Interview with the Vampire received a series order in June 2021, after AMC Networks purchased the rights to intellectual property encompassing 18 of Rice's novels in 2020. The series was renewed for an eight-episode second season in September 2022, ahead of the premiere of its first season on October 2, 2022. The second season is set to premiere on May 12, 2024.
The first season received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise going towards the writing, costumes, soundtrack, production values, lead performances and their chemistry.
Premise
Interview with the Vampire centers on the life story of vampireLouis de Pointe du Lac, as told to veteran journalist Daniel Molloy, to whom he previously gave an unpublished interview in 1973. An affluent black man in the 1910s New Orleans, Louis is romanced and later made a vampire by the charismatic Lestat de Lioncourt. But Louis struggles with his humanity, and the introduction of Lestat's newest fledgling, the teenage vampire Claudia, only strains their relationship further. At present, Daniel begins to doubt the veracity of Louis' story, noting differences from the earlier version.
Jacob Anderson as Louis de Pointe du Lac, a vampire who summons Daniel Molloy to redo their interview of 49 years ago. In 1910, Louis is a 33-year-old closeted black man who turns to brothels business after his late father's financial bankruptcy. He is haunted by guilt and seethes at the racism directed at him.
Sam Reid as Lestat de Lioncourt, a hedonistic French vampire who falls in love with Louis upon his arrival in New Orleans. He later turns Louis into a vampire but is irritated by Louis' preoccupation with humans. His background of abuse at the hands of his family and maker makes him fearful of abandonment. Having read The Vampire Chronicles as a kid, Reid revisited the books and constantly referenced them as he prepared for the role. He also took singing and piano lessons to portray Lestat's musicality.[6]
Eric Bogosian as Daniel Molloy, a cynical middle-aged journalist with Parkinson's disease and a long history of drug and alcohol abuse whose interview with Louis in 1973 ends with him being attacked.
Bailey Bass (season 1)[a] and Delainey Hayles (season 2)[7] as Claudia, a 14-year-old girl whom Lestat turns into a vampire at Louis' insistence to save her life. She forms a daughter-father relationship with the pair and struggles with her fate as an eternal teenager.
Assad Zaman as Armand, a 514-year-old vampire who is Louis' current lover. He saves Daniel's life during the first interview. Armand first appears under the disguise of Rashid, Louis' dutiful servant.
Ben Daniels as Santiago (season 2),[8] the leading thespian of the vampiric troupe Theatre de Vampires, who is increasingly suspicious of Louis and Claudia.
Recurring
Kalyne Coleman as Grace de Pointe du Lac, Louis's sister[9]
Rae Dawn Chong as Florence de Pointe du Lac, Louis's mother
Chris Stack as Thomas "Tom" Anderson, the owner of the Fair Play Saloon, an upscale brothel
Christian Robinson as Levi Freniere, Grace's new husband[10]
John DiMaggio as Alderman Fenwick, a businessman looking to take advantage of Louis
Jeff Pope as Finn O'Shea, one of Louis's enforcers
Dana Gourrier as Bricktop Williams, a prostitute who works for Louis
Maura Grace Athari as Antoinette, a blues singer who becomes romantically involved with Lestat[11]
Additionally, Steven G. Norfleet guest starred as Paul de Pointe du Lac, Louis's troubled brother, and Damon Daunno guest starred as Bruce or Killer, a lone vampire Claudia meets during her travels. Gopal Divan guest starred as Dr. Fareed Bhansali, a physician Louis brings in for Daniel.
In 2022 Dubai, immortal vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac begins retelling his life story to journalist Daniel Molloy. In 1910, successful New Orleans brothel owner Louis is befriended by the mysterious and handsome Frenchman, Lestat de Lioncourt. Louis, burdened by his troubled younger brother Paul's disapproval and the limitations put upon him as a black man, struggles with his increasing attraction to the flamboyant and rakish Lestat. When Louis and Lestat finally consummate their relationship, Louis is overcome by the intense feelings brought upon by Lestat's "little drink" of his blood and vows never to see Lestat again. Paul jumps off the roof to his death, and a devastated Louis is tortured by his mother's blame and Lestat's persistent advances. He recounts his many sins in a church confessional, but Lestat arrives and slaughters the priests. Lestat offers Louis an escape from the troubles of his mortal life, and with Louis's agreement, Lestat makes him a vampire.
Lestat begins teaching Louis how to hunt for prey and use his new vampiric powers, but though he is eager to feed, Louis is not the remorseless killer his mentor is. Six years later, Louis and Lestat have purchased the Fair Play Saloon and rechristened it as Azalea Hall, but Louis still struggles with his new life. After a long overdue visit home, the temptation to drink the blood of his infant nephew painfully reminds Louis that he is no longer human. Still, he cannot fully embrace the casual cruelty and disregard for human life while Lestat toys with a dying tenor opera singer in front of him.
Louis proposes that he and Lestat only prey on the worst of humankind. Lestat participates in the experiment, but Louis still has qualms that drive him to feed off animals instead. Louis feels threatened when Lestat takes a blues singer, Antoinette, as a lover, so Louis has sex with Jonah, a childhood friend in town on leave. Louis finds that he is unwelcome at his family's home, as his mother Florence sees what he is. Alderman Fenwick targets Azalea Hall as part of a push by white business owners to force Louis and other black owners out of Storyville and take over their properties. This is the last straw for Louis, who murders Fenwick and hangs his mutilated corpse in public. The white citizens retaliate with fire and destruction. A despondent Louis hears the thoughts of a young girl in a burning boarding house and rushes in to save her.
4
"...The Ruthless Pursuit of Blood with All a Child's Demanding"
In the present, Daniel reads Claudia's diaries. She is saved from the fire by Louis, but she is horribly burned. Louis convinces Lestat to make her a vampire rather than let her die. Claudia receives a crash course in vampirism and makes her first kill, but she proves to be impulsive. As a vampire's thoughts cannot be read by the one who made them, Louis and Claudia have a special connection apart from Lestat. Louis's mother dies, and his sister Grace wants to buy their family home from Louis. Over time, Claudia becomes frustrated to be an adult in the body of a teenager and acts out. She falls in love with a man named Charlie, but in her excitement, she accidentally kills him. Lestat makes her watch Charlie's body burn.
Louis and Lestat learn that Claudia has secretly been on a mass murder spree and has carelessly dumped the bodies in an area just below the river level. A big storm comes in, and a multitude of corpses wash up. The police come to the townhouse for a routine search and nearly discover the human parts Claudia has been collecting in her room. Lamenting that Lestat and Louis have each other to love, Claudia admits she has tried to make other vampires to have someone for herself, but has repeatedly failed. Claudia leaves for parts unknown, and Louis's relationship with Lestat is worse than ever. During her travels, Claudia meets another vampire named Bruce, who does something to her that Louis will not discuss with Daniel in the present. After seven years of researching vampire lore, Claudia returns to take Louis away with her. Louis is tempted, and a furious Lestat attacks, leaving Louis beaten to a pulp.
Lestat has disappeared in shame, and Claudia nurses Louis back to health. A remorseful Lestat eventually makes overtures to reunite with Louis, who ignores the apologies and gifts for six years. But Louis cannot let go of his connection to Lestat, and he and Claudia consider allowing their maker back into a new version of their family where Claudia is an equal. They give Lestat a list of conditions for his return, but ultimately nothing changes. Lestat relates how as a human he was kidnapped by the vampire Magnus, kept in a room full of corpses that looked like him, and eventually made a vampire, after which Magnus immolated himself. Louis tries to broker peace between Lestat and Claudia but to no avail. Claudia decides to leave for Europe, stowing away on a train, but Lestat locates Claudia and threatens her into returning home, insisting that Louis needs both of them. Claudia decides that she and Louis need to kill Lestat to finally be free of him, and Louis agrees. In the present, Daniel dreams of his first encounter as a young man with Louis and remembers that Louis's young familiar Rashid was also there.
The vampires' eccentricity and agelessness have attracted increased attention, so Lestat decides they should leave New Orleans. Claudia manipulates Lestat into throwing an elaborate Mardi Gras ball before they leave. In the present, Louis explains to Daniel that there are several ways to "kill" a vampire, including starvation, decapitation, fire, and drinking the blood of the dead. At the ball, the vampires choose a handful of guests to be slaughtered and drained afterward. Claudia tells Louis that she has drugged one of them with laudenum and arsenic. As Lestat is poised to drink from the tainted man, he reveals that Antoinette, now a vampire, has warned him of their plan, but he suddenly collapses. A triumphant Claudia explains that she knew Antoinette was trailing her, and that she also poisoned Tom Anderson, from whom Lestat has already drunk. Louis slits Lestat's throat, and he and Claudia leave Lestat's corpse in a trunk to be thrown in the city dump. In the present, Daniel accuses Louis of leaving Lestat somewhere full of rats as a means to save him. Louis reveals that Rashid is actually the ancient vampire Armand and the love of his life.
A new franchise adaptation of Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles was initially in development as a film series at Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment. The novel series had previously been adapted into Interview with the Vampire, starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, in 1994 and the less commercially successful 2002 sequel, Queen of the Damned. Rice's son, Christopher Rice, had adapted the screenplay, and Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci were set as producers.[20] The project paused until November 26, 2016, when Anne Rice had regained the rights to the franchise with the intention to develop the novels into a television series, where she and her son would serve as executive producers. Upon this announcement, Rice stated, "A television series of the highest quality is now my dream for Lestat, Louis, Armand, Marius, and the entire tribe. Though we had the pleasure of working with many fine people in connection with this plan, it did not work out. It is, more than ever, abundantly clear that television is where the vampires belong."[21]
On April 28, 2017, it was announced that Paramount Television Studios and Anonymous Content had optioned the rights after a competitive month-long bidding war. Christopher Rice was attached to rewrite the screenplay, with Anonymous Content's David Kanter and Steve Golin joining as executive producers.[22] On January 11, 2018, Bryan Fuller became the showrunner, but quit later that month to not interfere with what the Rices were planning.[23][24] In a competitive situation, Hulu put the project in development on July 17, 2018, with Dee Johnson replacing Fuller as showrunner on February 19, 2019.[24][25] It was later announced on December 19, 2019, that Hulu had decided not to move forward with the project, with Rice adding her trilogy Lives of the Mayfair Witches, the rights to which were still owned by Warner Bros. Pictures, to the larger, complete rights package. Paramount Television was in a position to regain the rights to the novels as it was reported the studio was among the four bidders seeking the property.[26]
On May 13, 2020, it was announced that AMC Networks had purchased the rights to the intellectual property encompassing 18 novels and the possibility to develop feature films and television series from the deal.[27] On June 24, 2021, AMC gave an adaptation of the first novel in the series, Interview with the Vampire, a series order consisting of eight episodes, with the series scheduled to premiere in 2022. Rolin Jones was attached as creator, showrunner, and writer. Mark Johnson was named executive producer alongside Jones under their overall deals with AMC Studios to oversee the universe for AMC, with Anne and Christopher Rice set as non-writing executive producers.[28] On July 19, 2021, it was announced that Alan Taylor was attached as an executive producer and to direct the first two episodes of the first season.[29] On September 28, 2022, ahead of the series premiere, AMC renewed Interview with the Vampire for a second season which will cover the second half of the novel, bringing the series to a total of fifteen episodes.[30][31]
Writing and themes
With AMC's intention of creating a universe out of Rice's work,[32][33] show creator and writer Rolin Jones stated that the later books in The Vampire Chronicles influenced the decisions made when adapting the story and acknowledged the challenge between being loyal to the source material and keeping the story interesting to those who are familiar with it.[30][33] Among the significant changes is Louis' background, which shifted from a white planter and African slave owner in the late 1700s to a mixed-race Creole pimp in Storyville, a red light district in early 20th-century New Orleans.[33][34] Jones said that the changes were made to place the story in a "time period that was as exciting aesthetically as the 18th century was without digging into a plantation story that nobody really wanted to hear now".[33] The series also embraces the queer relationship that exists in Rice's novels, unlike the 1994 film adaptation.[35] On the relationship between the two lead characters, Jones stated that the show is a gothic romance and that he wanted to "write a very excitable, aggressive, toxic, beautiful love story".[32] Critics praised the series' writing for avoiding color-blind casting and allowing the series to explore themes such as race, sexuality, history, and abuse.[34][36][37]
Casting
In August 2021, Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson were confirmed to play the lead roles of Lestat de Lioncourt and Louis de Pointe du Lac.[38][39] Two months later, Bailey Bass joined the cast in a starring role as Claudia,[40] whose age was changed from five-year-old in the novel to fourteen-year-old to avoid Louisiana's child labor law.[32] Kalyne Coleman subsequently landed a recurring role as Grace, Louis's sister.[9] In 2022, Christian Robinson and Assad Zaman joined the cast as Levi and Rashid, respectively,[10][41] while Eric Bogosian was cast as Daniel Molloy in an undisclosed capacity.[42] In April the same year, Maura Grace Athari completed the cast as Antoinette.[11]
Anderson, Reid, Bogosian, and Zaman are set to reprise their roles in the second season,[43] while Delainey Hayles will replace Bass as Claudia due to "a variety of unforeseen circumstances".[7] In 2023, Ben Daniels and Roxane Duran joined the cast to play Santiago and Madeleine.[8][44] In February 2024, upon the announcement of the second season's release date, David Costabile joined the cast as a guest star.[12]
Filming
Gallier House was used as Lestat's townhouse during the first season, as described in the novels.
Principal photography for the first season began in late 2021,[38] running from December to April 2022 in New Orleans.[45] Production designer Mara LePere-Schloop recreated Storyville district by building about 40 period building facades for the show's Iberville and Liberty Street on a backlot at The Ranch Studios in Chalmette from October 2021 to January 2022.[46] The show was also shot at several New Orleans landmarks, including Gallier House, which Anne Rice used as the model for Lestat's townhouse, and Beauregard-Keyes House, for the interior of Fair Play Saloon.[47][48]
The second season officially began filming on April 3, 2023, and was expected to end on August 31, with most of the shoot taking place in Prague, which will stand for Paris, including Barrandov Studios.[49][50] There are limited plans to also film in Paris and New Orleans.[51]Craig Zisk was named as one of the directors,[50] while the season was expected to premiere in "early-to-mid 2024".[49] On May 3, given the script for the series had already been written, AMC spokesperson confirmed that the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike was expected to not disrupt the series' schedule, but rewriting was not allowed.[52][53] Filming was eventually halted in July due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike and resumed after "roughly 10-week hiatus" on October 2,[54][55] following AMC Networks' interim agreements with the union and the conclusion of the WGA strike.[56][57]
Rolin Jones asked his former The Exorcist collaborator Daniel Hart to score the series.[58][59] Hart and Jones centered the score's style on the period in which the show's protagonists live and discussed early 20th-century American classical musicians as influences.[58][59][60] Hart composed a theme for each of the main characters on the tone of their voices so the music would be a part of their internal monologues.[60]Milan Records released the first season soundtrack album on October 22, 2022,[61] which includes the song "Come to Me," performed by Sam Reid as Lestat de Lioncourt.[58][62]
Release
The series premiered on AMC on October 2, 2022, with an advance release three days earlier on the network's streaming service AMC+,[63][64] in all of its regions except Spain,[65] where it premiered on January 12, 2023.[66][67] The rest of the seven-episode first season was released weekly, with a one-week advance on AMC+.[28][68] In 2023, the series was aired on BBC Two in the United Kingdom, ABC Television in Australia, and Sky in Germany,[69][70][71] alongside a digital release on their respective streaming services.[72][73][74] In the Middle East and North Africa region, the series is available on the streaming service OSN+.[75][76] The first season is included in the AMC+ "programming pop-up" on Max in the US from September 1 to October 31, 2023.[77]
The second season is set to premiere on May 12, 2024.[12]
Reception
Critical response
The performances of Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid and their chemistry were praised by critics.
The first season of Interview with the Vampire received positive reviews from critics, with praise going towards the writing,[80][81] tone,[82][83] costumes,[80][84] soundtrack,[85][86][87] production values,[84][88] chemistry between the two lead actors,[89][90] and performances of the cast.[82][91] The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 98% approval rating with an average rating of 8.1/10, based on 80 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "With a playful tone and an expansive sweep that allows Anne Rice's gothic opus to mull like a chalice of blood, Interview with the Vampire puts a stake through concerns that this story couldn't be successfully resurrected."[92]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 80 out of 100 based on 30 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[93]
Variety included Anderson and Reid in its list of "Best TV Performances" of 2022 and wrote, "Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid rose to the occasion with unforgettable style. Reid unleashed hell as the perpetually hungry Lestat, Anderson gave one of the year's point-blank best performances [...] it's all too easy to understand why millions remain so invested in this romance, vicious and doomed though it is."[94]TV Guide also listed both Anderson and Reid as one of the 20 best TV performances of the year, placing them at number five, and wrote, "Their sizzling chemistry and wholehearted commitment to making Louis and Lestat's hell marriage as toxic as possible is what makes Interview with the Vampire work. Separately, Anderson and Reid are exemplary. Together, they're lightning in a bottle."[95]IndieWire included Reid in its list of "28 Best Film and TV Performances" of the year and wrote, "Reid took on the role with all the force, charm, and horror that [Anne] Rice dished out in her 1976 book. [...] Every minute of Reid's performance here is a master class in manipulation."[96] Additionally, the website also named the series' poster one of the "33 Best Film and TV Posters of 2022".[97]The A.V. Club also listed Anderson as one of the 16 best TV performances of 2022, placing him at number fourteen, and wrote, "Anderson is equal parts charming and heartbreaking as Louis. The show delves into queer elements far more than the film did (sold thoroughly thanks to Anderson and Reid's chemistry). With his invigorating work, Anderson doesn’t just live up to the film's take on Louis, previously played by Brad Pitt, but he arguably exceeds it."[98]Film School Rejects named the final scene of the first episode as the twelfth best of the year and wrote, "The scene itself embodies all of the show’s facets, beginning with a brilliant performance from Anderson [...] Reid flits from frightening to seductive to arrogant and back again as Rice’s Brat Prince personified. Interview with the Vampire has made the best first impression of any show this year."[99]CNN included the series in its article on the return of the "beloved fantasy realms" on TV and wrote, "The series makes sexuality and race central themes, inextricably tied to the story of emotionally tortured vampires trying to be a family and the journalist trying to get the story."[100]
Especially for the chemistry between the two actors, TVLine included a scene between Anderson and Reid's characters from the first episode in its list of "17 Sexiest Scenes" in 2022 and wrote, "It was love at first bite for Louis and Lestat, whose off-the-charts chemistry was undeniable in the show's premiere as temptation gave way to seduction."[101]Time praises the performances of Anderson and Reid and wrote, "Only actors with the chemistry of Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid, who play Interview’s central couple, could make the passion between immortal lovers."[102]Decider also named Anderson and Reid as the co-stars who "oozed the most incandescent chemistry with each other this year" and wrote, "Together these two actors vibe on a wavelength that is nothing short of magical. [...] Reid and Anderson let their bodies expose their characters' emotions. They have an electric connection and the kind of chemistry that becomes legendary."[103] The same website listed a sex scene as the fourth best of the year and wrote, "Only one show this year showed us just how magical the otherworldly connection between two lovers could be. AMC's triumphant series works because of the intense bond between the vampire Lestat and his beloved, bedraggled creation Louis."[104]Queerty listed the scene as one of the 10 hottest, wildest, gayest TV moments of 2022, placing it at number six, and wrote, "In its premiere, Louis (Anderson) and Lestat (Reid) lunge at each other with an animal-like intensity."[105]TV Insider included Anderson and Reid in its list of "16 Breakout TV Stars" of 2022 and wrote, "There's no separating Louis and Lestat."[106]Collider also included Louis and Lestat in its list of "Best TV Duos" of 2022 and wrote, "The actors’ chemistry is off the charts from the start [...] Even when Louis is angry with Lestat, they only want each other more."[107]Vanity Fair praises the portrayal of Louis and Lestat in the series and wrote, "Anderson and Reid's chemistry is unrivaled. To watch them on screen together is to watch a master class in charm and manipulation, in lust and anguish. Anderson conveys unimaginable depth [...] Reid, a storm of intoxicating fury, is magnetic."[108]Pride named the series the best TV show of 2022 and wrote, "But most importantly of all, the chemistry between stars Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid is astronomical."[109]
For individual episodes, the season finale "The Thing Lay Still" was named the best TV episode of 2022 by Mashable.[110]Slashfilm ranked the first episode "In Throes of Increasing Wonder..." as the tenth best TV episode of the year and wrote, "The series' first episode is a variety pack of indelibly dark and entertaining moments, from Louis and Lestat's naked, hovering consummation to the gory finale that sees Lestat punch a hole through a priest's head to show his new lover he means business."[111]Syfy Wire also included the first episode in its list of "Best Sci-Fi and Horror TV Episodes of 2022" and wrote, "Smart, richly produced, and perfectly acted, we get a fresh take and an updating of Rice's book and mythology that honors her world",[112] while Primetimer included the episode in its list of "Best TV Episodes of 2022" and wrote, "A thrilling — if ironic — breath of life, proving that TV's determination to cannibalize any and all intellectual property can still show us something new."[113]TV Guide placed the sixth episode "Like Angels Put in Hell by God" as the eleventh best TV episode of the year in its "20 Best TV Episodes" list,[114] who also included the first episode in its list of "6 Shows and Episodes That Blew Up the Group Chat in 2022" and wrote, "All of the group chats agreed that each episode brought unexpected drama and an excitement to watch week-to-week that is so treasured when watching TV is legitimately your job."[115] Meanwhile, Entertainment Weekly included the fourth episode "The Ruthless Pursuit of Blood with All a Child's Demanding" in its unranked list of "33 best TV episodes of 2022".[116]Collider included the season finale in its list of "Best TV Episodes of 2022",[117] while TV Insider included the same episode in its list of "25 TV Episodes From 2022 We Can’t Stop Thinking About".[118]
Interview with the Vampire was named the best reviewed horror series of 2022 by Rotten Tomatoes,[129][130] as well as one of the best reviewed TV series and new series of the year.[131][132] The series was placed at number 19 on Metacritic's year-end list of most mentioned TV shows by critics as "Best of 2022".[133]
The premiere of Interview with the Vampire ranked as the number one new series launch ever for AMC+, and along with the return of The Walking Dead, drove the platform to its highest two days of viewership and subscriber growth since its October 2020 launch. The opening weekend performance put Interview with the Vampire alongside The Walking Dead and Better Call Saul as one of the top three new or returning series on AMC+.[136] On AMC, 1.2 million viewers watched the premiere of the series, including 493.000 viewers in the 25–54 demographic based on Nielsen's live+3 ratings, making the series the number one new drama on ad-supported cable in 2022.[137]
Viewership and ratings per episode of Interview with the Vampire
Interview with the Vampire has its own set of related media within the Anne Rice's Immortal Universe franchise, including an insider podcast and an after-show special.[31][163] A short form spin-off series, Night Island, is in development, with Jonathan Ceniceroz of Interview with the Vampire set to write.[164]
In January 2023, Mark Johnson announced that a crossover between Interview with the Vampire and Mayfair Witches, the second series in the Immortal Universe based on the novel trilogy Lives of the Mayfair Witches, was in discussion.[165]
Notes
^In the first season, Bailey Bass was only credited for her respective episode appearances.
^The lists indicated with "–" are not ranked—they each consist of ten shows in alphabetical order.
^ abcThe lists indicated only include newly released shows and limited series.
^The listed year refers to the date of the ceremony.
^"IFMCA Award Winners 2022". IFMCA: International Film Music Critics Association. February 23, 2023. Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
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