1056 replies to this topic

[Prettyeyes]

He's the handsome, mysterious drifter who has the hots for a certain blonde, telepathic waitress. He's also a 173-year-old ex-Confederate soldier/vampire, but nobody's perfect. Anyway, while I've never read the True Blood books, if the series version, based on what I've seen so far, is any indication, he's a keeper.

Chat about all things related to Bill Compton here.

[Door]

Bill was a little rugged looking in this pilot. I always pictured him as being more groomed and put together. Trust me, I'm not complaining (boy, am I not complaining!), just wondering if that means anything character-wise. on another note, I'm happy to see Stephen Moyer again! I loved his small-but-memorable role in Quills.

[Shenanigan]

I just hope he shows more character in the series than in the books. In the books I found him to have all the personality of a dial tone. At least so far he's easy enough on the eyes.

[kirshpgh]

Bill does look healthier (well, for a vampire) in later appearances. Even in this BloodCopy post, he looks less gaunt--but still has fabulous cheekbones. Maybe he just needed to a good meal.

[Door]

Ok, that video looks much more like the Bill Compton I had in my mind's eye! I'm also glad that he's, you know, PALE. I read another message board where someone was complaining about that. The poster said Bill looked dead compared to Angel and that Angel must have had a tanning bed! lol. Vampires in the Sookieverse are pale unless they've recently fed and I'm happy to see the show apparently sticking to that. Sorry to rant, that's something that always sort of bothered me about vamps on tv.

[Aidansmom]

Thanks for the link to the interview. I'm officially a huge fan of Bill. I thought the actor was wonderfully layered: sexy, sad, commanding, and helpless, among other things. I have watched the Sookie and Bill scenes over and over because I cannot get enough of their chemistry. He is by far my favorite character. I hope in future episodes there are less people and more Bill (and other vampires).
I can't wait to learn more about the character. Weee!

Edited by Aidansmom, Sep 8, 2008 @ 9:07 PM.

[StormEye]

The SciFi Book Club cover with Bill is how I usually picture him. A little messy, but laid back.

The clean and coiffed look doesn't make much sense to me for a man who worked the land all his life and is currently re-establishing his home. There's plenty of physical labor in that. Though I'm sure he will clean up nice for special occasions. Wouldn't be gentlemanly otherwise.

[Circus Poodle]

A purely shallow comment: I wish "Bill" were taller. But as long as he's portrayed as being a powerful character, his dynamic on the show should still work. He can be brooding, or even sulky, but should be amazing as well. Time will tell I guess.

[Door]

So apparently Eric has a rabid fan base and I had no idea...I'm obviously a very poor Charlaine Harris fan. Is there anyone out there who feels or felt the same for Bill? I know that when I first heard about TB and thought of casting choices, I wanted Eric to be good but I *needed* Bill to be PERFECT. Please tell me I'm not the only one!

[Futhark]

I am not a huge Bill fan in the books, but I agree, I really wanted Bill to be spot on because he is so integral to the growth of Sookie as a character.

[Door]

I am a huge Bill fan!

I even looked past the whole vampire database obsession. I loved him all the way up until the betrayal, couldn't BELIEVE what went down and then afterwards, I kept thinking he'd come back to Sookie or somehow sever his tie with Lorena and redeem himself. I still can't really believe that his relationship with Sookie was a set-up and nothing more. It may have started that way but I still believe he genuinely fell for her very early on.

Yep, I'm definitely twisted.

Edited by Door, Sep 10, 2008 @ 11:28 PM.

[TWoP Bayliss]

If you'd like to talk about the books, there's a thread for that. This is a TV character thread. I'm not trying to be a dick about it, but with the promising amount of traffic this show's getting, it seems necessary to establish precedents.

[Futhark]

So, back to TVBill : His fangs don't seem as drinking strawesqe as redneck vampire in the opening sequence. I am also keen on how his hair and sideburns looks old fashioned without looking completely out of place.

[Door]

I noticed that too, Futhark. The Good Ol' Boy vampire has smaller teeth that Bill does, so maybe that put his fangs closer together than Bill's were? Good Ol' Boy was rocking the Nosferatu fangs.

[Circus Poodle]

I do like this actor in the role but can't help picturing what Richard Armitage could do with it. Then again maybe casting an actor without 'searing sexual heat' was an intentional choice. We spend a lot of time with this character and Sookie may be more looking for a 'nice guy' even if he is also a vampire.

[lisbet]

I do like this actor in the role but can't help picturing what Richard Armitage could do with it.

I think RA might be a tiny bit too mature-looking for the part esp when seen in the context of the rest of the cast but oh my God! we need more RA all the time!

[Circus Poodle]

Really? He looks younger to me than the actual actor playing Bill. But it isn't as if the actor playing Bill currently is awful or anything. I'm suspending complete judgment for a few episodes more. I hope we see more of him than moping, basically.

[Nocona]

You know, when I watched those True Blood specials before the show premiered, and they interviewed Stephen Moyer, he looked younger than Bill the vampire. I'm thinking they are sometimes making him look kinda ragged to signify that he's hungry? Thirsty. Maybe.

[Circus Poodle]

I'm thinking they are sometimes making him look kinda ragged to signify that he's hungry? Thirsty. Maybe.

Good call. He's dehydrated!

[Door]

I think that's what's going on. In the books, vampires look rosier or whiter depending on how recently they've fed.

[Kris_AB]

They referred to the age thing in the episode, heh. He was turned when he was 30, he informs Sookie, then she says he looks older, hah! That about covers their bases too if Moyer ages significantly if the series lasts...just put him in a situation where a lack of available food source and stress cause him to get more ragged-looking.

When Bill talked about his past, I got the impression that his wife and kid(s?) died before he was turned, possibly due to the war, but maybe from something else like a sickness. It wasn't clear, but while talking to Sookie, it definitely sounded like he didn't outlive them due to the immortality.

Edited by Kris_AB, Sep 15, 2008 @ 2:03 AM.

[Door]

Oh, Stephen Moyer, how you have me at your mercy! I love how nuanced he's made Bill. Vampires in this universe aren't as "showy" with their emotions as humans are. They're much more subtle in their responses, and I think it's great that these tiny little facial gestures still give us such insight.

[baking23]

I kept trying to figure out why TV Bill looked so familar of course I love Quills! His bangs are driving me crazy, they make his eyes look a bit squinty, but I love the sideburns. The accent is dead on I think. Man I wish I had HBO!!

[rove3]

Never read the books but caught the show on HBO the other night. I'm not really feeling the chemistry b/w Sookie and Bill at this point. Maybe it's because Bill looks sick IMO, like terminally ill sick. I'm not finding that sexy. The actor is fine. I saw him on The Starter Wife mini-series so looks-wise he's okay, but he's not doing anything for me here. I'll give the show another shot but if I don't start feeling some chemistry soon I'm gonna bail.

[mickeymammoth]

I'm really feeling the chemistry between Bill and Sookie (evidence: I'm reading this thread. Also had to rewatch all the Bill/Sookie scenes from Ep. 2). So no complaints about this casting. I also like Richard Armitage (only reason to watch Robin Hood; can't stand the guy they got for Robin.), but since Stephen Moyer is doing it for me so effectively right now, I don't think that would have been as good somehow. Still, wish RA were on a better show...

[Boston101]

I definitely think Steven Moyer is an acquired taste. I watched the previews and was not that interested to tell you the truth. I tuned into the first episode and I was not immediately blown away either. I didn't really see the chemistry between Sookie and Bill. But, by the second episode I was hooked. After their walk in the woods I'm absolutely smitten! The two actors have a lot of chemistry.Very romantic and sexy. I'm hooked!

[lawless]

I wasn't too impressed with Steven Moyer as Bill from the still photos that I saw before the show aired, but I was happily suprised to find him to be smoldering on the show. I too think TV Bill is a lot ore interesting and attractive than Book Bill. The actor looks wonderfully predatory and hungry, yet handsome. The combination communicates a dual-nature to him that makes him compelling, attractive and scary all at the same time. His physical nature is that of a hungry wolf, and he even looks wolfish to me, but his soul seems to be that of a decent, perhaps lonely man. You see why he is attracted to Sookie -- the wolf wants her young, hot little body but the soul finds her sweetness and courage endearing.

I think the writers need to give them less exposition and more genuine conversation though. I find their actual dialogues clunky and unnatural often. The actors do a lot with little. Hopefully as the rules of the Sookieverse are explained they can leave the exposition behind.

[Kirsty]

Agreed, lawless. There is something wolfish about him! He looks the part. But I wish he'd work on the accent. I watched a little of NY-LON a few years back and I'm finding it hard to forget his arrogant wanker from London. A consistent Southern accent of some variety would help me to buy his Bill from Louisiana. ETA: Each time his accent vanishes, I'm reminded that I'm watching another performance by Stephen Moyer from Essex or wherever, and not vampire Bill. It breaks the spell for a second.

My favourite little bit of physical acting by Stephen Moyer is the way -- several times -- he quickly pulled back when Sookie suddenly invaded his personal space. I guess Bill was raised in a time when a gentleman kept a polite distance between himself and the lady he was courting. Or maybe it's a case of a wise vamp knowing to keep some distance between himself and the neck of a human he enjoys conversing with. During his evening walk with Sookie, Bill says, "Humans are usually more squeamish about vampires than you are", and the way he jerks back from her sometimes reinforces the impression that her friendly ease with him is unusual and possibly alarming. He expects decent humans to know not to trust him.

Edited by Kirsty, Sep 22, 2008 @ 1:00 PM.

[Kris_AB]

I'm not from the US south so I don't pick up on apparently fake-sounding or from-the-wrong-region-type accents, but for Bill I would just reason that because he's so old, he's also at least fairly well-traveled. The accept would slip, fade in and out, mix with other regions' dialects depending on who he interacted with over the decades.

There may be some other mistakes on the show and I guess there's no excuse for the non-immortal characters getting it wrong (and even if they did, I'd still be forgiving--this may be HBO and we expect more, but it's still TV...and I don't let it drag a show or film down for me too badly when I hear bad Canadian voices, or Brit accents put on by non-Brits), but this seems like one of the easiest aspects to fan-wank away.

[YellowRaincoat]

Shouldn't the topic be "Cold, Sexy, and Undead"?

Moyer is super sexy though. The first scene where he walks into the bar and everything else just fades to black around him and his glorious cheekbones totally gave me shivers. Also, he knows how to work the dialogue well and his chemistry with and Anna is good.