“True Blood” star Joe Manganiello knew of his character’s fate even before creator Alan Ball told him.

Spoilers ahead: Don’t read further if you haven’t watched the latest episode of the HBO show yet.

In the third episode of season seven titled “Fire in the Hole,” the resident Were, Alcide Herveaux, met his tragic fate after he was shot by a random hillbilly in the woods.

Alcide is the second main character to die this season after Tara (Rutina Wesley), who was unceremoniously killed off not even five minutes to the season premiere.

Viewers should have had a clue that Alcide was the next casualty. There has been foreshadowing in the previous episodes and scenes. He suggested to Sookie (Anna Paquin) that they run and leave town, but Sookie was having none of it.

Sookie also admitted to Bill (Stephen Moyer), her first lover, that Alcide loved her more than she loved him. Bill told her that she would learn to love Alcide, but she might not get the chance to anymore.

Joe wasn’t surprised of Alcide’s death, though. In fact, he knew he would be killed off as soon as he got the girl in the sixth season finale.

“I used to have lunch with Alan Ball before every season, and he would let me know that the arc was going to be for the character,” the 37-year-old actor told Entertainment Weekly.

“So I had dinner with Bucky [showrunner Brian Buckner], and he brought the first three scripts and said, ‘We’re killing you.’ I said, ‘I know.’ He said, ‘You do?’”

Joe explained how he got to that correct conclusion, saying that there is just no happy ending for the fairy and the werewolf because Alcide wasn’t just the main guy for Sookie.

“I said, ‘Yeah. What are you gonna do with Alcide if he’s with Sookie? We’re gonna have a nice wedding and take off for Bermuda, then move away from town and stay there and have babies? That’s not the show. The fairy has to be with the vampire, so you gotta get the werewolf outta the way. You can’t have her break Alcide’s heart, because then people won’t like Sookie – they’ll get mad at her for breaking the good guy’s heart. So it’s the only choice you have, really – you gotta kill him.’”

Also, Joe thinks Alcide was the “perfect character to kill off” because nobody really knew him, and therefore nobody would cry for him.

Except for Sookie. While she only shed a one or two seemingly detached tears for her best friend, she was in a full mourning show for her boyfriend.

Alcide died nude because he had just turned from a werewolf at that time, which Joe said wasn’t easy to shoot.

“It’s 30 degrees in Malibu at night, and you gotta lay on the ground naked in wet dirt and try not to shake [laughs] which is not easy to do when you’re out there for hours.”

He was glad that he died from the hands of a human and not from a vampire, though.

“I’m glad it wasn’t a vampire, ‘cause I think that might have been emasculating. He hates vampires so much, then he gets taken out by one of them?” he said.

There has been a talk of “True Blood Musical” happening, but if it gets realised, don’t except Joe to reprise his role.

“No, I’m not a musical person... But it would be awesome if Hugh Jackman played Alcide. I want to throw it out there: If anybody’s gonna play Alcide, I want it to be Hugh Jackman.”

Joe is currently busy promoting his documentary “La Bare,” and is set to shoot “Tumble Down” next.

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