After Lafayatte hooked up with Jessica’s ex, James, on Sunday’s episode of True Blood, it’s clear that fans of the show have something to talk about and that includes the actor who plays Lafayatte as well.
Nelsan Ellis recently spoke with EW to discuss his character’s new relationship and here are some tidbits from the interview.
Was Lafayette’s speech to Jessica all scripted?
I didn’t add a thing. The writer [Craig Chester] captures Lafayette’s language so marvelously. It’s all his writing.
At a time when people are fighting for gay rights, Lafayette’s speech felt perfect. [“Everybody else in this f—ing town is falling in love, and getting engaged, and having babies. Has it ever f—-ing occurred to you that Lafayette, that queen that make all you white heterosexuals laugh and feel good about yourselves, has it ever f—ing ever occurred to you that maybe I want a piece of happiness, too?”] Was that something important for the character to say?
It is. I wouldn’t call it a gay rights thing. I would call it taking command of your own happiness. You want to be happy, you have to make yourself happy. And that’s what he did: He went in there, and he said, “I want this man, and I’m taking him. And you know what, you don’t deserve him. I do. I want to be happy. He makes me happy. So there you are.”
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Image Credit: John P. Johnson/HBO
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Spoiler alert: If you haven’t watched this week’s episode of True Blood, “Lost Cause,” stop reading now (or, at least read our full recap first). We spoke with Nelsan Ellis, who plays fan favorite Lafayette, about his second favorite scene of the series—when Lafayette asks Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll) if she really knows James (Nathan Parsons), and why it’s so unimaginable that he would want a piece of happiness, too. (His favorite Lafayette moment, for the record, remains the AIDs burger scene from season 1.)
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Was Lafayette’s speech to Jessica all scripted?
I didn’t add a thing. The writer [Craig Chester] captures Lafayette’s language so marvelously. It’s all his writing.
At a time when people are fighting for gay rights, Lafayette’s speech felt perfect. [“Everybody else in this f—ing town is falling in love, and getting engaged, and having babies. Has it ever f—-ing occurred to you that Lafayette, that queen that make all you white heterosexuals laugh and feel good about yourselves, has it ever f—ing ever occurred to you that maybe I want a piece of happiness, too?”] Was that something important for the character to say?
It is. I wouldn’t call it a gay rights thing. I would call it taking command of your own happiness. You want to be happy, you have to make yourself happy. And that’s what he did: He went in there, and he said, “I want this man, and I’m taking him. And you know what, you don’t deserve him. I do. I want to be happy. He makes me happy. So there you are.”
When did you find out James was going to be a love interest for Lafayette?
Probably about a month before we started shooting. And I was like, “Oh, him?” But then the old James quit because I don’t know. And then they hired a new James, Nathan Parsons, and I was like, “Okay.” I was fine with it.
Did you get to talk to Nathan before he was hired?
No. We didn’t get to talk. But me and Nathan have had strange conversations, like, you know… [Laughs] You know. Who’s doing what?
To read the entire interview, visit EW.com
Credit: EW.com
