Lestat De Lioncourt (Sam Reid), is the star of AMC Networks’ Interview With The Vampire.
He is a immortal vampire, hundreds of years old. He’s lonely and unknowable, but hypnotically charismatic. He is a man of unrestrained love, yet he treats people with the same care as a cat who bats a mouse around before putting it down. Although he rejects his aristocratic heritage, he can’t help but to embody it. He is a frightening monster, condescending, passionate, and loving.
It’s why he is so captivating for Louis de Pointe du Lac (“Game of Thrones” Jacob Anderson), his undead protégé and seemingly eternal soulmate.
He is oscillating, I think. He is constantly changing and never the same,” Reid said to TheWrap in an interview. Later, Reid added, “The relationship between Louis & Lestat is at heart of that series and they always return to each other and destroy each other and making it clear that, really from Season 1, they’re in this romantic partnership.”
The sprawling series is based on Anne Rice’s seminal novel of the same title. It spans centuries and explores Louis and Lestat’s romantic relationship in early 20th-century Jim Crow-era New Orleans. Also, it tracks the former’s modern-day memories as they are told to veteran journalist Daniel Molloy. (Eric Bogosian). Rolin Jones wrote, produced, and hosted the show. The contemporary adaptation of the gothic masterpiece is faithful to the original text, while reimagining certain aspects such as the racialized power dynamics and the growing up of Claudia (Bailey Bass), Louis’s daughter.
Continue reading for TheWrap’s Q&A interview with Reid. Reid discusses Reid’s character and the seductive, enduring nature vampire stories.
Sam Reid: Since I was a teenager I had read the books. I have been a huge vampire fan all my life, reading books and movies about them. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I would ever have the chance to play one. However, I was excited to read that the series would be made into a TV series. I taped, got the script, and thought it was amazing. Rolin did a great job translating Anne Rice’s mood into his script.
The audition they sent me was filled with in brackets that were ‘in French’, but the lines were all written in English. I thought, “No, no, I’m going to do this in French.” I had previously studied French in school but hadn’t taken up French for a while. I was not very proficient at French and didn’t pay much attention at the time, which was frustrating. My sister is fluent in French so I spent much time with her, and Google Translate trying desperately to translate Rolin’s lovely dialogue into French. Then, I learned it. It took me a while, but I persevered to make sure that I was correct.
We sent off the tape, met Rolin, had a discussion about Lestat and its future and then did chemistry readings over Zoom with Jacob. It was an odd experience due to the different time zones. It was difficult so I never met anyone in person until I arrived in New Orleans.