avoids using any of the actors because Alan Ball dislikes other TV shows that do that. Since we're watching these people for the next hour anyway he doesn't see the point in it.
Kristin Bauer van Straten always panics when she has to say things in Swedish.
Ian Somerhalder auditioned for the role of Jason Stackhouse.
To shoot the title sequence, the production crew took a 4 day trip to Louisiana, Chicago (where the church was filmed), and Seattle (for the bar scenes and writhing bodies). They would jump out of their cars as soon as they saw something they liked, or got permission to shoot people's homes, like the man in the rocking chair. He later had a few beers with them. Executive producer Mark Bayshore is the man dancing with the girl, her arm around him, and his sons are the boys with berry juice over their faces.
Currently the show with the largest cable audience, a record previously held by The Sopranos (1999).
The exteriors for the mansion home of Russell Edgington, the Vampire King of Mississippi, and his husband, Talbot, were filmed on location at Longwood, a mansion in Natchez, Mississippi. Longwood is unusual in several respects: it is an octagonal structure, an architectural style that was otherwise unknown at the time in the region; the tower has a large, onion-shaped dome on its top; and because the Civil War interrupted its construction, it has never been completed - the family that commissioned it was never able to live in the main part of the house and instead furnished the basement. Longwood is a registered National Historic Landmark
Nearly every episode of True Blood (2008) ends on a cliffhanger. The following episode picks up right where the last one left off.
The part of Tara Thornton was originally given to Brook Kerr. Rutina Wesley replaced her after two episodes were filmed. All of Kerr's scenes were re-shot.
The name of the werewolf bar, "Lou Pine's," is a play on the word "lupine," an adjective that means "having to do with wolves" (from the Latin "lupus," for wolf).
Stellan Skarsgård was offered a role but had to turn it down as he was unavailable.
In the novels, Tara doesn't appear until Book 2, Living Dead In Dallas. She's only a minor character and not Sookie's best friend like she is in the series.
Charlaine Harris, the author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels makes a cameo in the Season 2 finale at Merlotte's. Also in the same episode, Bill Compton has a reservation at a French restaurant, and where he's written Mr, the r is superscripted, just like it was in the olden days; a reflection of his age.
Michael Raymond-James hired a dialect coach to pull off a Cajun accent. The two worked closely on the script, inserting French into Rene's dialogue for effect. Some people found it hard to understand this, because his accent was that authentic. The dialect coach did the same work with Michael Jeter on The Green Mile (1999).
Joe Manganiello (Alcide Herveaux) originally auditioned for the role of Cooter.
Alexander Skarsgård, who plays Eric, is from Sweden and the language spoken by him and his subjects is Swedish.
True Blood (2008) is broadcast in over 40 countries.
The name of the fictional northern Louisiana town, Bon Temps, means "good times" in French, and is a nod to the Cajun expression, "Laissez les bon temps rouler!" ("Let the good times roll!")
The Dallas hotel Sookie and Bill Compton check into in Season 2 is the hotel Carmilla, a reference to the vampire novel of the same name from 1872. The scenes at Carmilla were shot in 2 days, 18 hours for the first and 24 hours the following week. The guests brushed shoulders with Anna Paquin as well as the employees.
Stephen Moyer performs "Hard Hearted Hannah" at the piano in Season 2.
Maryann is supposedly a Maenad. In Greek, this is a female follower of Bacchus, the God of Wine. To illustrate that point, Maryann is often seen drinking a glass of wine.
Each episode title is a song that always plays out over the end credits. One of the songs from Season 2, Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus had to have a line changed. It went from "white as snow" to "black as snow" to remove any connection of race and sin, and the suggestion that white is pure while black is not.
Godric is a teenager in the novels. When his lair was blown up it was actually destroyed. It was toughest on the crew because they built it from scratch.
In the book and TV series, you can rescind a vampire's invite, which goes against most vampiric lore.
Queen Sophie-Anne's house doesn't have an ocean view really; the windows each had a custom made diorama to give the illusion of a view; its meant to show what she might like to gaze upon in daylight.
Anna Camp (Sarah Newlin) previously auditioned for the role of Sookie Stackhouse.
Vampires cry tears of blood in the series; this may have been inspired by the works of Anne Rice, where vampires do the same.
Russell Edgington favors Waterford crystal. His mansion is filled with pieces, and the urn containing Talbot's remains his also by Waterford. According to production designer Suzuki Ingerslev, the pieces were lent to the production by the owners of the famous Irish crystal manufacturers because they are fans of the show.
The environment of Bon Temps, hot and humid, is meant to be like a character in the series; to set the scene for passion and horror.
The first season is based mostly on 'Dead Until Dark,' the first book of Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire series.
The Fellowship of the Sun church is the Sky Rose chapel at Rose Hills memorial park in Whittier, California. Its 15 miles East of downtown LA. Its the largest cemetery in the US with over 600 employees. It was one of the first to offer all services of memorialization.
Bill Compton was born on April 9, 1840, and died (made into a vampire) on November 25, 1868, according to the novels. Although he has the appearance of a 28 year old man, he is 168 years old in the pilot episode.
The bird lady sculpture that Sam Merlotte stole from Maryann was made in 3 days. 2 other copies were made and kept on standby. Cindy Jackson didn't mind because she was used to tight deadlines after designing toys for Happy Meals. She did it in her kitchen after her studio was demolished by a wayward driver. The sculpture was a bird lady because it best reflected Maryann's nature, which is why Michelle Forbes performed many scenes with her arms up in the air; she's supposed to be communing with her god.
During Season 1, we see the coffins of the three members of Malcolm's nest. One of the coffins in the nest (specifically the green marble one) has "Gott ist tot" written repeatedly around it's side. "Gott ist tot" is German for "God is dead".
The stones in Miss Jeanette's exorcism belong to one of the show's writers, Chris Offutt. He has a whole collection of them since childhood.
While shooting some of Season 2, Ashley Jones was concurrently appearing in The Bold and the Beautiful (1987). She often went without sleep between shifts. She also has a no-nudity clause written into her contract, even when the casting call insisted on it. So whenever Daphne's character involves anything like seduction, its done in silhouette instead.
Because vampires are scarred by silver, they cannot use traditional silverware; Russell Edgington's table is set with gold flatware.
At Maryann's mansion, there is a mural of Pan beside the pool. The female figure in the mural was altered to look like Maryann.
In season 4 the name of the Shreveport Werewolf pack leader is Marcus Bozeman. In Dutch "Bozeman" means 'angry man'.
Katee Sackhoff was offered the role of Debbie Pelt but turned it down to appear in the pilot Boston's Finest (2010).
Season 2 corresponds loosely to Living Dead in Dallas, the second book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. Season 3 corresponds loosely to Club Dead, the third book in the series.
Michelle Forbes watched the films of Ken Russell, as well as channeled 80s artist Lydia Lunch to get her portrayal of Maryann.
Maryann's mansion was filmed close to the Huntington Library and gardens, the Santa Anita racecourse and the LA arboretum; all popular filming destinations.
Courtney Ford (Portia Bellefleur) previously auditioned for the roles of Daphne Landry and Debbie Pelt.
Paola Turbay (Antonia Gavilán) previously auditioned for an unnamed vampire role.