‘The Vampire Lestat’ Premiere Experiments and Honors Its Roots

Ever since the lights dimmed on the Théâtre des Vampires, fans have been eagerly anticipating their return to the “Interview with the Vampire” universe. Now, the lights are blazing back to life on a new stage, this one filled with the sounds of guitars and covered in glitter. After two beloved seasons of “Interview with the Vampire,” a name change, and a narrator handoff, the first episode of “The Vampire Lestat” is finally in our hands and oh, how the whole world was ready to return to these characters.

If it wasn’t already obvious from the promotional materials leading up to the season, there is a tonal shift right off the bat. If you were expecting to slip right back into the humidified streets of New Orleans, the title sequence is enough to snap you back to reality. The show trades its original crescendoing orchestral tuning for Lestat’s single “All Fall Down,” a rowdy rock tune that’s perfectly complimented by a neon-colored scene montage. It’s chaotic, fun, and very Lestat, at least the Lestat everyone sees on the outside.

The episode opens on a sequence similar to that of the “Interview with the Vampire” season one premiere in that we start our story at the end. We find ourselves at an auction for Lestat’s belongings. The auction happens to be attended by a few familiar faces: Armand (Assad Zaman) and, of course, Louis (Jacob Anderson). We learn that Lestat’s rockstar era, as he puts it, has had some serious consequences. Lestat is nowhere to be found in the present, leaving viewers to wonder just what led up to all this. Book readers might have some clue. Even then, however, it’s hard to know exactly how the writers will adapt these events.

Let the Tale Seduce You — and Repulse You

Where Louis de Pointe du Lac’s narration eases you into the story, Lestat de Lioncourt takes the mic and throws you in headfirst. He takes us back and forth in time, edits his words in real time, and throws jabs at everyone and everything you could imagine. We’ve very clearly entered the 21st century. The lines are ripe with pop culture references and comedy that feel like an amped up version of the book’s narration style. While the comedic aspect is certainly more pronounced in this first episode, the last two seasons have not been all doom and gloom. The show has threaded levity throughout even its darkest moments since the beginning so it only feels right that one of its most dramatic characters pushes it even further.

Yet, while Lestat pushes boundaries, he’s also mastered the art of deflection. The crux of this episode is a juxtaposition between the outer Lestat and the inner Lestat. The episode itself is a performance. It’s flashy and loud on the surface, wanting to convince the audience of a certain persona. But it’s the quiet moments that reveal the person behind the rockstar and the true heart of the show. In the novel, Lestat’s rockstar escapades take the backseat to his backstory. At least in this first episode, the opposite seems to be true. Most of the episode is spent partying, playing heated shows, and doing drugs. It’s at once glamorous and repulsive.

I suspect we will see this facade slip more and more as the season progresses. As much as Lestat would like to pretend he’s content, it’s clear the frontman has put up the ultimate front. He presents his music to Daniel (Eric Bogosian) as a means to reclaim his story. One of the initial goals is to call out those who have wronged him. But a key moment in the episode suggests his music will turn the tables on him. “My music wrapped itself around me like a jungle snake,” says Lestat. 265 years of pain and unwanted memories come back to him in fleeting flashes and he’s left at their whim.

Sam Reid Delivers a Performance That Holds the Stage

The heart of this show has always lied in the stellar actors that put their all into every moment. In seasons one and two, Sam Reid took on a Lestat pieced together by others. Now, Reid steps into a Lestat that is all that and more. In the hands of another, the narration could come across as inauthentic. Yet, Sam Reid manages to imbue it with humanity despite how over-the-top it can be. Even moments of ego have an undercurrent of self-loathing. Anger at others is laced with self-hatred, and disdain for modern-day humanity is a questioning of his own place in it all.

What really stands out about Reid’s performance in the premiere is how he plays to extremes. Lestat runs the gamut of emotions, flipping from calm contemplation to volatile anger in mere seconds. It never feels out of character or cartoonish. Instead, it feels like Lestat is at war with himself. The episode’s closing scene, in particular, is a masterclass in vulnerability. We’ve only met Lestat at such a low point in the season two finale, and yet, this is an even more raw version of his character. There’s a childlike naivety in Reid’s portrayal that stands in stark contrast to everything Lestat has made himself out to be in the past. This is not an immortal vampire. This is a man desperate for an anchor to tether himself to, seeking out comfort in all the wrong places. Episode one presents versions of the man and versions of the vampire, setting the stage for a season that will continue to chip away at this character, piece by piece.