Parks and Recreation actress and comedian Mara Marini puts two of our favorite True Blood hotties head-to-head in our weekly debate and asks you to decide: Who’s hotter?!
Alexander Skarsgard
Tall, brooding and with sparkling blue eyes, it’s hard not to have a crush on this vampiric bad boy. A former child actor in Sweden, Skarsgard booked Zoolander while on vacation in the U.S. After being named The Sexiest Man in Sweden five times, he finally moved to Los Angeles in 2004 — and we are lucky to have him. His break out role is playing 1000-plus-year-old vampire Eric Northman, on HBO’s True Blood, but he has worked a ton. Skarsgard has taken on Sgt. Brad Colbert in Generation Kill, Charlie in Straw Dogs and he even made a cameo in Lady Gaga’s Paparazzi music video. He’s apparently going to be Tarzan next… now that’s a man I’d love to swing with.
Joe Manganiello
As much as I respect and admire Skarsgard’s Swedish steely-blue-eyes, Manganiello and his big Italian muscles are a huge contender (pun intended). I remember when I first saw him appear on True Blood… I think half of America ran to their computers before the episode was even over to search IMDB for this mysterious hunk. He also starred in one of my favorite movies, Magic Mike. (His co-star Channing Tatum was a contender last week). I hear he is actually in the midst of making a fascinating documentary about a male strip club — so he is proficient both in front of and behind the camera. A man that is good with his hands? Two gold stars.
So we have the vampire versus the werewolf… who will you chose?
Talent
Alexander Skarsgard: Although I haven’t seen any of his Swedish films, he has proven he can do comedy (
Zoolander), drama (
Melancholia), thrillers (
Straw Dogs) and he’s also starred in few plays back in Sweden. Additionally, he has a handful of nominations and awards under his belt.
Joe Manganiello: Although I have only seen him play a Marvel character (Flash Thompson), a werewolf (Alcide Herveaux) and a stripper (Big Dick Richie), I have thoroughly enjoyed everything he has been in. He is like a real-life comic book character. He won a Saturn Award for guest-starring on
True Blood and has been nominated for
MTV Movie Awards and
Teen Choice Awards.
Lifestyle
Alexander Skarsgard: It sounds like he keeps a healthy lifestyle while still maintaining a smidge of normalcy. He has said, “Hollywood can be like kids playing marbles on the schoolyard. Everybody wants the shiny marble until one kid says he doesn’t. Then nobody will touch it. So it’s important that I make good decisions now.” It sounds like he has a solid head on his tall, buff shoulders.
Joe Manganiello: Prior to his fame, he worked in construction. He was a bodyguard for Tyrese Gibson and a bouncer at a Mexican rock bar. Maybe some of that grounded him because from the sounds of it, he doesn’t let his star power get to his head. He works very hard and leads a healthy, active lifestyle.
Fitness
Alexander Skarsgard: He claims he doesn’t get carried away with working out and has more of a relaxed approach to fitness. Whatever he is doing, it seems to be working for him.
Joe Manganiello: He apparently works out twice a day, six days a week and he is writing a fitness book. Abs on abs on abs. Swoon
Kindness
Alexander Skarsgard: From what I have heard, he is sweet as pie and he supports a number of charities and causes.
Joe Manganiello: He is very active with several charities.
Pets
Joe Manganiello: He doesn’t have any pets, but he plays one on TV. So…
Intelligence
Alexander Skarsgard: He took a small break from acting to study at Leeds Metropolitan University and Marymount Manhattan College. He also speaks several languages.
Joe Manganiello: He spent a year at the University of Pittsburgh and then was accepted into Carnegie Mellon where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
Commitment
Alexander Skarsgard: He may just be on his quest for the one — and in the interim is dating some beautiful leading ladies — but can you blame him? He’s been linked to
Kate Bosworth,
Ellen Page and most recently,
Kristen Stewart. At least he attempts to get invested in relationships, even if they don’t last forever.
Joe Manganiello: It sounds like he has it in him. He was engaged for a while and is now in a serious relationship. He told People magazine, “I’m a big guy. All too often in Hollywood actresses are super-skinny. As a man, my primal instincts don’t kick in when they’re that skinny. It’s almost unhealthy. I like curves.” This makes me love him all the more.
About Mara Marini
Mara Marini is a Canadian film, television and theater actress perhaps best known for her recurring role as Brandi Maxxxx on the hit NBC comedy series Parks and Recreation. Marini has also appeared in a number of indie comedy and horror films. In 2013, she launched a popular digital comedy video series called Inside Dating on Break.com, will soon be guest-starring on Disney’s Kickin’ It and shooting a politically incorrect feature comedy this fall. For more information on Mara, check out her official website www.maramarini.com, follow her on Facebook or on Twitter at @popgloss.
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