Move over, Taylor Swift. It’s Lestat’s era now. Or so he declared in the first episode of season three of Interview with the Vampire, now titled The Vampire Lestat. The title change may be confusing, but it captures the chaotic energy of this famed vampire. The new intro is psychedelic and colorful, drug-induced and representative of the centuries Lestat has experienced.
The now-titular character, Lestat de Lioncourt, is messy, vain, and traumatized, and the show hopes to unpack his psyche within its seven episodes. At least, that’s the mission for showrunner Rolin Jones and his writers. For Lestat, this is a documentary, an opportunity to flip the script and correct the narrative of the first two seasons. Previously, his on-again, off-again lover, Louis de Pointe du Lac, was telling the story, sharing his vampiric life with a journalist, and regaling the audience with his rich tales from 1910s New Orleans and beyond. This story was published, angering Lestat, as it revealed the existence of vampires to mortals and portrayed him in a less-than-flattering way.
Lestat annotated the book, tearing it up, and correcting passages before deciding to take Louis’ interviewer and convince him to tell the even more outrageous story of the rock star vampire who holds on to the glitz and glamor of a dying genre. This rock star, however, isn’t restrained to screens.
The premiere of The Vampire Lestat was held on June 2 at the Beacon Theatre in New York, combining a traditional red carpet event with a rock concert. AMC amped up the marketing campaign for this season, inviting fans to witness their beloved character in real life. Actor Sam Reid took to the stage, dressed in vampiric capes and plunging vests, and performed six songs—of the 20 he recorded for the show—in character. These, all written by the show’s composer Daniel Hart, range from a sensual rock track to an emotional, pleading ballad to a song with nonsensical, referential lyrics.
The ultimate publicity party, the concert loudly launched the reinvention of the television series while cementing its adherence to Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles. The author passed away in 2021, shortly after the show entered development, and was unable to see a good adaptation of her work. While her books were the basis for two films—Interview with the Vampire in 1994 and Queen of the Damned in 2002—I argue that neither of these previous attempts was successful at capturing her lush, Gothic romance and its descent into madness in her later work. She famously disliked Tom Cruise’s portrayal of Lestat, so I can only hope that Rice would have admired Reid’s dedication to the role.
The immersive marketing for The Vampire Lestat also extends to print, as he got an interview in Rolling Stone, where he discussed the musical influences of an immortal. While brief, Lestat flaunted his music and teased what was to come. The stars Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson also got the chance to share about this project through a profile and photoshoot with GQ HYPE.
To me, this article makes a strikingly important statement: Jacob Anderson and the character of Louis aren’t going anywhere. With the title shift and most of the promotional material centering around Lestat, fans understandably grew concerned about the sidelining of other characters. Rice’s books move from Louis to Lestat after the first title, shaking up what had already been established. Especially important to note is that Louis is Black, he’s a gay Creole man, with all the complicated experiences that his identity entails. Lestat, on the other hand, is a blond, blue-eyed Frenchman. While I love Lestat, the nuance of Louis captivates me more. With the GQ HYPE article, my fear has subsided, and I am excited to see what Louis’ role will be moving forward.
The first episode, which premiered on June 7, did not show much of Louis in the present storyline, but proved he is always on Lestat’s mind. The immortal lovers are not together at this point in their journey, but they remain intrinsically linked after all the suffering they have endured. In the first hour of this season, Lestat repeatedly flashes back to moments of them, dancing together, making love, and even Louis’ attempt on his life; even the most extreme violence is forgivable with the perspective of having forever together.
This forever is still to come, with six episodes of the series slated to be released over the next few Sundays. If you haven’t seen Interview with the Vampire yet, the first two seasons are available on Netflix. And if you have, get ready to witness this expansive, glam rock, stream-of-consciousness experiment of a third season on AMC+.