…they tried this chick on for size:
Here’s Rutina in the same scene:
I think HBO made the right casting choice. What do you think?
Before True Blood Cast Rutina Wesley…
Black Is…True Blood
Vampires, telepaths, shapeshifters, werewolves….ingredients for a storyline that doesn’t include Black folk, right? Wrong. Dead wrong, in fact.
HBO’s True Blood is a hit series about a world where all of these creatures coexist with humankind. The show is addictive with a great storyline and a strong cast, and two of its members are folks I want to see more of in the future. Gay and fabulous Lafayette Reynolds (played by Nelsan Ellis) and drama-queen Tara Thornton (played by Rutina Wesley) are some of my favorite characters from this show because most often, one doesn’t get the Black perspective on a show like this. In fact, the show would still be solid and have a large following without any Black actors in the cast – but I’m glad series creator Alan Ball brought these two to the limelight. In the novels, the character of Lafayette is killed off early in the series, and the character of Tara is white. Thankfully, Ball had the foresight to keep Lafayette and change Tara. Regarding those changes to the storyline, Ball stated, “You can’t have a small Southern town like Bon Temps without black people”.
A little about the actors behind the characters: Both Nelsan and Rutina are graduates of The Juilliard School. This is Rutina’s first major role and she was cast because she was able to showcase Tara’s vulnerability. This is also Nelsan’s first major role as well, and both have been nominated for several awards for their performances.
Black is…Snoop Dogg
Say what you want about Snoop: yes, he is still crip walking, rocking the blue bandana, and throwing up gang signs at almost 40. But Cordozar Calvin Broadus is a businessman before he’s any kind of gang banger, and last night’s True Blood Tribute that aired after the episode confirmed that.
Snoop’s place in music history is undeniable, though many will argue against the imagery his stage persona perpetuates. In spite of that, Snoop has managed to build a brand that, while steeped in urban myth and stereotype, manages to have crossover appeal. Snoop stated last year that True Blood was his favorite show and he wished for a cameo appearance. HBO clearly saw this as advantageous and opted for a single instead. In usual Snoop style, the track is catchy, with some racy lyrics smeared throughout – creepy gangsta, is what I would call it.
For HBO, the promotional benefit of having an artist like Snoop promote their #1 show is far-reaching. Gangsta rap or not, Snoop has maintained nationwide crossover appeal for almost 20 years and his influence on entertainment in general is still seen today through the many artists that emulate him.