I’m obviously referring to Luna (Janina Gavankar), who took her final breath within the first 10 minutes of the premiere. With her boyfriend and her child weeping over her body, it was one of the series’ most heartbreaking deaths, and Janina had lots to say about it. She told us how she prepared to film the death, why she’s now shipping Sam (Sam Trammell) and Sookie (Anna Paquin), and where we might see Luna again!
Janina Gavankar Talks Luna’s Death & Sam’s Future (With Sookie?)
First of all, my condolences. I thought Luna would pull through.
Thank you, thank you.
How did you prepare to film that final scene?
Well, we actually shot her death scene last year, so this is the second time I’ve died as Luna on set. We shot a death scene for the last episode of season five, but apparently it didn’t really work out. I don’t know, something wasn’t right about it. So they cut it, then had me come back so I could re-die. I basically flew to L.A. from Vancouver — I had done a shoot on Arrow the night before — just to die as Luna. Again.
When did you find out Luna was going to die?
It was somewhere in the middle of season five. Probably the day they made the decision that that was going to be the end of her trajectory, I got a call from Greg Feinberg; a very sad call. I was like, ‘It’s fine, it’s OK.’ When I signed on to do this show, I knew people don’t make it very long. I was so surprised to have made it even to a second season, especially since Sam is such a cursed character. It’s Sam against the gods, always.
I always used to joke about not making it past my first season, but towards the end of season four, I was shooting the s**t outside “Luna’s house” with [new showrunner] Brian Buckner. He put his hand on my shoulder and said, ‘By the way, you don’t die.’ And I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, I had no idea.’ In True Blood land, I feel pretty darn blessed to have gotten past my first season.
I guess I should have asked this first: Is Luna really dead? Could we see her again?
[Laughs] Well, does anybody really, truly die on True Blood? Godric died twice! … So one never knows. Truly, even me, I don’t know. One never knows.
How do you think losing Luna will affect Sam?
I ultimately want Sookie to end up with Sam now that Luna’s dead. When this show is done, in 15 or 20 years, I want Sookie to look at Sam and say, ‘It’s always been you.’ He has been in love with her since the beginning of time, since before we’ve even met them. Sookie met Bill on the pilot, then Eric on episode two. Like, who are these people? They’re new, and Sam has always been there for her.
As for Sam and Emma, hopefully they’ll be OK. I do know, but I don’t know. … [Luna] also just told the world that shifters exist. No one saw Sam shift on camera, but they know who Luna is, and they know she has a daughter.
Did Luna really have to die?
For Luna, in that moment, it’s a decision she makes. She realizes the three of them won’t make it out if they have to drag her along, so she decides to sacrifice herself. As it’s always been with Luna, her first priority is her daughter, and she realizes this is the only way to sacrifice her daughter.
Looking back from season four to now, what do you think of Luna’s evolution?
She just did not have an easy life. She grew up in a really screwed-up family on the Navajo nation. She moved to Louisiana, but because she didn’t know any shifters, she ran off with some wolves. And she finally came so close to having real love with a real stand-up guy. Thank God for Sam, because she really felt confident handing off her daughter to him.
(Rest in peace, Luna.)
HollywoodLifers, how do you feel about Luna’s death? Were you sad to say goodbye, or do you think it was her time to go? Drop a comment with your thoughts on her passing and the entire season premiere.
— Andy Swift
Follow @AndySwift
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