Season 3 of AMC’s “Interview with the Vampire” is based on “The Vampire Lestat,” the second novel in Anne Rise’s “Vampire Chronicles,” in which the title character becomes, among other things, a world-famous rock star.
But this novel was published in 1985, and suffice it to say that the musical landscape of the 2020s is very different from that of the 1980s. And one of the most amusing conversations among fans of the series and books revolves around how Lestat’s music is updated for the present.
During San Diego Comic-Con 2024, TheWrap caught up with Interview with the Vampire showrunner Rolin Jones and stars Sam Reid (who plays Lestat), Assad Zaman (Armand) and Delainey Hayles (Claudia) on IMDBoat and of course we had to ask them.
“We’re going to be very, very restrained here. I would say imagine Lestat with an iPad or whatever, going through the last 80 years of music,” Jones said. “And ‘yes, yes, yes. No, no, yes, yes, this, this, this.’ He doesn’t have to be a man of the year 2026. He’s a man of the last 300 years, he has exquisite taste. And I think he knows how to bring that across.”
“Look, he’s the vampire Lestat,” Reid added. “So he’s something you revere, something you fear. Something you love, something you hate. And you know, how do you stand out in a time of extreme discourse? I think Lestat is one of those characters who is quite capable of making an impression without trying very hard.”
“I think it’s a little bit like there’s a very big musical imagination that will probably develop over time,” Jones explained. We had to know, does that mean fans can expect a lot more music in Season 3? Without giving anything away, Jones coyly said the answer is a resounding yes.
“I think what we’re secretly striving for in our hearts is to make an absolutely incredible double album that everyone will love.” Yes, we can’t wait.
We also got to speak with Hayles about her portrayal of Claudia, a decades-old vampire who was turned at just 14 years old and struggles with being forever trapped in this form and having no control over her nature. She is a tragic yet terrifying monster that Hayles plays with great vulnerability.
“I just felt a lot of empathy for her. Because she doesn’t really know who she is. She doesn’t know this world, she likes it. But it was forced on her,” Hayles explained when we asked her about it. “So, I think, yeah, I felt a lot of empathy. Empathy was what I wanted to explore. Because I just feel like her circumstances are so harsh. This way of just being. (She’s) angry all the time, but she’s fierce and extremely vulnerable at the same time. And I wanted to show that in a way.”
Zaman also had interesting insights into his character Armand, a 500-year-old vampire who still acts like an angry teenager in many ways. When asked if he saw his character as essentially a kid pretending to be an adult, Zaman told TheWrap, “I think that’s ultimately what we were trying to achieve. And what I didn’t realize is that I think that’s what it’s like when I’ve been living my life as an actor for 10 years.”
“I think I often felt like the teenager or the kid who doesn’t really know but pretends to put on the mask of someone who knows what they’re doing. And I think we all do that. I think we all kind of trudge along and pretend to play the role until it fits us, until we find a peace in it. So yeah, most of the process of filming season two was trying to pretend I knew what I was doing. And I think that kind of creates harmony.”
Find all of TheWrap’s coverage of San Diego Comic-Con 2024 here.
