CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Charleston is taking Halloween to a whole new level with its HallowEast celebration.

Headlining the fun-filled weekend is a hometown boy turned TV superstar.

On TV, the red carpet, or signing autographs for fans, it’s easy to see that Sam Trammel’s star is shining bright.

Trammel grew up in Charleston, graduated from George Washington High School and his parents still live here, and even though he’s gone Hollywood in a major way, he is still happy to be home.

“It’s fun. It’s a lot of fun,” he said.

Trammel spent years successfully working on Broadway along with TV and movie roles, but it wasn’t until he signed on for HBO’s vampire themed smash hit True Blood that Trammell truly became a household name.

“People kind of went crazy over it, so it’s definitely changed my life a fair amount,” he said.

Trammell plays bar owner Sam Merlotte. But in the small Louisiana town where the show takes place, nothing is as it seems.

In the show he also plays a shape shifter who can transform from human to animal- a role that requires a lot of nudity and courage.

“The worse thing than seeing yourself naked is seeing yourself naked and running, there is no hiding what you’re body really is, there’s no hiding,” Trammell said.
Two seasons of true blood have created a massive fan base and Trammell will soon start work on number season three and a storyline that will include Sam finally meeting his biological parents.

“It’s not going to be a Norman Rockwell sort of thing. They’re probably going to be really sketchy, in-debt, scary people,” he said.

Good thing in real-life he is surrounded by a great family and a place he can always call home.

“People here are so nice, the nicest people in the country and I'm always so proud to say that I’m from West Virginia. It’s great,” Trammell said.

The third season of true blood debuts on HBO this spring.

Trammell will be talking about the show in-depth during his “Inside the Actors Studio” appearance Friday night with the Kanawha players.