Season 4 of HBO’s blood-sucking blockbuster series True Blood premieres this Sunday at 9, but for a lucky few the first taste of new blood came last night as cast and crew arrived for the official True Blood Season 4 Premiere Event held at the Arclight Theatre in Los Angeles.
All the big stars were in attendance, including leads Stephen Moyer (Bill Compton) and Anna Paquin (Sookie Stackhouse) looking gorgeous as ever, but the one who stole the show on the red carpet was newbie Janina Gavankar, who will be playing shapeshifter Luna Garza in the upcoming season. Janina put a stake through my heart by wearing a gray minidress with an eye-popping chestacular neckline that inspired me to officially change Janina’s name to the vampire inspired Count Rackula! (Countess Rackula seemed like too much of a stretch.)
I first took a shine to Janina when I was putting together a post of the cast’s official studio portraits (CLICK HERE to see the post, including a great True Blood/Brady Bunch mash-up graphic!). No doubt True Blood is jam packed with some mighty fine peeps – male and female – but Janina was the standout in that group of 20 photos too.
So what does all this mean, besides the fact that I am a red-blooded (uh oh) heterosexual male not blind to obvious super sexiness? It means fans should have a lot to look forward to as this sultry star steps in and assumes the role of potential love interest for Sam Merlotte!
Here’s a little behind-the-scenes sneak peek clip of Janina in action with Sam Merlotte (Samm Trammel) on the set of True Blood Season 4:
Janina talked about playing the part of Luna, which follows in the footsteps of successful roles on The L Word (Papi) and The Gates (Leigh Turner), with Gianna of Inside True Blood:
Gianna: Can you tell us about your role on the show? Who are you? Where do you come from? What’s in store for your character this season?
Janina: I play Luna. I grew up on Navajo Nation, and I’m now a schoolteacher. I refuse to tell you much more. I really don’t know much yet, because you guys haven’t told me anything, but I suspect that things are about to get a liiiitle crazy for me here in Bon Temps.
Gianna: What do you think the fans will most look forward to in the Luna storyline?
Janina: I think they’ll enjoy watching a nice girl from outside of Bon Temps fall for Sam Merlotte. I know there are plenty of fans who would love him to find a nice girl… Luna could be that person!
Gianna: Were you a fan of the show before you joined? If so, who’s your favorite character and what’s your favorite storyline?
Janina: I wasn’t! I’d only seen bits and pieces. As soon as I knew I’d be joining the show, I marathoned the whole shebang. Favorite character? I LOVE Lafayette. He’s a survivalist, he’s fiercely protective, and he calls it like it is. Nelsan is kind of a genius too… there’s that. Haha!
But don’t think for a second that acting and looking damn fine are the only talents in Janina Gavankar’s arsenal! (Wow – I just wrote “Janina Gavankar’s arse”) Gavankar’s talents extend into the realm of music as well as the Indian/Dutch beauty is a trained pianist, vocalist and orchestral percussionist! (My crushometer is telling me, “Danger! Danger, Will Robinson!”) Check out this sultry video from Janina for her cover of Kanye West’s “Love Lockdown:”
If that’s her playing xylophone I might as well apply for my stalker’s license right now! (Just kidding Janina)
Janina has already had a great deal of success but her appearance on a huge show like True Blood could be the powder keg that launches her into superstardom! If celebrities were stocks my advice to all of you would be to BUY! BUY! BUY!!! Still have your doubts about investing, here’s one last looooooooooong look at her portfolio:
Top and bottom photos: Veronica Summers / Splash News
Middle photo: FayesVision/WENN.com
