[StBernard] Loyola University grad Brian Treitler leaves his mark on 'True Blood'

[Westley Annis]

Loyola University grad Brian Treitler leaves his mark on 'True Blood'

Published: Sunday, August 21, 2011, 3:55 AM

 By Dave Walker, The Times-Picayune 

First came the guts. Now comes a little glory. 

Chalmette native Brian Treitler left New Orleans after college and moved to
Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.

It was a big, bold move back in 1999. A Brother Martin and Loyola University
graduate, Treitler had one friend in L.A. with whom he could couch-surf
until he got settled. She moved to Texas after two weeks.

"It was kind of scary at first," he said. "Twelve years later, it's a whole
other ballgame."

Tonight (August 21), Treitler makes the second of three appearances this
season on the HBO smash "True Blood."

It's a small role, one of many he's had on "Gilmore Girls," "Malcolm in the
Middle," "Torchwood," "Big Love" and other series.

But it's memorable. Treitler plays a kind of vampire-stalking Bon Temps
paparazzi who fuels a website with ambush videos of fanger bloodlust in
action.

You can see examples of the character's work, and a glimpse of Treitler, at
www.vamps-kill.com, which, as is the fashion these days, exists in the real
world as it appears to Bon Tempsians.

"I think it's one of the biggest and best credits on my resume," Treitler
said. "It's an honor and a blessing to work on a show that's so beloved by
its fans."

Treitler was blessed with acting work within weeks of leaving home, first
booking a small part on the short-lived WB series "Brutally Normal," then a
national Nintendo commercial.

Typical for an entry-level actor, he works day jobs off and on in
food-service settings, including a memorable stint as a VIP host in the Los
Angeles House of Blues.

At the same time, he's also had his face on a giant billboard in Times
Square as the face of a Sprint advertising campaign. Acting classes have
been part of his L.A. life, too, at least when he's not been too busy
actually working as an actor.

"It's a hike up a hill," he said. "You have to have that feeling in the back
of your mind that this is what you were meant to do.

"I've always known that this is what I want to do with my life. This is my
passion. This is what makes me happy."

A self-described character actor, Treitler is a "type" he defines by
mentioning a couple of better-known actors -- Jonah Hill and Jack Black -
whom producers would mention to casting directors as reference points.

"I go in for a lot of those parts," he said. "For character actors, the mold
has to be made as something specifically you can play. It's not like a lead
actor where you go in and read for Don Draper or the lead of a cop drama. It
has to be specific." 

The good news there, he said, is that his specific "type" can be claimed by
only about a dozen working actors, many whom he knows well.

"I see them all the time," he said. "I read for a part on 'Ugly Betty' with
one guy, he got it. I went up against him for a Right Guard commercial, I
got it. You're up against the same 12-14 people when you're a character
actor.

"A lot of people say, 'It's so difficult to be an actor. You're up against
thousands of people.' And truth be told, I'm not."

"True Blood" is another step in his uphill hike. It hasn't always been an
easy climb, but Treitler, age 34 though he could still play a decade
younger, said he's glad he made the first big step a dozen years ago next
month.

"Absolutely," he said. "It's the people who stay the longest, who work the
hardest, who keep trying, who succeed. Eventually, things will start
happening for you.

"I'm just getting started. As they say, it takes 10 years to become an
overnight sensation."