25 Facts You Probably Didn't Know About True Blood

15. The Vampire Diaries Reject

Ian Somerhalder is one of the most famous vampires to appear on the small screen in recent years, playing the vicious bloodsucker Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries, but he originally auditioned for the part of Jason Stackhouse in True Blood. Somerhalder was reportedly upset when he didn't get the part, as he's actually from New Orleans: "There€™s a lot of vampire mystique and mythology that resonates there, and I was fascinated by it. I always wanted to play one. I auditioned for True Blood. I just couldn€™t convince Alan Ball that was my role. And then I didn€™t get it, and I was very bummed. I couldn€™t watch True Blood until now.€ Fortunately for Somerhalder though, his role on The Vampire Diaries has created a huge fan base for the star and the show consistently gains the highest ratings on the CW network. Besides, Somerhalder definitely makes a better vampire than a werepanther...

14. Pam Has Man Hands!

Eric Northman's second-in command Pam Ravenscroft is played by actress Kristin Bauer, but before she joined the cast of True Blood, the star became famous for a number of high profile guest appearances in US TV shows. Bauer certainly gets around, having appeared in numerous programs including Everybody Loves Raymond, Dark Angel, Two and a Half Men, Star Trek Enterprise, LA Law and Desperate Housewives. However, Bauer's most famous guest appearance is for a role she played in the Seinfeld episode entitled "The Bizarro Jerry", where she became known as the woman with 'man hands'. In the story, Elaine sets Jerry up on a date with a woman called Jillian (Bauer) who is clearly attractive, but Jerry can't move past the fact that she has large and coarse hands like a man. The episode first aired back in 1996 and was written by David Mandel because he was inspired by his girlfriend of the time who was self-conscious about her €œfarm hands.€

13. Blue Steel

Alexander Skarsgård became the breakout star of True Blood for his portrayal of Fangtasia owner Eric Northman, but before the shows debut, the Swedish actor won some high profile roles in his native country and eventually snagged a small part in Ben Stiller's Zoolander. For fans of Eric Northman, Skarsgard is almost unrecognizable as one of Derek Zoolander€™s idiot modeling friends who eventually kills himself in a "freak gasoline-fight accident", Somehow, the role of Meekus led to a starring role in True Blood, but originally, Skarsgard auditioned for the role of Bill Compton, now played by Stephen Moyer. Series creator Alan Ball said that, €œAlex wasn't quite right for Bill, but I remember that he was giant and also beautiful. So when it came time to cast Eric, I thought of him.€ Whether Ball thought Skarsgard could actually act appears unclear from this description, but impressive turns in movies such Melancholia and What Maisie Knew have proven that Skarsgard has a strong acting career ahead of him in the aftermath of True Blood's demise.

12. Alcide... And The Terminator!

Aside from a role in Soderbergh's stripper movie Magic Mike, Joe Manganiello is most famous for his breakout performance as the werewolf Alcide in True Blood, however, the actor is also well known for his incredibly muscular frame and often appears on the covers of men's health magazines. That's all common knowledge, but did you know that Manganiello once had a fight with the Terminator and WWE wrestler The Miz? In March 2014, our favourite werewolf co-hosted WWE€™s Monday Night Raw with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Hulk Hogan, but during the event, career wrestler The Miz gate crashed and started trash talking in typical fashion. Why any sane person would mess with those three is anyone's guess, but it's entertaining to watch nonetheless. Now that True Blood has finished, Manganiello has a number of movie projects lined up, but it's good to know that there's always a chance the 37 year old performer still has a shot at a wrestling career if the acting ever dries up.