So why exactly was Joe Manganiello wandering around in the chilly Malibu air in various states of undress? The actor played Alcide Herveaux on “True Blood” for five seasons, and the reason he was often shirtless is because Alcide sheds his clothes in order to transform into a werewolf. Not only that, but Alcide is presented as a love interest for series lead Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) — as an alternative to vampires like Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer, Paquin’s real-life spouse) or Eric Northman (Alexander Skårsgard). Ultimately, Alcide dies during the show’s seventh and final season while arguing with Bill over who’s better suited to protect Sookie from danger.
So what has Manganiello been up to since he played the hunky, shirtless Alcide? Before even wrapping on “True Blood,” Manganiello joined Channing Tatum’s semi-autobiographical 2012 film “Magic Mike” as Big Dick Richie, a fellow dancer (and he reprised the role in “Magic Mike XXL” in 2015 after “True Blood” was officially done). He’s well known as a passionate Dungeons & Dragons player and is even working on a documentary about the tabletop game’s storied history, and he currently hosts the spin-off reality competition game “Deal or No Deal Island” for NBC.