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AMC's Vampire Lestat wasn't always meant to be a rock star

Yes, Anne Rice's The Vampire Lestat does see her Interview with the Vampire breakout character as a touring rock star. But the showrunners of its TV adaptation had more orchestral plans

The story that began with AMC's Interview with the Vampire is just about to air its next chapter, focusing on its titular character The Vampire Lestat. Though we don't know exactly how the series will adapt Anne Rice's novel of the same name, we do know that it will at least carry over one element of the character from her second Vampire Chronicles novel - Lestat will become a rock star. 

Apparently, though, that wasn't always the plan.

Lestat himself, actor Sam Reid, recently sat down with Entertainment Weekly to discuss his history with the character leading up to his moment in the literal and metaphorical spotlight. And at the beginning of his journey, showrunner Rolin Jones had very different plans for his unaging antihero.

"Rolin originally had envisioned that Lestat would be an orchestra conductor," Reid explaind, "When I was doing season 1, he was like, 'Start learning the piano, and you should start studying conducting, because that's where we're going with the character.' He was much more into the classical music, which I think is so accurate for the character."

Accurate or not, all that classical training would eventually be for nothing, as the plan shifted back toward Rice's original intentions for her vampire. And the way Reid tells it, there was at least one person on set of the show that saw the switch coming. 

"That's what [series composer] Daniel Hart had always envisioned too," said the actor. "Then I think Rolin, I don't know when it happened for him, but it definitely clicked at a certain point. He went full in."

Of course, "full in" implies there's an incoming Vampire Lestat album on the way, so believe us when we say we're keeping our ears peeled.

The Vampire Lestat comes to AMC June 7.


Grant DeArmitt

Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.

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