Long before playing the rogue AI host Dolores on Westworld, Evan Rachel Wood made waves in another HBO series: True Blood. While not a major character, Wood plays the vampire Queen of Louisiana, Sophie-Anne Leclerq. Centuries-old, this regal, fanged lady makes her debut in the second season of the show, sticking around until the fourth season. Her reign ends after she’s taken out by Bill Compton.
As with many others of her kind in the series, Sophie-Anne is a queer, power-hungry vampire who rules over her state with an iron fist. A woman among men, Sophie-Anne must act tough at all times, always ready to fight for her life. This fierceness makes her a fun character to watch on screen, and below are 10 of her stand-out moments on True Blood.
Playing The Lottery
It turns out Sophie has run into some financial issues. Because of this, she’s the mastermind behind the proliferation of vampire blood that is being sold to humans, known as V, which is like a highly addictive drug for them.
Among vampires, transferring blood to humans in this manner is a high crime, so she must keep her operation under wraps. She forces vampire Eric Northman to help her push the product. In a later episode, she buys hundreds of scratch-off lottery tickets, hoping to win big.
Being Sexually Fluid
While Sophie-Anne has a well-documented affair with the half-faerie Hadley, whose blood is delectable for her, her comments and observations during her run on the show point toward being quite sexually fluid.
One thing True Blood, as an erotic supernatural horror series, is known for is combining lust and violence. When Bill Compton describes the Maenad that terrorizes Bon Temps in the second season, Sophie-Anne gets worked up by his depictions. “Orgies? Sacrifices?” she asks Bill. “Yes,” he says. “Oh fun!” she squeals.
Acquiring Exotic Birds
When Russell Edgington forces Sophie-Anne’s hand in marriage so he can rule over both Mississippi and Louisiana as vampire king, the aristocratic blood sucker’s biggest concern when she’s imprisoned in her new husband’s mansion is what she will do with her collection of birds.
Back home in her mansion, Sophie-Anne had spent decades amassing quite an impressive collection of large, rare birds that match the lavish nature of her untenable lifestyle. If she hadn’t made herself so vulnerable with her poor financial planning, she would have probably been able to protect herself from Russell’s scheme.
“I Haven’t Enjoyed Sex With Men Since The Eisenhower Administration.”
Sophie-Anne’s open and unfiltered sexuality fits right into a show known for its steamy vampire love scenes. Sophie-Anne has a special relationship with a female faerie named Hadley. While it’s implied that Hadley has been captured against her will, and while Sophie-Anne feeds on her, there appears to be some element of romance present in the relationship between them.
When vampire Bill Compton pays his queen a visit, she asks him if he wants to have a physical relationship with her, and then, jokingly, provides the line above. Later, when she’s forced to marry Mississipi vampire king Russell Edington, she cries for her mistress. “Hadley. I want my Hadley… Hadley!”
Dueling With Bill
Despite appearances, Sophie-Anne is an ancient, powerful vampire who isn’t afraid to battle anyone. After the mad vampire Russel Edgington is finally defeated, Sophie-Anne pursues Bill, who has defected from her court.
Sophie-Anne is now obsessed with finding a true Fae - a faerie - based on the rumor that drinking his or her blood will allow her to walk in the sun. Knowing that his love Suki’s life is at stake, Bill challenges Sophie-Anne to a duel. She accepts, and the two dangle midair in one of the most suspenseful season finale during the show’s run. Ultimately, Bill defeats his queen.
“All This Alpha-Male Posturing.”
Sophie-Anne makes this comment as she watches Eric and Bill, always jealous of each other, bicker over plans. She then suggests the two vampires make up by making out.
While this doesn’t happen, it’s another beautiful moment in the life an ancient female vampire who has spent millennia watching men quarrel over inconsequential, ego-driven nonsense. Sophie-Anne thinks the best way to solve any problem is through copulation.
Hanging Out By The Pool
Sophie-Annie lives in a decadent and opulent Greco-Roman Louisiana mansion. Since she can’t actually experience sunshine, she builds a giant pool room equipped with bright lighting and tropical plants. This is where she seems to spend most of her time.
During one visit, she forces Bill to spend the day lounging with her before she’ll talk to him about what he needs. For Sophie-Anne, nothing is more important than sprawling out by a body of water, even an artificial one.
Waxing Poetic About Maenads
When Bill is finally able to ask for her help in the second season, he inquires about the ancient Maenad, Maryann, who is unraveling her maniacal, Bacchanal plan in Bon Temps. Sophie-Anne proves quite useful and knowledgable during this exchange, giving Bill sage advice.
“Never under-estimate the power of blind faith,” she tells him in regards to those falling under Maryann’s spell. “It manifests in ways that bend the laws of physics or breaks them entirely. " It turns out being hundreds of years old has its benefits.
Evading The IRS
Sophie-Anne, French in origin, balks at the American Internal Revenue Service, which is trying to slam her with back taxes. While she laughs it off, she also plots multiple ways to manage both her extravagant lifestyle and her debts.
Fortunately, as Queen of Louisiana, Sophie-Anne can force her minions to do her bidding for her, evading responsibility for her own choices. This monarch has no intention of being an egalitarian ruler.
“I Love Watching Two Men Together.”
If Sophie-Anne is remembered for anything, it should be for her keen, biting, and sensual humor. Everything in her life seems reduced to feeding and copulation, and she gets really ornery if she’s denied either one.
Sophie-Anne is not a good, just queen, but at least she makes being bad really stylish. After laying this joke out for Eric and Bill, she forces them, like a true queen, to play Yahtzee with her.
