Sam Reid Wishes He Could’ve Asked Anne Rice About Lestat

Interview With the Vampire star Sam Reid finds himself deeply entrenched in his role as Lestat de Lioncourt, the central vampire figure in Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles. After two seasons of embodying this iconic character, Reid is set to bring a new dimension to Lestat in the third season of the AMC series. This upcoming season will explore a radically different side of the vampire, showcasing him as a rock star, as it delves into the events of Rice’s second novel, The Vampire Lestat. Despite the questions Reid often fields about his portrayal of Lestat, he longs for the feedback of one person in particular: Anne Rice herself.

In a recent interview with Fault magazine, Reid expressed his desire to have spoken with Rice about his interpretation of Lestat, and he believes she would have had a substantial list of critiques. “I feel like I’ve been fortunate enough to have had some pretty extensive questioning in regard to Lestat,” Reid said when asked about something he always wanted to discuss about the character. “I would have loved to have had the opportunity to talk with Anne Rice about him though — I’m sure she’d have had a long list of confronting notes for me.”

Anne Rice, who passed away in December 2021 following complications from a stroke at the age of 80, never had the chance to discuss Lestat with Reid. Her passing occurred just a few months after Reid was announced as Lestat in August of that year. However, in a 2022 interview with ComicBook, Reid shared his admiration for Rice’s work, noting that he was a dedicated fan of her novels.

“Super familiar. Huge fan of the books, huge fan,” Reid said. “When I read that it was going to be made into a TV show I was just really hopeful that I had the opportunity to audition for it. So yeah, huge amounts of pressure because you feel that pressure to make sure that you live up to the character in the world that you love so much. I mean, there’s a huge amount of pressure because they’re so loved these books and this world that she created but also the pressure that you put on yourself to live up to them as well is full on. But what an extraordinary opportunity and gift and privilege to be able to be a part of it.”

As for what fans can expect in Season 3 of Interview With the Vampire, AMC has provided some intriguing hints. The new season will see Lestat wrestling with a superficial portrayal of himself in a bestseller and deciding to set the record straight in his own unique way—by starting a band and going on tour. The saga will introduce new and returning characters such as Gabrielle, Nicholas, Magnus, Marius, and Those Who Must Be Kept, alongside familiar faces like Louis, Armand, Molloy, Sam, Raglan, Fareed, among others. The journey promises to be an emotional one, without auto-tuning or trigger warnings, amplifying the feels.”

Showrunner Rollin Jones previously teased that Lestat will be at the forefront of the season, suggesting that the show itself will adopt the flamboyant and dramatic aesthetics that characterize Lestat. “Lestat [will be] front and center, which means the show should feel like it was hijacked by Lestat,” Jones remarked. “Aesthetically, you should be ready for what a Lestat version of the show feels like and looks like.”

Interview With the Vampire is currently available for streaming on Netflix.

Source: ComicBook, Fault Magazine