Hannibal came out of the gate strong this spring, turning out to be one of the most creative and clever new TV shows of the year. Under the expert guidance of Bryan Fuller, the iconic horror character was given a fresh and exciting new interpretation, as we followed the fascinating dynamic between Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) and Will Graham (Hugh Dancy).

Playing an important role in the show is Dr. Alana Bloom (Caroline Dhavernas), a protégé of Hannibal’s and colleague of Will’s who finds herself swept up in the macabre happenings that surround Lecter and Graham. With Season 1 of Hannibal having just been released on Blu-ray and DVD this week, I spoke to Dhavernas about her role on Hannibal, reuniting with Fuller a decade after they made the cult classic Wonderfalls together and what’s to come for Alana in Hannibal: Season 2, which recently began production.

This is why it’s great to be a journalist. I can see a movie one night, relate to one of the characters and the next day book an interview with the actor who played her. Caroline Dhavernas plays Becky in Goodbye World, the story of a group of estranged friends riding out the end of the world together. James (Adrian Grenier) is proud of his self-sufficient farm, Benji (Marc Webber) is a political revolutionary and everyone judges Becky from their college days. I was on Becky’s side as she offered community solutions to the crisis and looked out for others. The morning after the season finale of "Hannibal,” in which she plays Will Graham’s confidante Alana Bloom, I spoke with Dhavernas by phone. Spoiler warning for "Hannibal” if you’re not caught up to the season finale yet.

Few characters are as entrenched in people’s minds as the sinister Dr. Hannibal Lecter. In the deliciously eerie TV series Hannibal, actor Mads Mikkelsen portrays Lecter in a new light. Based on the book Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, the show is a prequel to Silence of the Lambs and depicts the character as a brilliant psychiatrist working with the FBI to help gifted criminal profiler Will Graham—played by Hugh Dancy—stay focused and not be consumed by his personal demons. While FBI agent Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) pushes Graham to help him crack tough cases, Dr. Alana Bloom, a protégé of Lecter’s, does her utmost to advocate for Graham and keep him sane. Actress Caroline Dhavernas portrays Bloom as a character with deep empathy and the highest ethical standards—encouraging Crawford to not exploit Graham’s gifts at the risk of jeopardizing his well being.