True Blood: Why was James recast with new actor?
By Josh Sanchez
The HBO hit show True Blood is entering its final season, which is an awfully strange time for a casting change. However, the show’s producers were left no choice but to recast vampire James whenever Luke Grimes left the show last year.
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James is now played by Nathan Parsons.
But why did Grimes leave the show so close to the conclusion of the series?
An HBO release initially said it was because of the creative direction of the character. According to Buzzfeed, it was because Grimes was uncomfortable with playing a gay character.
"According to the source, Grimes objected to the first few scripts he received, once it became clear that his character would become romantically involved with Lafayette. He countered that he would be willing to play the role if Lafayette were attracted to him, but not if the attraction was mutual. He also did not want to do any same-sex kissing or sex scenes. The writers were unwilling to change the scripts on his behalf."
It is smart for the show to stick to their guns, even if it means recasting an actor in the final season of the show.
They have a reason for the way the story lines are set to develop and we will find out why they went that direction leading up to the series finale at the end of August.