Although he has shown an affinity for blondes in the past, True Blood star Alexander Skarsgard is rumored to be dating a famous brunette — his The Giver costar Katie Holmes. Not many reputable sources are reporting this "news," but it's still a fascinating (and slightly outrageous) thought. Could my favorite True Blood vampire being taken off the market? And by Joey Potter no less?
The Giver has already given me a fair share of outrage. Although I appreciate the fact that the book's author, Lois Lowry, has approved the Giver movie version, the film's trailer is not giving me much faith that I'll enjoy this interpretation of one of my favorite childhood books. The filmmakers were clearly too influenced by the YA phenomena The Hunger Games and Divergent, if you ask me. (Lowry was one of the reasons I became a writer! The Giver story cannot be tarnished by Hollywood!)
So then, when I heard the casting of Skarsgard and Holmes as the parents of the protagonist Jonas, I was confused... but intrigued.
As anyone who has seen True Blood knows, Swedish Skarsgard can ooze sex appeal better than anyone as dreamy Viking vampire Eric Northam.
But I sometimes struggle taking him seriously in his other work (*cough* Battleship *cough*). Same goes for Holmes. Although Holmes chose to leave the Batman franchise, Maggie Gyllenhaal was an improvement in the The Dark Knight.
Another issue of the casting of Skarsgard and Holmes was that frankly, I thought they were just way too damn hot to portray Jonas's parents. When I read The Giver, I never, ever, ever imagined a man like Skarsgard being the father. Maybe someone more like Mark Williams (aka Mr. Weasley).
OK. Maybe not that nerdy (Jonas's dad did have a darkness that Arthur Weasley didn't have), I just envisioned a dad's dad.
But choosing Skarsgard as the father and Holmes as the mother could be cool if the film is really focusing on the iciness that the people from Jonas's community have. I'm concerned that they may play his parents as evil (like they are doing with Meryl Streep), when in the book (to me at least), they didn't feel quite as sinister. Jonas's father does an unspeakable act, but it's more out of his lack of knowledge and understanding. He abides by the rules of the community and doesn't ask questions.
But I've read the other three companion books to The Giver, and Lowry did take a more menacing tone, so I guess that's what they are going for.
As for Holmes, she has been making a comeback. She is really free — er, I mean divorced — from Tom Cruise and besides The Giver, she's got some other exciting movie roles coming up like The Woman in Gold opposite Ryan Reynolds, Helen Mirren, and Tatiana Maslany. So, could it be true that she's also stepping out with a new costar boyfriend?
Mmm. Not likely. The website Gossip Cop claims the Holmes-Skarsgard rumors are false. An "insider" is the one who has been quoted as saying the pair was flirtatious on the movie set, but there's really no evidence of anything. Skarsgard had also been said to be dating other The Giver star Taylor Swift, so it seems the media is just honing in on attractive people that would make interesting couples.
The Giver opens on August 15, so I'm sure more gossip will circulate as the stars hit the red carpet for the premieres. In the meantime, you can just enjoy watching Skarsgard smolder (while he's sick — an impressive feat!) on the last season of True Blood while Holmes discusses motherhood in this month's Glamour. I'll just assume that the two aren't together and Joey Potter is enjoying single life on her own.
Images: annaisarebel/Tumblr; bowtiesarecool-mattsmith/Tumblr; coconutmilk83/Tumblr; The Giver Film/Facebook
