[Spoiler alert: If you haven’t seen True Blood then this post might have some spoilers]

Losing Alcide on True Blood so suddenly and so stupidly was painful, mainly because that meant the end of his shirtless prancing about the series. However, in hindsight, since the end of the series, it made sense that he had to go if they wanted to complete the whole Sookie-Bill cycle. But we haven’t lost this wonderful hot-bodied man altogether. Mr. Manganiello is a many of many talents it would seem.

Not only is he a classically-trained actor and Carnegie Mellon graduate, he’s also an accomplished actor (yes, he has a life outside of True Blood), and a published author he can now add director and producer to that list.

Ever since Magic Mike and stumbling onto the world of male strippers, he’s been wanting to make a film about it. So much so that he self-financed his new documentary, La Bare.

La Bare, which premiered in the Slamdance Film Festival is now available for purchase from its website, is a behind-the-scenes look at male stripping. Sort of like a real life Magic Mike (which was loosely based on actor Channing Tatum’s experience as a 19 year-old stripper). Originally conceptualized as a reality show, it later morphed into the documentary you see now. Although it seems that the possibility of it turning into a reality show is still on the table. Honestly, I hope it becomes a reality show because I can already foresee a new TV obsession right!

On the question on whether or not it’s objectifying men, well, here’s a quote from Manganiello himself:

“I don’t think there’s any such thing as male objectification. I think that word exists only with women because there are societal pressures for them to behave a certain way and to look a certain way. Someone put it to me once: Women are sex objects and men are success objects. That was really interesting to me.”

Well said Mr. Manganiello, well said.