True Blood's Marshall Allman on Alan Ball, His Old Costar Wentworth Miller, and 'Assin' Around' in the Buff

But now that the season is over, can you eat pizza again?

Aw dude, after the season was over, I stopped shaving and I definitely did stop working out. This week, I was like, "Marshall, you gotta start working out again, November's coming up [when the next season resumes]." But it's good, I actually enjoy the motivation to work out. I heard Christian Bale talking about how he has some hardcore workout routine and he hates it, but I don't hate it. I love it.

You lie, Marshall Allman. What's to love?

There's the exhilaration of knowing you've done your body good.

Eh.

When I was younger, I was an Olympic-training soccer player, so I've known a really high level of fitness. When you're not there anymore, it's like your body yearns to be back in that shape. It wants to be free, man! It wants to be unchained, and now it feels chained.

You were an Olympic-training soccer player?

Yeah, I was in the Olympic program when I was younger. I was very hardcore, running hills every day and crazy in shape.

Do you still play?

I'm like a hugely passionate soccer fan. I mean, the World Cup was awesome for me, until we lost. That was really disappointing to me. I was at the last game in Germany when we lost, so the revenge for me was through the roof. I was like Eric [on True Blood] chasing after revenge for his father's death, man, except that I didn't really have sex with a man to get my tickets for the World Cup. [Laughs] But I was through the roof with [the Ghana game], I think I maybe broke down a couple of times. I've started to play again a little bit, but injuries ended my career the first time, so I have to take it really slow. If I don't, I'll think that I can still play where I was, but it took me years and years to get to that level. I have to mentally tell myself, "Marsh, take it slow."

I wanted to ask you about your Prison Break costar Wentworth Miller. I talked to him recently and he's carved out this really unexpected niche all of a sudden as a successful secret screenwriter. Did you ever have any inkling of that?

You know, he's like a genius. I think he graduated from Princeton? The guy's got a mind that could run forever, so when I heard that, I was like, "Way to go, dude!" I'm really glad for him, because I think he was getting attacked in the press. Someone was showing me pictures of him being overweight, and they were like, "What's up with your boy Wentworth, man? He's getting' fat!" I was like, "Aw man," but then to hear that he got two screenplays picked up and he's in Resident Evil, it's like, "Yeah, that's right. Don't pick on people for being overweight, or whatever." So I couldn't be happier for him, and it doesn't surprise me at all. He's a very, very, very intelligent man who knows exactly what he's doing with his life.

You were on Mad Men as Miss Farrell's brother. Whenever I interview a woman who was on Mad Men, they rave about the clothes. You're a guy, though, and your wardrobe on the show was...

I was like the worst wardrobe in the history of that show! I was like the first semi-homeless person to be on Mad Men. I didn't get to experience the slinky clothes at all, my sister on the show did not have a swanky apartment...about the swankiest thing I got to do was sit on Don Draper's leather seats in his swanky little Lincoln. But I can't say enough about working with Jon Hamm, I had a blast. Working with Matthew Weiner, he was great. I feel like we really got along because I'm someone who really loves to be neurotic about my work, so when I meet someone else who's also equally as attentive to detail, it's like a joy for me.

There's a funny story he remembered when I saw him the other month...it was like the night before we were shooting and I had a question, but it was nine o'clock at night. I was kinda like, "Well, whatever, I'll just call the production office and see if a writer's around." So I called the production office and this guy answers, and he's like, "Uh, hello?" And I'm like, "Matthew?" And he's like, "Yeah?" "What the hell are you doing answering the phones, man?" And he was like, "Who's this?" And I said, "It's Marshall Allman, I'm playing [Miss Farrell's] brother." And he said, "Oh, hey man." I couldn't believe it, and then me and Matthew Weiner ended up talking for forty-five minutes until ten o'clock at night about the character. It was great, man. I'd be really excited to go back, but that hasn't happened yet, so we'll see.

[Lead Photo Credit: Matt Carr/Getty Images]

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