It's hard to believe that just a few weeks ago True Blood had its 14th anniversary. HBO's True Blood was unlike any series on-air at the time; it was weird, diverse, and had absolutely no qualms about showing sex and violence. Based on Charlaine Harris's book series The Southern Vampire Mysteries, the television series brought a fresh twist to Sookie Stackhouse's (Anna Paquin) life in Bon Temps, Louisiana as she dealt with being a telepathic waitress (who wants to hear what your customers are thinking about?), in love with 174-year-old vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), discovering that she is a fairy, and falling in love with an even older vampire named Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgård). Earlier this year two of the series' cast members—Deborah Ann Woll and Kristin Bauer—reunited to revisit the series with their podcast the Truest Blood, which not only gave them an opportunity to watch the show for the very first time but also to interview their former co-workers about the show and provide deeper insights about how it was made.

In the series, Woll played 17-year-old Jessica Hamby, who was turned into a vampire by Bill as punishment for something he did, while Bauer played Eric Northman's progeny and co-owner of their vampire bar Fangtasia. The two characters could not be more different, which gives Woll and Bauer a unique opportunity to explore the show from two very different points of view.

Ahead of the return of the Truest Blood, which has its Season 2 premiere on October 3, Collider got the opportunity to chat with Woll and Bauer about making the podcast, what it's like to be on the other side of the interview, internet stalking their co-workers ahead of interviews, how they never watched the show when it was originally airing, and what their favorite kind of vampire is. We also spoke briefly with Woll about the enduring love that Daredevil fans have for her character Karen Page, and how she hopes she gets to revisit the character because her story did feel unfinished.

COLLIDER: Well, I just want to say congratulations on Season 2 of Truest Blood. I love that so many shows are getting to be revisited by cast members. It has to be different for both of you because usually, you're on this side of an interview. But with Truest Blood, you're getting to talk to some of your former coworkers and cast members. What has that been like for you, taking more of the interviewer position?

KRISTIN BAUER: It is fascinating. It's literally fascinating. For one, we internet stalk our friends, right? And then we also learn so much about them that I had no idea. There isn't one interview I've done where I wouldn't say, and it's not just one buried thing.

DEBORAH ANN WOLL: Yeah.

BAUER: It's right there on Wikipedia, right, Deb?

WOLL: Yeah.

BAUER: It's like, "Oh, my gosh." Stephen went to the Royal Academy of Shakespeare, whatever, whatever. And then also, we're learning about how you make a TV show. What... Right, when we interviewed Suzuki, our set designer.

WOLL: It was very important to us that it not just be actors, that we really bring out the entirety of this group of people that it takes to make a show. And so, in a lot of ways, those are the interviews that I look forward to the most because we get to really honor and give space to what they do. But I learn more because I don't know a thing about scenic design and listening to Suzuki talk, it just gives you such insight into how supported we all were long before we came to set.

BAUER: Yeah.

During those interviews with some of the creatives, did that make you think, "Oh, I would love to explore that, another avenue of this career field?"

WOLL: Sure. I mean, my father's an architect, so I've always done floor plans for fun, kind of thing. And that's not exactly what scenic design is, but I do have an inclination towards that. I don't think I quite have the eye. But that was fun. We talked about the blood and doing the special effects and how fun it would be to just shadow a practical, special effects team for a week, would be a blast.

BAUER: It was neat when we did get to, because of our storylines, cross over into another world where stunts, for example, or when I had prosthetics, that always was so fascinating. And the amount of work that goes into making a TV show before the actor steps onto her or his mark is staggering.

WOLL: And then afterward.

BAUER: And then afterward.

WOLL: We haven't gotten a chance to speak with any of our editors yet. We're hoping with future seasons we'll be able to do that. But everything leading up to it, you come in for a week and then everything afterward. So yeah, I think that was another hope of the podcast was to deliberately be pretty inside baseball with it to say, "Hey, we're going to dig into the minutia that you didn't think you were interested in, but you'll learn that you are." Because it's, again, it makes this show and this show does not exist without every piece of that puzzle along the way.

BAUER: It is what is special about True Blood. And we hear it over and over again, is we had the support of HBO, which is basically time and money. And also, the creative space where they hired Alan Ball, that's our hero up at the top of the pyramid. And then they believed in him. Then he hired these people that he believed in, and each person comments on this massive creative support to do their job to the fullest. And that, everyone so far has said they've never seen it before, and they haven't seen it since.

There was a tweet the other day that reminded me that it's been 14 years since the premiere of True Blood. So, about eight years since the show ended. Has it helped to have that amount of time in between to come back and revisit the series from a bird's eye view?

WOLL: Well, I think on both levels, personally, yes. One of the things we love to share is that Kristen and I never watched the show when it was coming out, or at least not very much. And so, this is our first time watching, which is good, I think, for our psyches, that there's sort of a break there. But also, I think in terms of look back podcasts, companion podcasts in general, it kind of feels like they either have to happen simultaneous with the show, like a Talking Dead kind of situation, or I think you want a little bit of time. We want to be able to reflect and see it with fresh eyes. If it had been right after it ended, I don't know that I, at least personally, could be as insightful because I would be too close to it. So yeah, I think the time helps on both levels.

BAUER: Yeah. I think it does. And I hope that we're also getting, we can recruit new watchers, right. Because it is a different world. I mean the iPhone was invented something like 12 years ago.

WOLL: '07, yeah. The year before the show came out.

BAUER: Yeah. And we didn't have, I remember we were all asking each other on the set, "What's this Facebook thing?" So, the whole world has changed. It wasn't a podcast world, as much. It wasn't a, how do you let people know there's a podcast happening? It's really good timing, I think.

WOLL: I agree.

That brings me to one of my other questions, since you didn't watch it then. I know a lot of actors don't really like watching themselves. What has it been like to look at your old performances? Has it made you go, "Oh man, I wish I'd done this differently?" What has that experience been like for you both?

WOLL: It's horrifying. It's absolutely horrifying.

BAUER: I love watching Deb, and she just squirms. And then one of my fun things...

WOLL: I'm all red already.

BAUER: Yeah, look, she's turning red already. My favorite, one of my favorite things is to just gush about her, which is impossible not to do. And just watch her just, she's just like, "Oh, God. Yeah. Well anyway, I don't know." It's so painful to her and that's kind of fun.

WOLL: Well, I'll get you back. Once Pam is on all the time and doing some of the insane stuff, I'll get you back because I'll have the opportunity to gush and make you squirm. We're going to do a whole segment, I think on why we didn't watch, why some actors do and don't because it's deeper than just discomfort with watching yourself, which I think all of us have. I very rarely have met someone who's like, "I love the sound of my voice. I love watching myself on camera." If you know those people, I would like to drink the water that they're drinking because that sounds lovely. But it's a really complex thing. And I think specifically for someone who is on camera for a living, I'd love to find out from other actors and share our perspectives of what that is like on your psyche. So, hopefully, someday we'll do a proper deep dive on it.

BAUER: Yes.

Are there any plots that you're particularly looking forward to exploring and revisiting?

BAUER: Yeah, I mean another interesting thing, right, is because the show was really huge and there were a lot of plotlines. And because it's been a bit and because we didn't watch the show as it was going, but we were there at the table reads, so we knew the arcs. But really, I don't think that the human mind, my human mind, can keep track of the werewolf stories and the fairy stories. Deb and I, we saw a picture that Audrey Fisher, our fabulous costume designer sent us. [It was] a picture of a goblin.

WOLL: Both of us were like, "Wait, there were goblins on the show. This is a crazy show."

BAUER: There were goblins on the show!

WOLL: When did that happen?

BAUER: So, we can't even answer that question actually, Maggie, because we have no idea what's on the show. But all I can remember is sort of ice. And every actor says the same thing, they feel like they're, they warn us, "Look, I don't totally remember everything I did." So, I can remember a couple of story arcs that were special to me, my making or when I did a special effects run. But I'm sure I did all kinds of other things. Also, I'm curious what these werewolves are going to be all about.

WOLL: Yeah, in an odd way, I actually am, I mean, yes, I'm excited to relive some of those moments from my own storylines, but in many ways, I'm more excited about seeing all the stuff that I wasn't present for. And seeing Arlene and Terry, right, Carrie and Todd's whole story as they go forward.

BAUER: Totally.

WOLL: Rutina freaking blows my [mind], takes my breath away every single time she's on-screen. She and I didn't work much together. So, watching her arc as we go forward, I get so excited.

BAUER: Yeah.

WOLL: So, yeah, so it really has ended up being like, I can't point to what it will be, but I know it's something I wasn't a part of.

BAUER: This show is big and wide and deep.

Looking back at those seven years, the seven seasons, were there any seasons that stood out to you as your favorite? Whether it be because of something your character got to go through, maybe something new in your acting experience, or maybe you just got to film on a really cool location?

BAUER: Yeah, I had a couple that I can remember the number. It's hard to remember. Wait, Eric loses his...

WOLL: Right.

BAUER: ...in four, but I did have.

WOLL: Was it four? I thought it was three.

BAUER: Okay, well, we'll have to see. I don't remember. We'll find out. I think it's four.

WOLL: We're not there yet.

BAUER: Oh no, wait, maybe it is three.

WOLL: I thought it was three, but yeah, we'll find out. Maybe Maggie knows, I don't know.

I feel like it's three. I think it's three and leads into four, maybe. I think.

WOLL:I think he loses it in three.

BAUER: Oh good, because that's where I have my prosthetics run.

WOLL: I don't know. We'll find out because he buys, when does he buy Sookie's house, when she's gone for a year, but she doesn't know she's a fairy yet. So, I think the year jump is between, we're figuring this out. Sorry, Maggie, we're taking your time. I think the year jump is between three and four.

BAUER: I think so.

WOLL: And he buys her house during that time, so he must lose his mind after that. So maybe it's four.

BAUER: What the heck did I do in four?

WOLL: I don't know.

BAUER: See, this is like, yeah, I mean I really have no, I can't wait to find out with the listeners of the podcast.

WOLL: I know. I mean that's really fun. We do get to be first-time viewers, despite having been on the show, because of that.

BAUER: Yes.

WOLL: So, we're just surprised and shocked and puzzled. I think that's another thing too, wanting to be really transparent about, "Hey, that vampire rule might not stick." And that's okay. And you do the best that you can to try to make the most entertaining and thought-provoking piece that they can make. And just kind of owning that and including it in the glory of this show.

BAUER: Totally. Yeah. Deb has had a great conversation on the podcast about how they're not mistakes.

WOLL: Yeah.

BAUER: They're actually little cracks where you can see into how big and challenging something like this is. For example, a continuity error. The fact that there's one you can see once in a while is kind of fun, but it also tells you how many thousands didn't happen.

WOLL: Well, and to me, it's archeological evidence. The little things that didn't happen let you go, "Oh, her hair looks different in that shot from that shot." Well, that tells you it was a different day, or it was a re-shoot. So, it's these little windows into how this was done and can we get excited about that as evidence rather than vindictive about it as a mistake.

BAUER: Yes.

So, you didn't watch the show when it was airing. Did you ever get to read the books at all? Was it something you're maybe revisiting now as you're exploring the lore a little bit deeper?

BAUER: I haven't had time.

There's a lot.

WOLL: I mean, when I first got the job, I read the first book and maybe half of the second one. My character isn't in the book. So, for me, it was more of a tonal exercise to kind of get a sense. But then the show kind of has its own tone, as well, from the material. It's really Alan's, what did Charlene say that was so great, Kristen? It was like Alan's interpretation or Alan's version of this. It wasn't her book, which is such a healthy, beautiful, collaborative way to look at it. So, in the end, it ended up being not as helpful to go back to that material so much as focus on what was coming. But before we interviewed Charlene, I went and, in one night, skimmed through that whole first book just to remind myself what she had done. She's our first interview that first season.

BAUER: Yeah, I did the same thing. I read them at the beginning and then when the show started departing, I thought that I better just focus on my job.

WOLL: Enough time, enough time needed to just devote to getting ready for your workday.

BAUER: Yeah, and then with the podcast, we're finding it's a lot to really dissect each episode, and we do it multiple times. We have to first get an arc of the whole season, then we're getting arcs of specific characters. Then we're kind of re-watching when we interview the director, his episodes.

WOLL: Yeah, we end up watching episodes three, four, even five times, to prepare. I mean, I'm an admitted overachiever, so this whole podcast could probably be done with a lot less time and effort, but I wouldn't know how to make that podcast. So, we put quite a bit into it. It is heavily organized and structured for us.

BAUER: Yeah.

As we wind down, I had a fun question about vampires. Since you both played vampires, what is your preferred kind of vampire, sexy and broody or feral and scary?

BAUER: I'm so biased. I love the writing that I was bestowed, so much, that the type of vampire that I love the most is Pam. I just thought that she was so perfectly written and had an Achilles heel in a vulnerable streak, but was unapologetically who she was, and she chose to be a vampire. So, watching it, it's fun to see a conflicted vampire like Bill Compton and a victimized, created vampire like Deborah, Jessica. So, seeing all the different types, I do feel lucky that I got to, because in my own life I'm so conflicted, that it was really nice to have shoes that weren't.

WOLL: Wow. So, my answer is the opposite in almost every way, which is brilliant. And again, is why this podcast works so well with the two of us, I think, which is that I have never been cool in my life. And the idea of having to play an immortally cool, I don't think I could do it. I genuinely am not sure I have it in me, this confidence, in me to exude that. So, for me, the vampire stories that excite me and interest me are the ones that kind of turn the trope on its head. So, the Eddie's the Isabelle's.

BAUER: Oh yeah.

WOLL: The vampires who are not necessarily more human, but are not that romanticized, cool image, but still carry their insecurities. Because even Bill, with his conflict, is still sort of that broody, traditional, sexy vampire type. So, yeah, I like those out-of-the-box vampires.

BAUER: I wish we had more Eddies.

WOLL: Yeah.

My last question, I have to ask, Deborah, I love Karen Page. What has it been like to see that so many people still want to see her and to see her story continue in some capacity? We were talking before the interview started about somebody custom making a Funko POP of her. There's so much love there. Just what has it been like to see that fan response still?

WOLL: So, I mean, it means so much to me. I love that character so much, and I do miss it. I really felt like we were unfinished. We had so much more story to tell. So yeah, it's really gratifying to see how much people love her and want to see more from her. I hope I get to. I'm here. They know my number.

I mean, I will start the petition. I will annoy Marvel every day.

WOLL: I'm available, as far as I know. But it's up to them. I know they're going to tell the best story that they know how to tell. And if that includes Karen Page, that will be so exciting. But if it doesn't, I will be a happy viewer.

Excellent. Well, thank you both so much.

WOLL: Thank you. This was a pleasure.

BAUER: Yeah, thank you, Maggie.

Seriously, I was so, so geeked to get to do this. I love True Blood, so much. I watched it all through college and was just everything.

WOLL: Oh, yay. I'm so happy to hear that.

BAUER: Yeah, thank you. Thank you. We appreciate getting the love out because this is a love for us.

WOLL: Yeah, it was surprising when we announced the second season, how many people were like, "We didn't even know there was a first." So yeah, I'm hoping we can really introduce a lot more viewers, not only to the podcast but as Kristin said, to the show in general, people who didn't watch it the first time around.

Season 2 of Truest Blood premieres on October 3. Check out the trailer below: