Jamie Gray Hyder is a young, energetic actress currently starring as Lucia, the sultry sister of a drug lord on USA’S Graceland. Video gamers may also recognize her as Echo in PS4’s Killzone Shadow Fall. Hailing from the Washington D.C. area and being a proud University of Georgia alumnae, she stuns audiences across the nation with her exceptionally sexy and adventure-seeking characters, but she may be best known for her role as Danielle, the spunky, tenacious werewolf on HBO’s True Blood. Of the show’s epic final season, she says in our celebrity interview, “It’s already been pretty intense, and I think we’re going to see a lot of the same — I think we’re going to lose a lot more people we’ve come to love!”
Celebrity Interview with True Blood Actress
The Virginia native is spending much of her summer on the set of Graceland. In fact, she was gearing up to film the two-hour finale episode when we spoke with her. For fans anxiously waiting to find out what happens next, she shares, “You can see a lot of things starting to brew, so you can expect the more recent plotlines that have been introduced to really start to develop and play out. You’re going to see a lot more happen between Johnny, Carlito and Lucia!”
Hyder has a firm grasp in her newfound stardom and certainly hasn’t let fame change her approach to love — not that she has much time for romance right now. “I’m in a relationship with whatever show I’m on at the time,” she says with a laugh. Now, that’s true dedication!
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Still, she’s got some very focused opinions on what she wants in a guy. She’s looking for a man who is comfortable with himself and capable of taking the reins in their relationship and love. “I can be stubborn, and I can be sort of like a manager,” she admits. “I want someone who puts me at ease, so I don’t feel the need to be that way. Plus, it’d be nice to be with somebody who can take care of me occasionally.”
Not surprisingly, the actress acknowledges that dating in the spotlight can be tough, particularly because people aren’t always interested in you for respectable reasons. “You’re going to get those guys who really appreciate you for you and a sea of others who are only interested because of what you’ve done or where they see you going.”
Jamie Gray Hyder Shares Dating Advice
Regardless of what kind of man eventually captures her heart, she believes that communication is most important in any partnership. “You have to be able to talk to each other about whatever it is that needs to be discussed,” she explains in our celebrity interview. “If your partner is going to be defensive or disrespectful, it makes it really hard to have a conversation. Good, open communication can really be helpful to any problem you may face.”
Of course, if you can’t work through certain issues, the sensible star encourages girls to recognize that truth and move on, no matter how hard it may be to say goodbye. Sharing her best dating advice, she says, “You’re supposed to be with more than one person in order to figure out who’s right for you. A relationship and love that doesn’t go as planned or ends in heartbreak shouldn’t really feel like a failure because it’s just part of the process. You need that step to get to the right guy.”
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Hyder was rash and real while discussing the “friend zone,” an area that many women feel stuck in when it comes to their relationship with their crush. If someone’s been lingering in that place with their love interest for too long, “it’s indicative that you make better friends than romantic partners — otherwise, something would have already progressed. It’s harsh, but it’s honest!”
In the spirit of her own shining entry into Hollywood, she details her thoughts on how a busy, career-focused woman could better balance her professional goals with her relationship hopes. She remarks that it’s important to know why both are big parts of your life, rationalizing, “If I weren’t able to focus on my career and do a good job at my work, I wouldn’t be a happy person or a suitable partner. So I know that my work is important for me to be a whole person, which is good in a relationship.”
After a little thought, she adds, “Having that warm human interaction and affection of a relationship and love, someone’s who just there for you, is equally important too.”
You can keep up with Jamie on Twitter @jghyder and www.facebook.com/jamiegrayhyder! You can catch her on Graceland on Wednesday nights at 10/9 c on USA.
