The only problem with living forever is that you… have to live forever. When you have endless time, how do you fill it? And how do you live with yourself and the decisions you’ve made about how to fill that time? For the vampires on AMC+’s new adaptation of Interview with the Vampire, their immortality is simultaneously a gift and a burden. With superhuman strength and heightened senses, Louis de Pointe du Lac and Lestat de Lioncourt can live their infinite lives to the fullest, with endless indulgence and luxurious decadence. But they’re also haunted by what they have to do to survive — namely, kill and drink blood.
That tension is at the heart of the new AMC+ series, which is, of course, based on the revolutionary best-selling gothic novel by Anne Rice. (The series is also the first in AMC+’s planned Immortal Universe, a collection of new shows all based on the legendary author’s works.) However, the story is now set in New Orleans in the early 1900s, instead of 1791 as in Rice’s original novel, and the frame story involving the journalist’s titular interview now takes place in our present day. The series is also upping the sex and violence factor, with luxurious costumes, sumptuous set design, and extra-bloody gore. But the heart of the story — Louis and Lestat’s relationship — remains the same, as well as their debates over the nature of immortality.
Here, we present a guide to the four major players in the new Interview with the Vampire, so you’re all caught up for what’s sure to be a wild, epic ride of sex, love, blood, and, of course, immortality.
Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson)
When the series begins, Louis is a brothel owner in New Orleans at the turn of the 20th century, frustrated at the limitations he faces as a Black man during this time period. It’s in this New Orleans nightlife scene that he is seduced by the charismatic Lestat de Lioncourt. Lestat offers Louis the ultimate escape — eternal life as a vampire. But soon after receiving the fatal bite, Louis finds that his experience as a vampire differs from Lestat’s. Louis believes immortality is a burden to bear, instead of the gift Lestat promised it would be, and also feels uncomfortable with killing people in order to eat. (Which… fair.) The pair’s differing views on the nature of immortality (and the introduction of Claudia — more on her in a sec) make for a complicated relationship, to put it nicely.
Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid)
The rakish Lestat is already a vampire when we first meet him in the series. A French aristocrat and socialite, he’s a fan of the finer things in life — think fashion, art, literature, gambling, and yes, sexual desire — and plans on living his (infinite) life to the fullest, with the help of his superhuman abilities and heightened senses. Unlike Louis, Lestat believes immortality is a gift — more time to indulge in his sinful pursuits! — and he’s made peace with the fact that he must kill people in order to survive. Though Lestat might seem like a bad boy at the outset, the series makes us question whether he might actually have a point. After all, evil is just a point of view — right?
Claudia (Bailey Bass)
As any fan of Rice’s novels will tell you, Claudia is the true star of the show. She becomes an adoptive daughter of sorts for Louis and Lestat after she’s turned into a child vampire. Though she’s only five years old in Rice’s novels, the series has aged her up to 14, which adds an extra layer to her character. She’s struggling with immortality just like Louis and Lestat, but she also has the regular trials and tribulations of being a teenage girl to deal with. (Imagine being a teenager for the rest of your life.) But don’t think that her age makes her any less bloodthirsty than her sire: The trailer shows her smiling creepily while the bottom half of her face is covered in blood. Though she is Louis and Lestat’s daughter, it’s an unconventional relationship and something that weighs on her; as she questions in the trailer: “You two have each other. Who am I supposed to love?”
Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian)
Okay, so Daniel Molloy isn’t technically immortal nor is he a vampire, but he’s still an essential part of this story. (After all, his interview with Louis is the inspiration for the title.) Molloy’s interviews with Louis about the vampire’s life story provide the frame story for the whole series (and Rice’s original novel). The use of Molloy in the television adaptation, however, marks another crucial departure from the novel: Though Rice depicts Molloy as a young “boy reporter” interviewing Louis for the first time, the series actually depicts his second interview with Louis. Here, Molloy is a veteran journalist in the twilight of his career, chasing one last big story to cement his legacy. Will Louis provide the juicy tale he’s been looking for? Or will Molloy, too, end up seduced by the promises of immortality?
Watch the two-episode premiere of Interview with the Vampire on AMC+ on October 2, with new episodes dropping on Sundays.
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