Interview: Jacob Hopkins Talks True Blood & The Vampire Authority

When young Jacob Hopkins auditioned for the role of Alexander Drew, the youngest-looking member of True Blood’s Vampire Authority, he had a swagger much like the one his character needed – he had to put off an air that he was the baddest vampire in the room. Needless to say, he got the role, and now we’ve been seeing Hopkins with increasing frequency on the HBO vampire series.

Jacob may be a young person on a very adult show, but he says the cast has been welcoming and kind. As for the characters that he works with in the Vampire Authority, Jacob says that like any other group, there are disagreements, with discussion and debate on topics like mainstreaming. “We have the fate of the vampires on our shoulders, so sometimes things can get a little heated,” he told us in an interview that was conducted last week. However, Jacob points out that the Guardian has final say. “The council gives advice on these matters, but ultimately it’s the Guardian’s decision to decide their fate, whether they die or not.”

Coming on to the True Blood set was immediately exciting for Jacob. “It’s a very grown up set. The set was so beautiful, like out of a movie. There were so many people on set; different cameras… it was very busy, but everybody knew exactly what to do at the same. We would all rehearse before we would shoot, and in between takes, there was a lot of joking and laughing… I just had a lot of fun,” he says. As to what is the coolest part? That would be the fangs. “They’re pretty real, and they’re really cool. When one of the makeup artists came up and gave me the fangs, and I looked in the mirror with my fangs, I was like ‘WHOA! These are so awesome!’  It’s way better than those cheap plastic vampire fangs you buy at Target or something,” he says.

As True Blood Season 5 continues, will we be seeing more of Alexander’s back story, and does Jacob have any theories about his character’s origins? “I love my job, [so] I can’t say,” he replies. “I get asked that a lot. I just know that Alexander must be pretty high up. I do have a guess on how he was made, and I think it’s a really good guess. Maybe Roman (Chris Meloni), the Guardian? Maybe he turned Alexander. Maybe Roman’s my maker or something. That’s my guess,” he speculates.

Jacob’s answer for “favorite vampire” comes close to home. “I LOVE Alexander,” Jacob says. “He’s a pretty cool vampire, but I [also] like vampires like Dracula or Nosferatu. The movie Dracula, I’ve seen bits and pieces of it… I do remember some parts, and they were actually pretty cool,” he explains.

When asked if he has any words for his young fans, Jacob has a very easy and hopefully inspiring answer. “I just want to say just stay in school, kids,” he laughs, with some final words to describe his character. “I’m like an old man stuck in a kid’s body,” he explains, “but if you want authority, I’ve got authority.”

You can find Jacob Hopkins on True Blood tonight at 9PM on HBO.

Photo credits: HBO & www.dharmavisions.com