True Blood's Lafayette: A Gay Icon in the Making
I'm not usually one to go for the fantasy-based stuff. I mean, yah, I saw "Interview with a Vampire" but I had an entirely different motivation - namely Brad + Tom + Antonio. God I feel so '90s saying that, but hey, they were all hot then.
But with the current TV season totally sucking I checked "True Blood" out, and I'm in. It's killah. Alan Ball, the genius behind one of my favorite shows ever, "Six Feet Under" has struck gold with his latest, slightly less morbid, offering. And the icing on the cake is it has arguably one of the most entertaining gay characters on TV right now. Possibly ever...for eternity even.
Nelsan Ellis' Lafayette is a ghetto-fabulous short-order cook/drug dealer/wannabe Internet porn sensation living in the backwoods vampire-infested town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. He slings hash and bon mots at Merlotte's, the town's hillbilly watering hole and default social center. It's here that series star Anna Paquin works as a waitress, all the while suppressing her ability to read minds and falling in love with the 175-year-old vampire, Bill Compton, whose just thiiiis shy of being as sexy as he should be.
But while most of the action revolves around Paquin's Sookie Stackhouse (love the name!), Compton, and Sookie's simpleton, sex-addicted brother Jason (who bears a distracting resemblance to a sexy George Bush), it's Lafayette who steals every scene he's in and elevates this show to an art form.
You may think I'm overstating things. But there is something so genuinely effortless in Ellis' performance. I've never heard of the guy - he's from a theater background. I have no idea if he's gay or not, but it's completely irrelevant. Ellis has succeeded in making Lafayette, who on paper has no redeeming qualities, a virtual calm in the storm that has descended on Bon Temps. While the rest of the town is caught up in the drama of mainstreaming vampires (who now live among the living thanks to synthetic blood), Lafayette just goes about his bizness, looking out for himself but offering a perspective on life so desperately missing from the town/our world.
I imagine it's no easy task for an actor to take on such a meaty role. As I understand it, the Lafayette character in the True Blood book series was a footnote at most. Here, Ball and the writers had the good sense to make use of Ellis' talent and blow the role out. And because of that, we have one of TV's only gay men of color (quick: name one other!) whose flamboyance is second only to his ass-kicking abilities.
Check out the now-iconic "Burger Deluxe" clip here for a taste of Lafayette. Trust me, like a vampire, you'll be back for more. Let's just hope the powers-that-be at "True Blood" have the good sense to keep Lafayette safe from the undead.
One final note: Making things more interesting is the addition of Stephen Root, best known as the Milton (the Stapler Guy) from "Office Space" as a gay vampire "friend" of Lafayette's. Unusual casting for sure, but the scene between the two men exchanging, um, bodily fluids was amazing.
(Image courtesy of HBO)
Oh, Lafayette is probably my favorite character in this series.
It's funny, I'm a lesbian, but if I were a gay man, Oh. Oh oh oh.
And this scene is amazing.
"Tip your waitress."
Ah! Love it.
Posted by: Molly | November 05, 2008 at 09:40 PM
Well, I don't want to step on Nelsan Ellis' superb acting ability, but frankly, I can't stand the Lafayette character on True Blood. I'm so tired of Hollywood forcing their vision/version of the stereotypical homosexual down our throats so that everyone who watches the show automatically assumes that the character shown is typical of the majority of other gay southern men. It's not, just for the record. I wish some director or producer would actually take the time to find out what type of people most southern gay men are. It's no wonder we still don't have equal rights. Considering what's seen on TV & in movies, including outrageous gay celebrities & their antics, as well as the more publicized flaming parades & other events. Hell, some of those homos scare the shit out of me, too!
Posted by: Tracy Pike | November 05, 2008 at 10:30 PM
Well, I think the vampire lead is very very sexy. Did you see the scene in which he is standing outside Sookie's house in the moonlight - and there is a very large trouser snake showing down his right leg????? Hmmmmm......
Posted by: David | November 06, 2008 at 09:47 AM
Amen, Tracy!
And I'm SO tired of Hollywood depicting every Southerner (gay or straight) as an inbred "backwoods" "hillbilly" (and I'm quoting here from the above article).
Posted by: James | November 06, 2008 at 12:22 PM
Thank you Tracy and James!!
I second your statements both about Hollywood's ideas about gay people and general stereotypes of Southerners.
Glad to see some people aren't towing the line.
Posted by: Tomas | November 06, 2008 at 02:15 PM
I LOVE TRUE BLOOD.NELSAN ELLIS AS LAFAYETTE IS SOOO MUCH FUN TO WATCH. HE DOESN'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT WHAT ANYONE THINKS OF HIS HOMOSEXUALITY OR ANYTHING ELSE FOR THAT MATTER. HIS COUSIN ON THE SHOW TARA THORNTON PLAYED BY RUTINA WELSEY IS A COMPLETE RIOT. THE LINES THEY GIVE HER ARE AMAZING AND SHE DELIVERS THEM SO WELL!
Posted by: Dorothy | November 07, 2008 at 08:02 AM
Don't forget that this show is from a book series written by a Southern woman. While I understand and agree with your complaints generally, in this case, if you don't like the characters, you really have to blame the author.
Posted by: Glen | November 07, 2008 at 08:43 PM
True Blood is my new favorite show!
Lafayette is in a rural town, doing what he can to survive, and I relate. He is also the show's best source for sage advice and reason. But don't get him mad!
Posted by: Lance | November 12, 2008 at 10:57 AM
I don't disagree about the stereotyping -- but I do have to note that the creator/producer / oft-times writer and occasional director of "True Blood" is Alan Ball -- an Atlanta-born, southern-raised homosexual. So having a gay southerner in charge isn't the road to solving the problems you mention.
Posted by: Buster | November 12, 2008 at 09:44 PM
I really hope that Lafayette comes back in the summer. He is wonderful. The best character on TV right now. There is so much more they can do with him. He is dimensional and witty, and despite his illegal activities has something admirable about him. I applaud Ball for fleshing out this character and casting such a superb actor. He is critical to the show. I hope they keep him.
Posted by: lydia | November 23, 2008 at 09:50 PM
PLEASE PLEASE DON'T KILL LAFAYETTE. COMMUNITY, WE MUST BAN TOGETHER AND CALL/EMAIL HBO. PLEASE. ITS IMPORTANT.
Posted by: merovingian | November 24, 2008 at 03:52 PM
Lafayette must live!!!
They have to bring him back for 2nd season, no matter what the book says. HBO has to listen. The guy can't die.
Posted by: Joe6pack | November 24, 2008 at 10:21 PM
Lafayette must live!!!
They have to bring him back for 2nd season, no matter what the book says. HBO has to listen. The guy can't die.
Posted by: Joe6pack | November 24, 2008 at 10:22 PM
Lafayette must live!!!
They have to bring him back for 2nd season, no matter what the book says. HBO has to listen. The guy can't die.
Posted by: Joe6pack | November 24, 2008 at 10:22 PM
lafayette fucking rules, and bill 2. those characters are my fav!!! :p
Posted by: andrea | November 25, 2008 at 01:27 PM
check out otep there a sick vamp band
Posted by: cyn | December 01, 2008 at 11:42 AM
Lafayette is a great character wonderfully played by a strong actor. True Blood has featured all sorts of gay characters in its first season. An undertaker's assistant, a goth vampire, a closeted Republican senator, a club kid, a quietly reserved conservative vampire. What the complainers on this post are really saying is that there is no room in their southern world for "effeminate" men like Lafayette. Screw that! Diversity is good.
Posted by: Thom | December 30, 2008 at 07:15 PM
Does nobody recall that Lafayette's character was most definitely killed in the series finale of season one? Upsetting, yes. But totally true...
Posted by: Mike | January 07, 2009 at 02:32 AM
Ignoring the ridiculously obnoxious comments above attempting to change things that, frankly, aren't likely to change (specifically, "Lafayette must live!"), I'm throwing my two cents' worth in on the matter of certain complaints about stereotypes.
I personally had no problems at all with Lafayette's behavior in the show; I haven't seen the entire first season because I fell behind after ep. 7 and haven't caught up yet, so maybe I'm corrected in a later episode, but from what I picked up, Lafayette isn't exclusively gay in the first place--he's just not picky.
I live in the south myself, and I've MET (and have been friends with) more effeminate men than him. Really. His voice IN THE VIDEO CLIP PROVIDED is amazingly powerful and strong--definitely bringing to my mind thoughts of thugs and street gangs MUCH more readily than prettyboys and drag queens.
Gay people, just like straight ones, come in ALL shapes, sizes, and colors. Everywhere.
If they are going to include one gay main character, and they can't use any stereotypes at all, oh do please tell just what kind of character you would like to see.
I think that Lafayette's character does a fantastic job as he is. He isn't there to be gay. He's there to be himself, and he happens to have sex with men while he's at it.
Posted by: Chrisi | January 18, 2009 at 12:04 AM
True Blood is an amazing show and Alan Ball is a genius in the way he is able to tell so much in this show. I can't wait for season 2.
http://truebloodnet.com
Posted by: True Blood | March 17, 2009 at 09:00 AM
hi...what's the real name of eddy the old gay vampire of true blood?....im searching but i cant find him...in the oficial page only see the more importants characters...anyway i cant wait for season 2!!
Posted by: luis | March 23, 2009 at 02:23 PM