Jacob Anderson on the toxic relationship at the heart of Interview With the Vampire

AMC’s Interview With the Vampire was one of the best surprises of 2022, a new adaptation of Anne Rice’s classic book that dripped with gothic opulence, romantic passion and gallons of blood. The show stars Game of Thrones veteran Jacob Anderson (Grey Worm) as Louis and Sam Reid as Lestat. Together, these two vampires engaged in a love affair so spectacularly that viewers couldn’t help but be transfixed.

Anderson recently talked to Digital Spy about all the queer representation in the show. Anne Rice’s book had tons of gay subtext, as did the 1994 movie starring Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, but the new show makes the subtext…very much text. “Something that can get misunderstood about representation is that all representation has to be good representation,” Anderson said. “It’s important actually that we don’t show a queer couple as a monolith or a Black character as a monolithic thing. I love that the show is willing to explore the multitudes of that relationship.”

"It is quite unhealthy, but they are so feverishly, manically in love with each other. They can’t be away from each other and they can’t be near each other at the same time. [Showrunner] Rolin Jones has been saying since the beginning that it’s a gothic romance. That’s what this show is, but just centered around a really toxic couple in a really toxic relationship. Their vampiric nature complicates it because it’s eternal. It’s very difficult to move on, I imagine, when you know you’re both going to live forever. You share this really unique experience that nobody else can really understand. That vampire bond."

When I first heard that AMC was making a new show based on Interview With The Vampire, I feared it wouldn’t have much of a reason to exist. But by digging into the relationship between Louis and Lestat, moving around the time period, and more, it really has justified itself. “It’s beautifully realized in the show and in the writing,” Anderson continued. “It’s how it should have always been. The story in the books is just like that.”

Jacob Anderson demystifies the sex scenes on Interview With The Vampire

Interview With The Vampire is very direct about the relationship between Louis and Lestat, which means sex scenes. Although if you thought filming those scenes was anything like watching them, you’d be wrong. Anderson was happy to demystify the process:

"The reality of it is so boring [Laughs]. It takes some of the excitement out of what you see on screen. Sam and I have talked about it before where there’s this rig, for instance, for the little drink scene, there’s this thing that we’re sitting on, butt naked sitting on a bicycle seat that gets seesawed up and down. There was a grip on the other side just trying not to look at us [Laughs]."

By the end of the season, Louis and Lestat are no longer together, although I have a suspicion that Lestat might go looking for Louis in season 2.

Interview With The Vampire season 2 is “weeks away” from wrapping

After Lestat, Louis goes on to form a partnership with a vampire named Armand, who we’ll surely learn more about in future episodes. We see them together during flash-forward sequences set in Dubai, where Louis and Armand now live in a vampire-friendly penthouse condo.

“Present-day Louis is a shadow of his former self,” Anderson said. “Anybody who knows the books knows that a lot happens in Europe, so that is going to change a person really significantly. I’ve always had that in mind from the beginning.”

"I love playing both eras of Louis, but the really fun thing for me was just figuring out what he kept. What are the mannerisms or things that he kept from his previous life, and before vampirism as well? You make little rules for yourself, like when he’s angry, he slips back into his accent a little bit. Certain mannerisms jump out when he feels confronted by certain things. That’s so fun."

As for when we might the next stage of Louis’ journey, Anderson would only say that they were “weeks away from finishing” filming on season 2. That probably means a premiere date sometime in 2024.

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