The producer of ‘Interview with the vampire’ tells us the differences with the film: “We are more faithful to the book”

Romance, death, fascination, blood, terror, immortality, loss… The writer Anne Rice wrote about all this in 1973 in “Interview with the Vampire”, a book that only saw the light in 1976. The success of literary fantasy has already had some audiovisual adaptations. To remember the legendary film starring Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise in 1994 and with a screenplay by Rice herself. Now a new ‘Interview with the Vampire’ is coming to Spain, this time in series format and starring Jacob Anderson (‘Game of Thrones’) and Sam Reid. The project will debut on AMC+ on January 12, but it did so in the United States a few months ago and has resounding reviews that place it among the best of the last year.

In the popular Rotten Tomatoes database, “Interview with the Vampire” achieves a 99% rating from professional critics, with 75% from audiences. “I never had any doubts about how good the series was. You’re always nervous when reviews come out because you don’t know if everyone will agree, but they had to like this one.”says Mark Johnson, the producer of the series, in an interview with eCartelera, “I had never done something with such a good reception”. A surprising statement, since Johnson produced such recognizable works as ‘Noa’s Diary’, ‘Rain Man’, ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ or ‘Better Call Saul’.

The project tells the story of Louis de Pointe du Lac (Anderson), a man who will meet the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt (Reid), for whom he will feel an enormous fascination to the point of letting himself be transformed into a bloodsucker. Louis will thus begin a new life that will last more than 100 years and which he will tell, already today, to an old acquaintance, the interviewer Daniel Molloy. “It’s very satisfying in terms of entertainment. It has a very exotic and surprising love story, it has action…”indicates the manufacturer, “But mostly it’s about two kids who happen to be vampires, not two real vampires. I think the most important thing is that they connect with us. We can identify with what they crave.”.

vampire spell

These types of monsters have been featured in stories for hundreds of years, both in literature and film and popular heritage. “Vampires fascinate us”Johnson says, “And even though I wasn’t sure I wanted to do another vampire story, Anne Rice was so specific… In most stories, vampires are a separate, non-human creature. In their story they are humans, only it turns out they are also vampires”.

The producer explains this big difference compared to any other tale of the genre, arguing: “They have the same goals, weaknesses, and desires as humans. They’re alone, they’re looking for a family… They don’t even have to convince them to live forever because it’s heartbreaking, all the people important to them die and they don’t. There’s something unique about his vampires that I find very appealing.”.

An elective cast

One of the great virtues of ‘Interview with the Vampire’ are its two protagonists, who project an incomparable alchemy onto the screen. “We searched for a long time”comments the producer on his two actors, “Sam we met first. Because it was the time of COVID, we did Zoom castings and when we saw Sam Reid he was like, “Oh my God, who is this guy?” He had worked before but had never acted in anything. We knew right away that he was perfect for Lestat.”. Next, they needed an actor Reid could resonate with for the role of Louis.

“We did several ‘chemistry readings’ [audiciones entre actores para encontrar la química entre ellos] via Zoom, because Sam was in Australia. We met several Louis from both the US and the UK. And Jacob Anderson we obviously knew from ‘Game of Thrones’, but he and Sam connected immediately”explains Johnson. “There we were like ‘they look perfect, but let’s keep looking.’ We kept coming back to them, so we realized we shouldn’t ignore the obvious.”he says, happy with the decision.

Exchange the book and the film

The 1994 “Interview with the Vampire” has major differences from this series, which according to its producer seeks to update the book. “We wanted to appeal to fans of the book, even the movie, but we didn’t want to give them the same. Also, Anne Rice was an outstanding and groundbreaking writer, but some things culturally wouldn’t be well regarded today. So we asked ourselves how to stay true to what she wrote and make it work in the present. Thus we have an African American Louis, while in the film he is played by Brad Pitt. We can’t be more different”points out.

Even so, Johnson believes the series remains much closer to the book than the film. “Ironically, I think our series is more faithful to the novel than the film, even though Anne Rice wrote the screenplay for the film. We have come very close to the spirit of the book, although of course there are changes”manifest. “As a producer, I’ve made a lot of movies based on books. And you feel a lot of responsibility not only to the readers, but also to the author. You don’t want to change anything that might harm the source material. And thinking in terms of the audience, they don’t either they want nothing radically different.”strikes again.

Gay vampires?

One of the main changes that can be noticed compared to the film is that, on this occasion, the protagonists of ‘Interview with the Vampire’ are openly gay. The series boasts very explicit scenes that in the film were reduced to an unexplored subtext. “It’s very important today not to go around the bush and make it obvious”Johnson defends himself, “The show is a love story that involves anyone, straight, gay or whatever. It’s about two people who are clearly obsessed and mesmerized by each other. They may not be the best couple. But it’s about creating a family, of two people and their need to be together”.

Despite the applause they received for showing it this way, Johnson disagrees with the conclusions many fans and journalists have drawn about vampires and their homosexual tendencies, where it has been said that bloodsuckers are gay by nature. . “I don’t think vampires are always gay. I’d say most of them are straight because so much of their audience, or readership, is young women, and there’s something very sexual about vampires, or maybe pre-sexual.”suggest. “It doesn’t involve any close relationship, but you have a very attractive man who comes up and attacks your neck. It’s very sensual, presexual stuff. Obviously Anne Rice’s guys in ‘Interview with the Vampire’ are gay, but I wouldn’t I say I’m generally gay.” But I’m not even an expert”concludes with laughter.

A long-running series

Even before the series premiered in the United States, the studio had already greenlit its second season. “We will follow the book. We will go to Europe, It will be set mainly in Paris. They will no longer be in New Orleans, it will no longer be an American story. It will continue with the most important and hopefully compelling characters from Season 1.”confirms the producer, who believes that one of the great challenges of this first approximation was not to make his vampires something bizarre: “They had to be serious, real, recognizable characters”.

In any case, Johnson also announces changes for the second season. “There will be big surprises, new characters and new challenges”, promises the manufacturer, who thinks even further. And it is that he believes he has found a story that can be established as one of the great television works of the moment for many years. “We can stretch 4 or 5 seasons. Vampires never die!”hopeful phrase.

Preview of “Interview with the Vampire”. on AMC+ on January 12.