Anna Paquin: bimbo roles don't 'come my way'

Anna Paquin plays Sookie Stackhouse in American vampire TV show True Blood. Photo / Supplied

Anna Paquin would get "bored" if she played traditional female characters.

The actress is Sookie Stackhouse in American vampire TV show True Blood. While Sookie is sweet she's also tough, which is why Paquin was drawn to the role.

"Truthfully, I get bored. It's fun that Sookie gets to be super-cute while she's kicking ass," Paquin explained.

"It's cute in a kind of very traditional, obvious way - the dresses, boobs and whole blonde thing - but people don't tend to cast me as a bimbo. I've tried but it just doesn't seem to come my way!"

Paquin's husband Stephen Moyer also appears in True Blood, playing vampire Bill Compton. The pair have some romantic scenes, but neither finds them strange.

Paquin is just glad they have enough chemistry to make them believable.

"Chemistry is just one of those elusive things. It doesn't mean everyone's gonna jump in bed with everyone," she told Look magazine.

"It's not even specifically about sexual chemistry. It's just, is there a spark when you work with that person? Does it feel like there's a connection? Does it feel like they're really coming alive? It has always been really, really easy to work with him."

Paquin also says she likes exercise which makes her feel like she wants to die.

She has to wear a variety of barely-there outfits for her True Blood role, so makes sure she's always in shape.

Paquin exercises hard and wants people to know her svelte figure doesn't come easily.

"Everything!" she replied when asked what she does to stay in shape.

"I like it if it's really gruelling and in the middle I feel like I really want to die! I like a challenge. One of the things I like to do is box it's possibly better than therapy. A lot of times for women there's not an opportunity to have a physical outlet for our feelings, because we're taught not to be aggressive."

Paquin gets annoyed when she reads other celebrities saying they don't exercise and eat whatever they like. She doesn't think it's honest or fair on fans.

"I work out like a maniac and I spray tan a lot. Genetics were kind, but I work very hard," she told the magazine.

- AAP