For decades, television and movie audiences have been drawn to vampires. Whether it's their mysterious ways or just great story telling, audiences never seem to grow tired of the many different versions we've come to know and love over the years. Today, there are several ongoing television dramas with vampires at the forefront and easily one of the most entertaining and compelling of them all is HBO's True Blood.

Of all the quirky characters on the series, I think most would agree that Pam is the show's best scene stealer. This season, Pam is in the spotlight more than any other season as she has finally become a "maker" to Sookie's best friend Tara.

Pam's alter ego, Kristin van Straten has spent years honing her craft and taking on role after role that would ultimately lead to the opportunity of a lifetime on the hit HBO series. When she's not running Fangtasia, this lovely leading lady spends her time saving animals and is currently working on a documentary about the ivory trade in Africa.

I had the incredible opportunity to chat with this incredibly talented and funny actor about her role on True Blood, how she got started in the biz and the causes close to her heart...

Q: Did you grow up knowing you wanted to pursue a career in acting?

Kristin: "No, not at all. I came from Wisconsin -- I came from a field with horses in it. The little school I went to didn't have a drama department in it, so this was something I discovered after college.

I was looking for a way to put a roof over my head and food in my mouth. I was a maid, a nanny, a window washer and once I moved to L.A., it was almost impossible to avoid the business. I started doing makeup and saw that it paid more than being a maid, so I went to makeup school and once I got on a set, I just loved set life. It's a wonderful culmination of all kinds of dysfunctional, creative, funny, interesting people."

Q: I understand you're also an artist, what are your favorite things to paint and/or draw?

Kristin: "Mainly people. In the art world, if you're doing the classical training, they push doing people on you because it's the hardest thing to do and they feel as if you can do that, you can draw anything. I've been going to classes since junior high and still am -- it's a wonderful, never-ending exploration. The main thing I'm doing now is painting Alex and Stephen so I can auction them for my charity."

Q: Tell us about your charity...

Kristin: "It's for African elephants because the ivory and rhino horn trade is on a massive upswing, so I'm going to be spending my hiatus trying to do something about that. It looks like I'm going to be shooting a documentary, so I've got to figure out how to fund that and get a camera crew. I've been busy organizing that, so in my spare time I'm going to be painting the cast and auctioning those to fund the project."

Q: You've appeared in dozens of television series, which role before True Blood was your favorite?

Kristin: "I had so much fun on a lot of shows for different reasons, but probably the most iconic was Seinfeld -- I was man hands. It was fun to be part of that history on Seinfeld. Jerry is hysterical and very down to earth. It was a very happy set. For year seven of a huge hit, it was very relaxed and everyone had a good time."

Q: Tell us about your role as Pam on True Blood...

Kristin: "She is the most unapologetic vampire. The thing that's fun to play about her is how little she has to care about being liked. I see her as really truthful as opposed to harsh. She's saying what we're all thinking. It's a really fun role and the writing is so fantastic. I look forward to every script."

Q: I've heard that season five is the "year of the Pam," how much deeper will we get into your backstory?

Kristin: "I, of course love that rumor! I got my backstory and I'm a maker now -- it's a big year for Pam. We're going to find out about her making and it's very informative about her relationship with Eric. She's not a nurturing gal and I feel like her backstory explains why because she comes from a tough time to be a woman. We get more of her viewpoint on that."

Q: What similarities do you share with Pam?

Kristin: "I think that my family would tell you that we have a lot of similarities to Pam and luckily my husband doesn't agree. I have a reputation in my family as being incredibly blunt and over the years I've learned to curb that. My husband thinks that I am very patient and sweet -- thank god."

Q: Have you had any odd fan encounters?

Kristin: "Most of the fans are so sweet and so respectful, but here and there I meet a cuckoo bird. There was one that was wearing a cape -- that should've been my first clue. She was keeping a journal that she bestowed upon me and I've had many people look at it and we're not sure what it was about. And then, she grabbed my a**. All I could do was laugh. I get asked to bite people a lot... and I've only bitten Mario Lopez."

Q: How long does it take to put in the fangs?

Kristin: "They are really well-formed. They go in like a retainer and you say the line with them and without them and Jon Massey in post makes you look really cool. The clicking in and out happens later."

Q: Do you get a chance to follow any TV shows on a regular basis?

Kristin: "Only since the iPad. I just signed up for HBO Go the other day -- I was a huge fan of HBO even before True Blood. I caught up with Six Feet Under and that was one of the most incredibly, beautifully written shows. I'm into Game of Thrones, which we love."

Q: I've read that you love to take in rescue animals -- how many do you have?

Kristin: "I have five, including my husband. I have two dogs and two cats and everybody gets along great."

Q: Do you use Twitter to keep in touch with your fans?

Kristin: "I'm on Twitter@bauervanstraten and I have a Facebook page called The van Stratens. I am the person writing people back - I do everything myself. I want it to be very personal."

Q: What would you like to say to your fans?

Kristin: "Thank you. Thank you for the incredible love and support. As long as we have them, we have a job and I'm very grateful."