Returning to television as True Blood’s Arlene Fowler, Carrie Preston is a member of one of TV’s hottest casts. We recently got a chance to chat with Carrie about blood, vampires and what it takes to make it on the set of HBO’s biggest hit since The Sopranos.

Obviously your genuine Southern accent gave you a leg up on the competition, but how did you land the role of Arlene?

Well I got a call from Alan Ball, who is the creator of the show, to come read for the part of Arlene. I used to watch Six Feet Under and just think he’s great, so I went in and read for the part and basically that was it. They gave me the part.

What were your initial expectations for True Blood?

You know, I really didn’t know what to expect. I kind of thought it would do well because vampires seem to really be the “in” or popular thing right now. I’m really excited that it’s doing so well. I hope it gets picked up for several more seasons.

Shooting in Louisiana this time of year has to be brutal. How long are the shooting days?

We actually don’t shoot a whole lot in Louisiana. They have a whole area in California that’s made to look like we’re in Louisiana. They go down there and get all the shots they need all at once then film the rest in California. They’re supposed to be going down next week to finish up all the shots they need for the season. Thankfully all my scenes are done and I don’t have to go down. But our days don’t normally go that long. I mean, if you’re going for 12 hours, the actors and camera guys are on over time. They try to avoid that.

Do you guys ever get to hang out together after shooting?

Actually, we really don’t hang out that much outside of work. We’re usually filming at night, which means we get done at like 5 in the morning. The only thing you’re thinking of then is going to bed.

Who’s the most fun on set?

Anna [Paquin] is really great. She likes to stand around during filming and chat about whatever. Everyone is actually really nice and great to work with.

Who takes the longest in makeup?

Believe it or not I do because of the red wig and all of Arlene’s makeup. I usually take about an hour and a half while everyone else only takes about an hour.

Have there ever been any scenes that were just so over the top with blood and gore that someone got sick or couldn’t handle it?

There’s been a few times where Anna has been like, “OK. I’m at my limit. We need to wrap this up.” I can tell you though, this season there are a few scenes that are really gross where they’re dealing with more than just blood. I can’t tell you what it is. You’ll just have to watch. It’s pretty bad.

After filming, have you ever gotten spooked or freaked out at night when you’re alone?

The place where we film is less than a mile from our little trailer area, so we have a van that takes us back and forth every night. One night I just felt like walking and, after the van left, I realized it was pitch black. You literally couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. I got really creeped out that night. It was a very long walk.

How long does filming one episode take and how far in advance do you get the script?

It usually takes about 10 days to shoot an entire one-hour show. It seems like a long time but, if you think about it, we’re basically shooting a one-hour feature film. They really don’t tell us where the show is going. It’s actually deviated so far from the books that even Charlaine Harris [the book series’ writer] doesn’t know what’s going to happen next. [We get the script] about a week before. They’re really good about giving us time to prepare for an episode. We usually have a round table reading a few days before we start shooting so we know how the episode is going to go and to make changes if we need to.

Do you ever get any crazy fans asking questions about the show?

Actually, I don’t really get noticed that much. I guess it’s because of Arlene’s red wig and I’m actually a blonde. I get a lot of looks like, “Do I know you? Did we go to high school together?”

Which one of the creatures on the show would you want to be?

I think I’d want to be a shape shifter. You know, like a dog or a bird or something. I don’t know, I just think it would be neat to be able to live and see life from that point of view.

So you’ve been pretty busy outside of True Blood. What’s in store for Carrie Preston the rest of the year?

I have several other projects I’m working on outside my production company, but I actually have a movie coming out on DVD today [July 7] called Lovely By Surprise. It’s directed by Kirt Gunn and is just a fun little movie.