"I have a crush on..." series: Evan Rachael Wood

I've had the big-time hots for Evan Rachael Wood since the release of the cultish teen flick Thirteen (2003), which I watched almost every day during my summer break before my first year at Sarah Lawrence. Her performance as a wayward teen that becomes drug-addled and oversexed jived with my hope to study psychology or women's studies in the future (I studied the classics instead and segued into literature and Italian--woops). She struck me as a captivating vessel through which flowed so much anger, disarray, and brilliance. She's absolutely gorgeous, too, in case you didn't notice! Holly Hunter, another crush of mine, plays her (soooo sexy) mother, who attempts to protect her daughter from the dangers of a wild life while simultaneously trying NOT to oppress her. She fails, and watches as the porcelain-skinned Evan Rachael becomes an unmotivated, pierced, deflowered, wasted, wrist-cutting (did I leave anything out? Oh yes, anorexic.) little unfortunate girl.



Flash-forward to six years later (AGH!), and there I am, innocently watching the second season of my latest--and most embarrassing--obsession, True Blood. There she was, sucking blood from the femoral artery of one of her people-treats, Sophie-Ann, Vampire Queen of Louisianna. I almost screamed: "Wait. IS THAT EVAN RACHAEL WOOD!? YES!" Needless to say, she's on fire with fangs, blood, fucking sass, the whole bit. She's got an old-time charm about her (probably because she's like really, really old as vampires tend to be), that works like magic and keeps your mouth watering. Her eyes burn right into your brain, so much so that she doesn't even have to "glamor" you (oh God what a nerd I've become!).

I love you, Evan Rachael. But I guess Marilyn Manson, your fiancé, loves you more :(