MD Bastek
A premiere date, a new trailer, and some more plot details are available for AMC’s Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. Looking at the trailer, AMC is making many changes to Rice’s original tale. However, I’ve always been open to reimagining, and this looks like it’s going to be interesting.
Deadline reported that the cast made an appearance at San Diego Comic-Con recently for a showing of the first official teaser for the series. Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire stars Game of Thrones’ Jacob Anderson as Louis de Pointe du Lac, Belle’s Sam Reid as Lestat, newcomer Bailey Bass as Claudia, and Eric Bogosian as journalist Daniel Molloy.
In AMC’s reimagining, we’re taken out of the 18th century and into the early 20th century. Louis seems like the same old brooding and tortured Louis as he bangs on a church door. When the priest opens the door, he blurts out, “He’s in my head!” Of course, we can only assume that his tormentor is Lestat. Instead of the 18th century, Louis’ journey begins in 1910. He meets Lestat at a brothel. Louis says he managed a “diversified portfolio of enterprises,” as we see shots of a roulette wheel and what looks like a brothel. We also get a look at Bass as Claudia. It looks like they’re including all of the themes included in the novel. We see Louis frantically talking about how he laid down with the Devil in a church confessional. Besides the trailer, the cast also introduced a clip from the first episode, during which Louis and Lestat meet at a brothel while Lestat is talking to a sex worker.
The panelists included executive producer Matt Johnson; writer and showrunner Rolin Jones, actors Sam Reid, Bailey Bass, Jacob Anderson, and Eric Bogosian; and production designer Mara LePere Schloop.
Jones said, “If you’ve read Prince Lestat, The Vampire Armand, and Interview with a Vampire, you’ll see lots of nods to the material. We’re trying to build a universe and there is some witchery thrown in there as well.” Jones. He also described the story between Lestat and Louis as “…an aggressive, beautiful love story between two people.”
Anderson, Reid, and Bass all shared their feelings about the story and their parts in it. Anderson said that he saw the movie when he was a teenager.
“I reread the first two books and I think I would have felt more understood if I understood more when I was younger. I am excited to be a part of this world as I deeply connected with Louis,” Anderson said.
Reid said, “I am a huge fan of the books, so when I heard this show was being made, I prayed for an audition. Then I got the part, and I felt the pressure that comes with the opportunity to portray a character I have a deep love for. It’s the greatest gift.”
“This is a dream role,” Bass said. “As an actor being able to do these incredible action sequences in the script had my eyes glued to the page. Claudia is a big character who feels so much by being trapped in that body and we get the chance to see who Claudia is at various ages.”
Bogosian said, “In the movie, he’s [Daniel Molloy], a young novice journalist. Now he’s older, wiser and taking a crack at Louis once more to get the truth.”
The first episode of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire premieres on AMC and AMC+ on October 2.
