"True Blood" Casts its Gay Fairy Stripper

Neil Hopkins

We knew that the fourth season of HBO's True Blood was going to focus heavily on witches, but it looks as though we may get a healthy fairy fix, as well.

The last time we saw Sookie, she was teleported away to the Magical Land of Gap-Toothed Sprites via a throbbing chandelier, and will no doubt learn the tricks of the fairy trade, such as proper magic dust etiquette, and when choosing wands, which is better: length or girth?

Okay, she's actually not that kind of fairy, but we're definitely in for some kind of fairy drama. Deadline is reporting that Neil Hopkins has been cast in the role of Claude, who is the brother of Sookie's "fairy godmother" Claudine.

I haven't read any of the Southern Vampire Mysteries, but according to Wikipedia, the character of Claude is a piece of work:

Claude is one of Niall Brigant's (the fairy prince) grandsons and Claudine's twin brother (they used to have a triplet named Claudette).

He is the nephew of Sookie's half-human/half-fairy grandfather, Fintan, and cousin to Sookie's father.

He makes an impact on all women and is described as being absolutely breathtaking, so lovely that his proximity makes Sookie tense as a “high wire.”

He started out as a stripper at Hooligans, a club in Monroe, which he later becomes owner of, and has branched out to print and runway modeling.

He is depicted as being six feet tall with rippling black hair, muscles, and a six-pack. He has a pair of brown, velour-soft eyes, a chiseled jaw, and a sensuous mouth with a pouty bottom lip.

Women usually say “wow” when they see him, but his interest is men.

His ears have been surgically altered from pointed to rounded to look like human ears. Though his physical appearance is magnificent, he is not polite and has a tiny sense of humor.

He seems to like and treat Sookie better once it is revealed to her that she is related to him.

So basically, he's a good looking but rude asshat with no sense of humor. Well, if this doesn't work out, maybe they're casting for The A-List: Bon Temps.

At first glance, it may not appear that Neil Hopkins fits Claude's description, but as you can see from the pictures above, Neil is quite the chameleon (starring in shows such as Lost, Nip/Tuck and Big Love), and I have no doubt that he can rise to the occasion.

Speaking of which, do fairies get naked? They better on this show.

So what do you think about the addition of Claude? If they keep to the book's characterization, we may get another groundbreaking gay supernatural being, ala Russell Edgington.