Actor and writer Michael McMillian has become the latest gay vampire in town on the HBO hit True Blood. Playing the character Steve Newlin has taken McMillian on an interesting journey—from a conservative marriage with a woman to being in lust with Jason Stackhouse (played by Ryan Kwanten).
McMillian's career has taken him from the television show What I Like About You to recently guesting on Hot in Cleveland. He is also an accomplished writer, not only creating the comic book miniseries Lucid but co-writing the True Blood comic.
Windy City Times: Good morning, Michael. [Dog barks.]
Michael McMillian: Hi, sorry my dogs are super-wound-up.
WCT: I can tell. What kind of dogs do you have?
Michael McMillian: I have an English bulldog and a terrier mix. They are like that old Looney Tunes cartoon where there was a little dog and a big dog walking down the street. The little one always ask "Where are we going, boss?" That is kind of what I have in my home.
WCT: Are you calling from California?
Michael McMillian: I am in LA, but I grew up in Kansas City in the suburbs.
WCT: So a new life in LA?
Michael McMillian: Yep, I have been out here about 10 years. So I am used to it but it is very different than where I came from.
WCT: I read that you grew up writing and were in theater.
Michael McMillian: When I was a kid I was really into comic books and drawing. I thought I might grow up and become an animator. I wanted to work for Disney when I was kid. I started doing community theater when I was in the fifth grade. I got into acting and loved it. I left my school to attend Interlochen Arts Academy up in Michigan when I was a junior in high school. I really started studying theater seriously there. I went to college at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh before heading out to L.A.
WCT: I loved reading comics, and still have a huge collection.
Michael McMillian: Really? Are you a Marvel fan?
WCT: Definitely. My dad collected them as a kid and passed them down to me.
Michael McMillian: That's awesome. My mom's cousin had all of the original Marvel comics like [the first issues of] X-Men and Fantastic Four—and my aunt Helen threw them away when we went to college!
WCT: My grandmother threw some out to make room for towels. Nobody saved them, so that is why they are worth so much money now.
Michael McMillian: Heartbreaking!
WCT: You wrote your own comic, though?
Michael McMillian: Yes, a comic called Lucid that was produced by Zachary Quinto's production called Before the Door and is published by Archaia Entertainment. That collection came out last summer. It was a miniseries and has been optioned by Warner Brothers. It is being developed into a feature right now.
WCT: That's huge.
Michael McMillian: It is pretty cool but these things take a long time and sometimes get lost in development. From everything I hear it is moving forward. It won't move into a film until it is green lit and who knows when that could be. I think everyone is optimistic that it will happen eventually.
I have been writing for the True Blood comics on and off for the past few years.
WCT: Is your character in the comic?
Michael McMillian: Steve Newlin was in the first story arc that I did; it was called Tainted Love. It is collected into a hard cover. He has not shown up in the new series but we are only three issues in. With the new comic book we are trying to focus on a few characters at a time just because it is easier to juggle. I think the comic book can highlight smaller portions of the mythology to support the show. I think with the series HBO wanted to get as many characters in at once and we found a way to do that with Tainted Love. Now I just want to focus on a few characters at a time.
The first story arc we are doing is called Where Were You and it flashes back to where Bill, Sookie, Eric and Alcide were at in their lives when vampires came out of the coffin. There is a present-day threat that unites the four of them and allows a framework for the flashbacks.
WCT: So if you are a fan of the show then you need to read the comics.
Michael McMillian: I think so, yes. The role of the comic is to support the show and to tell stories that the show will probably not get to.
WCT: Do you have to get approval from the show?
Michael McMillian: Oh, yeah. Alan Ball approves all of our scripts and outlines. Now Mark Hudis is taking over for season six. I had to go back to the drawing board on issue five because he said they might cover some of the stuff we were getting in to in the next season.
WCT: You have to be careful.
Michael McMillian: Yeah, but I think what we came up with is even stronger. It is sort of like writing with your hands tied a bit but it forces you to be creative.
WCT: You conveyed a lot of emotions in a small little opening scene this season.
Michael McMillian: Thanks. Most of that had to do with the scene that was written by Brian Buckner. He did such an excellent job. I had been dying to get back to Steve. I had created an inner life for him in season two that was not allowed to be on display. The wonderful thing about Steve returning is that he allows himself to reveal what is under this big personality facade.
I love as an actor playing the balancing act between seriousness and comedy. That is what I loved about that scene because it was so funny but he also coming from a genuine place. He is completely desperate but that doesn't make what he is going through any less real.
WCT: I just imagine many gay people would use their vampire powers like that.
Michael McMillian: Yeah, totally. [Both laugh.]
WCT: Why did he want Jason to wear tape on his mouth?
Michael McMillian: Steve is not someone who has had a handle on his emotions. He tends to overreact and overcompensate in everything that he does. He put the tape on Jason because he didn't want him to be glamoured while he came out of the closet. He wanted a genuine response from Jason. However, he didn't want Jason interrupting because it was his moment. It was a big moment and he wanted to get it out, so to speak.
WCT: That makes sense now.
Michael McMillian: It is not necessarily the right way to go about it but he is doing the best he can.
WCT: He's making it work. I loved the line you said recently: "I am just so happy to be here."
Michael McMillian: Another Brian Buckner script! That is really funny, too, because I felt like Brian wrote that line for me because I love working on the show.
WCT: Are you similar to Steve?
Michael McMillian: Not really at all. Steve is a little less of a villain in season five but he can still do horrible things. I guess I can relate to him on the level of not always being socially graceful and I have been in the situation where I have dealt with unrequited love, putting yourself out there and being rejected. Those are things we can all relate to.
Being out in LA, I get so frustrated to see what a long road this career really is. I feel like Steve is really trying to make something of himself in both of his lives. I think is a very human character. To me, he is a total fool and a clown character in the True Blood universe. If it were a vaudeville show, he would get the pie in the face!
If Eric and Bill are the sexy vampires then Steve is the vampire we actually would be. He is trying to find his place in the world and that I relate to 100 percent.
WCT: At least you are not the bitter vampire, like Tara is these days.
Michael McMillian: Right, but I think Tara's transformation this season is the vampire in her killing off the bitterness. I think that is Pam's role as a mentor—to make her not a victim and bitter.
WCT: You played a gay character in a movie a while back.
Michael McMillian: I did—Dorian Blues. It was the first movie I ever did. I was still in college at Carnegie-Mellon. It was a great experience and a great film. I look back on that fondly. It was a great time in my life where I could branch out and shoot a movie. The director went to Carnegie in the '80s so he came back to cast out of our school. I wish more people had seen that movie. For anyone reading, this it is out on Netflix.
WCT: You could have come to town for Wizard World [Comic Con].
Michael McMillian: I haven't been to any of those conventions but I want to go to C2E2. Chicago is very dear to my heart. I have a lot of friends and family there so I am usually in town once a year.
Follow Michael McMillan on Twitter @McMillzz and watch what happens in Louisiana vampire country with True Blood on HBO every Sunday night; visit www.hbo.com .
