Vampires, telepaths, werewolves, shapeshifters and… Rick Santorum?
According to an interview with Alan Ball, the creator and producer of “True Blood,” the fifth season of HBO’s paranormal romance thriller was inspired by Rick Santorum and the Republican primaries, The Wrap reports.
“For me the jumping off point was watching the Republican primaries, watching Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum, and asking what would it be like to have a theocracy in America — which is way more terrifying than any fictional monster could ever be,” Ball said.
Ball and his team of writers ran with the idea of “a vampire theocracy” and focused on how this “would impact our human characters, or vampire characters.”
So why specifically draw inspiration from Rick Santorum?
“What’s terrifying is how many people agree with him,” Ball said.
Actor Chris Meloni has joined the cast as “the guardian of the blood.” (SEE ALSO: HBO ‘dismayed’ by ‘unacceptable’ use of decapitated Bush head in ‘Game of Thrones’)
“Supposedly they have a vial of blood of the first vampire — like a Catholic icon,” explained Ball. “The governing body of vampires is like the Catholic Church plus the Supreme Court for Vampires. But it’s a very secret organization.”