Joe Manganiello Reveals ‘Magic Mike’s’ Britney Spears Connection, Ready For Alcide-Sookie Action On ‘True Blood’

“Magic Mike,” the superstar cast-driven male stripper film, was loosely inspired by Channing Tatum’s own past, but it wasn’t that actor’s dance moves his co-stars learned for the film. Instead, they got the pop star choreography treatment.

“Channing’s on another level, dance-wise, but he didn’t necessarily teach us. We had some people for Britney Spears’ choreography team teach us our moves. Body rolls, some hip stuff,” Joe Manganiello, who stars as Big Dick Richie in the movie, told Access Hollywood on the red carpet at the 2011 Scream Awards over the weekend in Los Angeles.

With Matthew McConaughey, Matt Bomer, Adam Rodriguez and Alex Pettyfer also part of the cast, there was plenty of shirtless action, but there was no flexing or posturing behind the scenes.

“Everybody in the cast can really move. They can all carry off the moves, but nobody takes themselves seriously,” Joe said. “We had a ton of fun. It felt like an ‘Animal House’ vibe — just a bunch of degenerate guys running around, causing trouble.”

With “Magic Mike” now behind him, Joe is gearing up to head back to playing werewolf Alcide Herveaux on “True Blood,” a role that earned him a Best Actor statue at the Scream Awards.

The actor revealed he is meeting with “True Blood” creator Alan Ball on Monday to discuss the next season, but he has some of his own ideas where he’d like to see his character go – like into the heart of Sookie Stackhouse.

“Alcide likes Sookie a whole heck of a lot. She’s single, Alcide’s single,” he said. “I’m with the fans on this one. I totally want to see them hook up. Are you kidding?”

Joe’s mom is a big Anna Paquin fan, and she too is hoping to see her son’s character find love with Bon Temps’ fairy-waitress.

“My mom loves Anna Paquin — she’s seen ‘The Piano’ probably a hundred times. She would love to see that,” the actor said. “But if it meant my mother had to see me naked one more time on screen, she probably would not vote for that.”

Beyond his hopes for new romance for Alcide, Joe is also crossing his fingers that the turned up concrete during the Season 4 finale means the return of Denis O’Hare’s character – the former Vampire King of Mississippi, Russell Edgington.

“I love Denis O’Hare,” Joe raved. “Him coming back — it’s not good for Alcide, but it’s definitely good for the show.”

For more with Joe, including his father’s reaction to his “True Blood” scenes, CLICK HERE to watch the video.

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