Interview with the Vampire exec explains controversial Sam Reid change for The Vampire Lestat

Interview with the Vampire is back in business – albeit with a full rebrand – for its new season, titled The Vampire Lestat.

Sam Reid takes centre stage as Lestat de Lioncourt goes all-out rockstar and embarks on a multi-city tour, with his popularity and power rapidly increasing while he’s haunted by muses from his past.

One big switch-up has seen Lestat (Reid) take over from Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) as the narrative voice of the show – something that has already proven controversial with fans.

Explaining that change, executive producer Hannah Moscovitch explained: “Lestat isn’t like Louis. He doesn’t not remember big chunks of his own experience, so there is a difference between how their subjectivities work in the show.

“Lestat’s version of not dealing with his own memories is just to go forward and to not think about any of it. Then he starts to do art, and then all of his memories of his 265 years start to come out of him. Art is undoing him.”

Moscovitch added to TV Line: “It’s making him understand and see himself. And all of that happens. That’s like his version of subjectivity, whereas Louis’ was more like, he doesn’t see it, he won’t look at it, or he misremembers it.”

Fans of the show have had mixed reactions to the switch-up in narration, with some branding it “annoying” and declaring it simply “doesn’t work” while others have described it as accurate to the experience of reading the novel.

The first episode of The Vampire Lestat also introduces Gabriella (Jennifer Ehle), Lestat’s mother who he has a disturbing half-familial, half-romantic relationship with.

Despite the focus being on Lestat this season, Anderson’s Louis does return, alongside series regulars Eric Bogosian, Delainey Hayles and Assad Zaman.

While viewers in the US have been enjoying the premiere episode of the new seven-part season, fans in the UK will have to wait a little longer to see Lestat’s shining moment.

Interview with the Vampire seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer. The Vampire Lestat is expected to arrive on BBC iPlayer later this year.

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