“How I Met Your Mother” Actor Cried Over Getting “True Blood” Part

Joe Manganiello, best known as Marshall’s law school ‘bro’ Brad on “How I Met Your Mother,” tells Entertainment Weekly that he cried after learning he had been cast as werewolf Alcide on “True Blood.”

“I’m not afraid to admit that I started crying. I was just so excited. It’s a dream come true,” Manganiello tells EW’s Michael Ausiello. “[When I was a kid], I would pray every day with all of my heart that God would turn me into a werewolf. And when it didn’t happen, I kind of thought, ‘You know what? Maybe this stuff doesn’t work. Maybe I’m getting gypped.’ So here it is 25 years later and my prayers got answered and I’m going to be a werewolf.”

Manganiello, a self-professed fan of the acclaimed HBO series, notes that he has not yet met star Anna Paquin, who was unavailable for a read-through during the audition process.

Set to begin shooting in late January, Manganiello confirmed he has begun his physical preparation for the part.

Says the actor, “Every day right now is all about the Werewolf Workout. It consists of Krav Maga, which is an Israeli fighting technique, and Cross Fit, which is kind of a gnarly crazy high-intensity workout. And I’m doing a little bit of weights in between.”