She plays vampire Jessica Hamby in True Blood and in series four, she’s caught up in a love triangle with Hoyt and Jason. For 27-year-old Deborah Ann Woll, who plays her, it’s a chance to let her red hair down — even though she’s a natural blonde…

So Jessica seems to have her hands full with Hoyt and Jason. But what about her relationship with Bill, her maker?
Bill doesn’t have anybody in his life right now except for Jessica, and one of my favourite storylines this series is between Jess and Bill, because they’re real. There's a real compassion, a real love between them that is growing and you know many makers and prodigy end up together. I don’t think Bill and Jess are there yet. But you know they definitely respect one another.

Series three of True Blood was heavy on werewolves, and in series four, it’s all about the witches isn't it?
Yes. We’ve got Fiona Shaw and she’s fantastic as Marnie, the witch. She did a wonderful job. I think the character she plays is complex and fascinating. The witches are really the biggest threat to the vampires that we’ve seen so far. They have a way of fighting vampires that we haven’t seen yet.

So the vampires and witches don’t get on with each other then?
No, not too well. We can’t have any other supernatural getting in our way.

How easy is it for you to get into character as the fiery redhead?
It’s been four years now so I do feel like I have a pretty instinctual feeling for Jess now. But our writers are good enough that every season they ask us for new experiences and it’s a big deal for me. Every series, I really try to have my character end up in a different place from where she started so that there’s some growth and some evolution.

True Blood is based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels. They do differ from the books, but have you read them?
Our show is so different to the books now and my character isn’t even in the books. But I’m completely in the dark. I read the first one or two and then just let the show take over from there.

Is it exciting every time you get a new script?
Oh my gosh, yes. We just got the first episode for series five and it was such a thrilling day. I just sat down and read for two hours and loved it.

You’re actually a natural blonde, but you’ve been dying your hair since you were a teenager. Does that help make you more vampy?
I am. I’m very, very blonde naturally, and I was a redhead just under 10 years before I ever got the part. So I’ve been a redhead for a long time. I do think any change in your appearance helps you come out of your own character a little bit. That’s part of the reason why I dyed it in the first place when I was 14. So it can certainly help now.

How do you cope with all the fake blood? Does it taste bad?
Mostly it’s a sugar-based blood but we’ve all kinds of blood depending on what it has to do. If it’s sitting on the ground it’s one kind, if it’s on your face it’s another, if it’s on your body it’s different, and if it’s going in your mouth it’s different too. Some make-up artist out there was really obsessed with blood and came up with 50 different kinds!

But sometimes you have to drink it, when the vampires drink the TruBlood?
That’s purple carrot juice. It’s kind of nice.

Who are you closest to on set?
Probably Jim Parrack, who plays Hoyt. We spend so much time together shooting and he’s become a very good friend of mine. But I’m also very close to Stephen Moyer, who plays Bill. I love him and it’s just so fun working with him.

You’re of British and German descent. Have you been tempted to trace your heritage at all?
I have. My boyfriend and I went to London and Edinburgh and Dublin and finished up in Paris. He has some Scottish and Irish heritage in him as well. So we did trek around and found, you know, those little placards that they sell in gift shops that tell you your history, your surname history and all that.

What was your surname originally?
I honestly can’t remember about mine. My surname has kept the German, the Woll. But I think McFarlane was the Scottish side of my heritage. I don’t quite remember what they were. I think they were kind of a warring people, they were pretty violent I remember from the card. Even the Woll used to begin with a V. But in the States, I think we did a lot of assimilations with our name.

Would you consider taking part in a show like Who Do You Think You Are?
I don’t know. Part of me feels like the mystery is kind of interesting. We’ve been in the States for a very long time. This is old, old history. My mother’s family probably came over on the Mayflower! I imagine down the line I might be interested in that.

Elaine Penn