'Interview With the Vampire' cast dissects S02 premiere; memorable scenes
Season 2 of Anne Rice's Interview With the Vampire premiered with its first episode, What Can the Damned Really Say to the Damned, on Sunday—now available for streaming on AMC+. Showrunner Rolin Jones and lead actor Jacob Anderson, who portrays Louis de Pointe du Lac, shared insights about key moments from this episode. The new season opens with characters Louis and Claudia (Delainey Hayles) traversing post-World War II Europe in pursuit of ancient vampires.
Character transformation in S02 premiere
Jones and Anderson revealed a playful nickname for Anderson's character to Variety, "We used to call him Cuddles the Vampire." "We wanted to break that," Jones adds, and true to the statement, Anderson's character, Louis, undergoes a drastic change in the S02 premiere. The season returns with characters finding themselves in an occupied Romanian refugee camp, seeking information about local vampire lore. Claudia remains upset with Louis for not killing their creator, Lestat (Sam Reid), during the Season 1 finale.
This pivotal scene marks a shift in Louis's character
In a significant scene, Louis and Claudia's kind host at the camp is bitten and feared to be turning into a vampire. Despite impassioned pleas from her partner for assistance, Louis coldly observes as her head is severed. Jones explained that this scene marked a considerable shift for Louis's character. "He definitely leaves behind another part of his humanity in that moment...He is becoming a parody of himself." "I think Louis is at war with himself all season."
Series explores omitted elements from the original novel
The series delves into a crucial part of Rice's 1976 novel that was left out from the 1994 film adaptation: Louis and Claudia's quest for other vampires. This journey forms a significant part of the first two seasons' 15 episodes. Jones mentioned, "We always thought this would be a lovely little gift for fans." "So we really focused on the relationship between Louis and Claudia...and how we foreshadow an inevitable ending but do it with a moment of grace."
Introduction of new characters and plot twists
The premiere introduces an aged vampire named Daciana, who kills her now-disabled child as he can no longer hunt. This encounter serves as a harsh reality check for Claudia about their immortality. "It was so heartbreaking for me to see Delainey Hayles (replacing Season 1's Bailey Bass) playing that moment and see the heartbreak in Claudia," Anderson commented. The episode also features a modern-day interview in Dubai between Louis, Molloy (Eric Bogosian), and the newly revealed Armand (Assad Zaman).
