#iwtv cast and crew

[maryhadalittlehobby]

Recap of IWTV Screening and Conversation at 92stY

(Please dont repost/reupload my pics or vids from here or IG anywhere else. Sharing/linkinh is ok. Thanks!)

I started the day with a fang gang meetup hosted by Black Girl Talks Fangs. The restaurant was cute and the food great. I'm not a big wine drinker but got a blood red Chateau in honor of the occasion. After, we headed over to the event space.

In my experience attending different events there, the actors typically come in just before the event starts or a few minutes into the screening.

In this case- it was both.

Eric strolled up super casual and had a convo with myself and a few other fans asking if we had read the books and what we were looking forward to. He gave a parting message that the season is amazing and he is not just saying that because he is part of it. I believe him. He was super personable and down to earth.

Delainey arrived next and again kind and generous with her time. She has a very chill energy. Her outfit was more casual this day but I thought chic and the face card never declines. Her makeup artist does her right! And can we talk about that sleek ass ponytail

She complimented my cosplay and said she thinks my beret might be the screen accurate one!

She asked to touch it and said mine was softer!

She also said Carol Cutshall gifted her the beret so she owns Claudia's.

I put this cosplay together in 3 weeks which is barely enough time. Thankfully I had the idea knocking around since October when we first saw this fit in the trailer that dropped at NYCC 23.

Myself and a few fans waited till about 15 minutes into the start of the screening before we gave up on waiting for Jam Reiderson.

While running to the screening I nearly literally ran into Rolin. I asked for a quick pic which he obliged.

The episode was amazing. Very much on par of season 1 so far. Can't wait to see the full thing. Delainey fit into Claudia seamlessly.

The panel itself was great as well. I have a few vids in my IWTV highlight on IG and a few others in an upcoming youtube video I will make AFTER the episode drops. There are some spoiler bits plus 92Y is dropping the full panel too after the ep airs.

Highlights include watching Jam Reiderson literally communicate telepathically- what was the fun on set story?!

Sam slapping Jacobs' lower inner thigh in front of god (Rolin) and everyone.

Working together is like putting on an old glove. An old sock?! Lol what. 'Is that dirty?'

Assad trauma dumping on main. "Armands lost...like me." "I'm intimidated by the cast" Sir please!

Assad also being spicy saying he thinks Armands memory of Lestat is pretty accurate. Drag him king😄

Delainey and Jacob gushing about how they immediately bonded and established their father/daughter/sibling vibes.

Eric calling Jam puppies and Jacob saying "I'm a grown man a parent"lol Sir you are a baby girl as evidenced by

Rolin saying that's a book and this is a show. To me that said was book lovers have the book and you always will but this is a new thing that respects the source but isn't tied down to every single detail.

Then Sam saying there are contradictions even within the series. Please lets talk about it.

And I love this new narrative everyone is spinning, even Sam, who seemed to be in the Lestat is right and Louis is lying boat last press go round. Now everyone is saying there is no right and wrong or truth and lies-the story is told by different people with different perspectives and that's all. Which yes! that's ALWAYS how I saw it! Just because Lestat became the main character and most favored doesn't mean he is infallible.

Jacob and that plushie. Who would have imagined he'd love it so much. Another fan was coming with their Lestat. I don't know if they had intentions of giving it to Sam but sadly they didn't make it.

After the panel I went back to the spot and aimed to get Jacobs signature on my Street of Immortality print which I managed.

I would have loved to get Sam's to but I also wanted to give other fans the chance to get photos and autos. I was already so lucky.

They signed for a loooong time. So long I thought our side wouldnt have a chance or only a few people would. Turns out fans were conducting mini interviews with them lol Someone needs to collect all the questions and answers.

Also they are the smallest cast you've ever seem. Pocketbsized. Everyone one of them is so unassuming.

Overall I had a super good time. The audience vibes were immaculate. The person beside me during the screening/panel was losing their shit then apologizing. But honestly I was here for it lol

Also you could 100% tell it was an audience full of the online fandom.

I ended the night checking out the Time Square ad. It was awesome to see our vamps represented. Hopefully we get a ton of new fans from all the amazing marketing this year.

#vampchella #iwtv #amc iwtv #amc iwtv s2 premiere #amc iwtv x 92sty #92st y #amc iwtv 92st y screening #IWTV 92stY screening and conversation #nyc #jacob anderson #delainey hayles #assad zaman #sam reid #rolin jones #eric bogosian #iwtv cast #iwtv cast and crew

[nashvillethotchicken]

Some Iwtv fans will seriously fight tooth and nail to argue that Armand is more evil or Lestat is more evil as if both them bitches aren't going to the hell under hell and then to the hell right under that one!

#no funny shit them niggas are evil #literally everyone in the show and on the cast crew interviewers reviewers will say armand is just as abusive as lestat and here come - #some tomfool name devilminionsthrownoutusedcondom saying no he not #boffum got something wrong with them!!!!!!!! #you see either of them you gotta just pray they dont think u cute cus no therapy could save you aside from a lobotomy #armand had a whole slave in the books! #ARMAND LIVE IN A PENTHOUSE IN DUBAI. ALL OTHER SHIT ASIDE YOU KNOW WHAT TYPE OF MF YOU GOTTA BE TO DO THAT? #lestat put his hands on women!! #like i love them both but them niggas are not good in any sense of the word #the way we know god aint real is cus neither have been struck by lightning yet for their myriad of crimes against bad bitches #interview with the vampire #iwtv #amc iwtv #lestat de lioncourt #armand iwtv #the vampire armand #iwtv 2022

[sophsun1]

WAIT. I'm catching up with the podcast and in episode two they're talking about the zoom chemistry test and how it's awkward to gauge chemistry from that and sam's out here literally saying "jacob's such a lovely person such a fantastic actor and so easy to be around and I could see that he was gonna be a very easy person to fall in love with" they hadn't even met in person yet?! what on earth are they putting in the water over at amc interview with the vampire that's got these two men so insane for each other asdfgjkdsfjk

#iwtv amc #they're so unhinged about each other im yelling #god help the cast and crew next season when they're separated #no wonder jacob was sobbing over the mere thought of it #LMAO #interview with the vampire

[sarpazoa]

bailey bass news just ruined my whole morning and life. james cameron kill yourself recast her avatar character it’s literally cgi anyway this is a deliberate setting up of iwtv to fail and targeted violence against television enjoyers replacing a central cast member a season in…

#iwtv team push production… sabotage the avatar green screens set it all aflame… please say sike #🥬 #also thinking about the fate of my future amvs. no continuity this is literally criminal #also miss hayles deserves better than to be a stand-in essentially. i don’t know how the cast and crew even deal with this like messing wit #the creative vision to this extent this is just insane. to me.

[samstatsupremacy]

My notes from the 92NY Q&A

Someone from Mayfair Witches is in IWTV S2 and Mayfair S2

Ben Daniels sent a thank-you letter to Rollin Jones re: working with such a beautiful cast and lovely project (and called himself Santi-baby in it). Jacob did his best Ben impression and read the email aloud to us.

The two actors Rolin KNEW they wanted from the beginning were Eric and Ben Daniels, before they even started casting

Jacob refused to pit Loumand and Loustat against each other. Said they have different vibes

Sam insists that we won't see "the real Lestat" until S3. We're only seeing everyone else's perception of him (very tongue-in-cheek). In response, Assad said, "Armand has a very good memory. Maybe the most accurate!"

Jacob said filming the Dreamstat scenes with Sam was like slipping on a glove, or an old sock (cue slightly inappropriate giggles from audience)

Delainey said her chemistry read with Jacob felt like everyone else in the room just faded away, and she bonded with him first on set

Lestat plays Harlequin instead of Lelio this season, and the moderator was so affected by Sam's performance that he said "I got pregnant after watching it." Rollin said it was "moves like Jagger" on that theater stage lol. Sam had trouble reconciling this part but he did have fun

Any time Jacob gets complimented, he tries to brush it off. He's so humble!

Delainey said Claudia knows Louis better than he knows himself, and Jacob* thinks he knows her but he doesn't

Eric said that Daniel's impression of Dubai situation is he's just sick of the lies and games from Loumand. He won't be intimidated, and if you push, he pushes back harder. He will not be bullied (much like himself, he added)

Lots of hype for ep5 of this season. Eric said it was the most traumatizing episode he's seen in his life. Everyone else agrees that it gets pretty heavy re: young Daniel's interview

Eric said "working with Jacob is like flying" and Jacob said "the feeling is entirely mutual" - so sweet!

Assad was so preciously nervous bc he admittedly still gets intimidated by the cast. He was struggling to finish his thoughts. He did praise how open and loving the whole cast and crew are. It was cute.

"When Louis meets Armand, Armand is kind of lost but putting on this facade of power that Louis sees through" (Assad's words)

Question: any fun moments off set that still make you laugh? Response: Sam and Jacob look at each other and just burst into laughter. They really struggled to find an answer that they felt was appropriate to share and barely answered it 😅

Q: What series would your character binge?

Everyone answered as their character:

Armand: Buffy

Daniel: Breaking Bad

Claudia: The OA

Lestat: The Real Housewives

Louis: The Real Housewives ("YOU LITERALLY TOOK MY ANSWER" to Sam)

This doesn't even cover the encounters I saw at the stage door. I'll do a separate post for that, maybe

#iwtv #interview with the vampire #amc iwtv #vampterview #I'M ON CLOUD NINE #just looking at my selfie with Jacob and giggling #iwtv spoilers #totally forgot to add that tag last night..... or to put this all under a read more i was just too excited to share!!

[inyourbackpocketisbutterflies]

Me thinking about how much the cast and crew of IWTV adore Delainey Hayles and how amazing her performance is and it’s only the first ep of the season

#I love when black women are celebrated 😭 #I’m gonna be a WRECK for 2 months straight #interview with the vampire #iwtv cast #delainey hayles

[crazykuroneko]

IWTV cast and crews 🩷

#jacob anderson #sam reid #assad zaman #luke brandon field #levan akin #hannah moscovitch #idk the rest sawry #iwtv #interview with the vampire #amc iwtv #amc interview with the vampire

[captainsaltymuyfancy2]

I’m not so sure about this post, I’m not really confident in any of it, it’s mostly just wild conjecture and aimless rambling. I’m open to discussion and to changing my mind, this is just what I’m thinking at the moment. Thank you to everyone cited for inspiration❤️

I’m really fascinated by what Jacob said about how the longevity of Louis and Armand’s relationship has led to both tenderness and resentment. The reasons why Louis might resent Armand are PLENTIFUL, but what possible reason would Armand have to resent Louis? Obviously it’s not going to be a “good” reason, but that makes it all the more delectable.

Right now I kind of have this theory that Armand resents Louis in part because he thinks Louis’ shows of affection are disingenuous. Put more accurately, his suspicion that Louis’ affection is disingenuous and his ensuing resentment underlie a deeper fear that Louis doesn’t love him.

HOWEVER, the kicker is that Louis does still feel some kind of affection for Armand. Just like he felt for Lestat when he and Claudia (mostly Claudia) were planning their escape, Louis feels some love for Armand still, but he’s able to leverage it in pursuit of his goal. What exactly this goal is remains to be seen (although I have some serious guesses…well mostly one guess).

Whatever it is, I think Louis has been planning very carefully for a long time to get to it. As @likethemodel points out here, their bed is literally a chessboard, like the one Claudia played in order to best Lestat and get under his skin in s1. The IWTV cast and crew have repeatedly describe the dynamics in Dubai as “3D chess”, and it doesn’t get much more 3D than using yourself as a chess piece. This is what the major question in Dubai is for me: not “did he fuck that old man” or “did Armand alter Louis’ memories”, but rather “What is Louis’ agenda, why has he brought all of these pieces together in this way?”

If my theory is correct, I think it would tie in nicely with the book. As @nativehueofresolution said in this post, Louis in the book does love Armand, but not in a way Armand understands at that point. If this was translated into the show, it could take the form of Louis still loving Armand in some way, like his few displays of affection such as kissing him in bed and squeezing/rubbing his shoulder during the interview being at least partly genuine, but also strategic.

So even though Louis’ affection in these gestures may be somewhat genuine, the context is still performative in order to accomplish a higher goal, though exactly what remains unclear. This much I think Armand can see and he resents, but I think he misinterprets it to mean Louis doesn’t love him at all. But the love is there and it is mutual to a degree, just not in a way Armand can see, which is kind of poetic justice and the absolute least he deserves.

Digressing a bit, even though Louis is being genuinely affectionate at times, even if it was totally without ulterior motives, it still could never be enough for Armand, because what he views as love is simply not something Louis can give.

In an interview posted here by @diasdelfuego, Hannah Moscovitch says she thinks that “Armand is Louis’ creature”, and agreed with the interviewer that Armand “serves a god” in his relationship with Louis. I interpreted this to mean that Armand has *made himself* into Louis’ creature, Louis’ disciple. And like Judas in the artwork in their bedroom (post also courtesy of @diasdelfuego), Armand becomes resentful and thinks Louis doesn’t love him because Louis doesn’t treat him the way Armand thinks a disciple should be treated.

The problem (well, one of MANY) is that this dynamic Armand has tried to create pretty much dooms him to never get back the kind of love he wants from Louis right now. In deciding he ‘serves a god’, Armand has made it impossible for Louis to love him in the way Armand craves, because Louis is not a god. Armand has made himself a disciple to a god that doesn’t exist, and feels betrayed when that nonexistent god doesn’t respond to his worship. Again, it’s poetic justice, but only the very tip of what he deserves. Lukewarm justice.

It’s surely not lost on Louis how stupid (more accurately, hypocritical and insulting) it is that Armand worships him like a god, and yet Armand himself holds godlike power over Louis’ life. A disciple does not control a god, and Louis knows this, he’s chronically Catholic. He knows the control Armand has over him, and I think this interview is partly a way for him to circumvent that power. Armand’s attempts to manipulate and “protect” Louis doom his quest for all-consuming devotion even more. I love messy bitches who create their own problems.

The god-worship is probably one aspect of Louis’ resentment toward Armand, but again this is something that’s so deeply, painfully layered. Between forcing Louis to turn Madeleine and killing Claudia (assuming, as most of us are, that the show is following the book in this way), the depth of Louis’ resentment for Armand is abyssal. Which would make the fact that Louis does still love him (per my aforementioned theory) even more shocking and scrumptious, and his plotting all the more emotionally difficult.

#my iwtv #iwtv spoilers #iwtv speculation #iwtv meta #loumand #loumand meta

[talesfromthecrypts]

Its a good thing that younger characters are played by people over 18. Its good that Ellie isn’t played by a 14 year old, that Armand isn’t played by a teenager, that Claudia was aged up and then played by a 19 year old. These practices keep minors safe, from a predatory industry and from people fudging labor law constraints. Especially on shows that are 90% night shoots where a child cannot legally work that long (like say IWTV). Its also better for the show as you have a more experienced actor, both professionally and personally. 

Film and TV productions are not like books! There are real people filming that you need to take into account when it comes to what the characters do and who you cast. Rules around the safety of minors (and ALL actors) are more important than a character being portrayed exactly as you see them in your head. The people who make your entertainment, cast and crew, are real people maybe talk about them like they are and not just dolls to make your perfect vision.

#and if i see 'brendan fraiser's son should be armand' again i'm throwing that person out a window #did you know kirsten dunst to this day is uncomfortable over the louis/claudia kiss? #did you know on kristen stewart's 18th birthday they celebrated by having a full night shoot cause they legally could now? #wah wah they aren't exploiting a minor for my tv show

[maryhadalittlehobby]

Recap of my experiences at the IWTV Premiere April 30, 2024

I found out about if from one of the most unlikiest sources. A person I thought was an even bigger fandom lurker than myself😅 I wasn't even gonna ask but I said fuck it, maybe they know someone who knows someone. And they did but said people were under ndas. Initially said they couldn't say but then last minute said they believe they knew where it was going to be.

I didn't say anything because 1) I didn't want them or their friend to get in trouble by spreading the info. 2) possibly spread misinfomation if that wasn't the place and 3) nobody asked lol

I thought I would just show up and see what I could see. In the past I have done this at a Walking Dead premiere. At that event it turned out that they had a lobby full of props that anyone could enter and take pics of. They even had walkers roaming around. Then the kicker-I got into that TWD premiere TICKETLESS by pure accident! So why not fuck around and find out again.

I put on a "closet cosplay" of Claudia in the upcoming yellow dress using all stuff I already owned and headed out.

I walked up to Mckittrick hotel, asked if there was a standby or waiting list but the person said they didnt know. There was a lot of important looking people surrounded with guards double checking lists and whatnot so I gave up that angle and loitered around with the other 15 or so fans who found the location too hoping to just see a glimpse of our favs.

Didn't have to wait to long as one by one they started showing up. The first one I noticed was Delainey and she slayed in that black sheer number. She was soft-spoken and a little shy but took her time and signed/took pictures with all the people who were there. Not sure if she knew I was cosplaying Claudia but she did compliment my contacts.

I had all my pics on motion video so if I didnt like the actual pic there was a few frames of vid to pick from as well. The actual video is a bonus! Too bad I can only link 1 video here but a lot of vids are on my IG in the highlight. Same name!

Then Sam came. As soon as he exited the car the wind blew his hair back and I lost my train of thought. He is pretty and his eyes are a lighter shade of blue than they look in pics. Also he is blonder! And so slim! The suit they had him in was a fun nod to vintage suits.

He too complimented my contacts! In the vid he is asking me questions about them but as soon as I take the pic another fan was yelling his name and grabbed his attentionl. Not mad lol I probably would have gotten less coherent the more I talked😅

Jacob showed up soon after-all smiles. What a cutey. He was damn near falling in the garbage they had us lowly non invites next to trying to contort this way and that to sign and take pics. Again-so small! And he too complimented my contacts😁 if the suit would have been properly tailored( the pants looked to long!) It would have been slay

Not gonna lie I kinda blacked out after meeting Sam so my memory with jacob is fuzzy.

Assad and Luke arrived together shortly after but got whisked away pretty quickly so I didn't get a pic with them. Eric was the very first to arrive and despite me being there I missed him too.

But I was sooo happy getting the unholy family little else mattered. I contemplated waiting after but I was BUZZING with adrenaline and starving lol. My fandom plug said she did come after and met EVERYONE and their momma. Cast and crew alike and they were still happy to engage even after their long night❤️

Finally Fang Gangers, please do not repost/ reupload/ or screenshot anything of mine as your content. Linking back / sharing is ok.

🖤🧛🏾‍♀️

#iwtv premiere #iwtv cast #amc iwtv s2 premiere #iwtv #sam reid #jacob anderson #delainey hayles

[nalyra-dreaming]

Helloo , I am actually wondering about how close they are adapting the first book into the series because now we all know that the trial scene is going to be a hard one for the Lestat and Louis’s worshippers like myself because somehow I want to see a possible “happy” ending for Lestat and Louis at the trial. Also I couldn’t wrap my head around the possible foreshadowing of the ultimate betrayal of Louis over Claudia, because the whole -you and me- ending of the first episode in season 2 was a lot. But how? Louis will be there on the trial stage, maybe they push Louis with the decision of choosing one over another as a punishment because they are the two most important figures for him. By giving Claudia a life and taking Lestat’s life he broke two rules and this choice is the biggest punishment for him, and also we see a little now that he is not feeling so good for killing Lestat so maybe Lestat’s hold over Louis leads to the ultimate betrayal. I just don’t know how. Daniel interviewing Armand and Louis also is not sitting right with me, where is Lestat to tell his side and also where is he in that time zone? A huge gap to fill for me. I have to see them together in real time if there is going to be a rockstar Les happily living with Louis. I don’t know, I need to see them being together forever. Sorry if there is a confusion with my words, I feel confused. I want to understand why there is no trace of Lestat’s while Louis is there with that snake Armand in Dubai.

Hey!

Well... first off - Armand does love Louis. Just as a note. (And I wouldn't call him snake either, he does what he thinks is best. Which... does not always align with what others think is best.)

Lestat is likely asleep or in a coma in modern Dubai. There are phases where he is "out of commission" in the books, so to speak, and I think this is one of them, because otherwise he would be there, if he knew about Louis' state of mind. Lestat will have time to tell his POV in s3, cast and crew have been very clear about that by now.

The trial... So, first off - s2 won't have a happy ending in Paris. It will be harrowing and brutal instead. There might be a (more) happy ending in Dubai, but I think we're going to get a cliffhanger of epic proportions instead. 😬

The show maybe foreshadowed the show making Louis... choose, maybe even as part of the punishment. Which will be... brutal. We'll see. But I actually think they'll stay close to the book there, and that Louis will be entombed, and Armand will free him and get him out through the catacombs (we saw in the trailers).

Lestat does not have a "hold over" Louis in the sense of the word (or as it may be in other vampire media). They're not ... linked to each other outside the sheer fact that they are maker and fledgling - and that they love each other, and fatally so. (The silver cord is a bit of a different thing and does not influence them like that.)

If that being in love will lead to (a) betrayal on the stage? We'll see. It might.

But, nonny... I personally do not think we will get modern day rockstar Lestat - I think that happened in the 80s. And even in the books Louis does not end up living happily with Lestat right away. There's too much history between them, and they're both not ready on their respective character journeys. That takes time.

Still, I think the dance in s1 foreshadowed the ending which we'll hopefully get, and which is in the books.

As per your confusion why there is no Lestat - that is the (deliberate) mystery at this point. They're building up to the trial and then to what will happen in Dubai.

Just... wait a bit. He isn't much in the second half of (book) IWTV after all, and they already give us much more content than is in the book. This will probably the longest you will have to go without Lestat in the show.^^

The happy ending will come, no worries, nonny.

But not in Paris.

#Anonymous #ask nalyra #iwtv s2 #iwtv #amc iwtv #interview with the vampire #interview with the vampire s2 #amc interview with the vampire #interview with the vampire amc #iwtv amc #lestat de lioncourt #louis de pointe du lac #loustat

[the-kr8tor]

Guys, guys! Listen I've been having this brainrot for a few days and I think I'm ready to share it! It's perfect for another Halloween fic!

Imagine pirate captain! Hobie who only plunders the rich to give to the needy (like robin hood but on the sea) his crew consists of the atsv cast, (miles, pav, gwen maybe even some ttn casts in there) and then there's the reader, who craves adventure on the sea but couldn't because she's a woman and women are bad luck when sailing the sea. But then she sees Gwen and goes wait a minute, that's allowed?

She sneaks inside the boat as a stowaway then somebody finds her tucked inside a barrel lol there's gonna be sea monsters and the navy will be after them too!

This is what happens when I happen to watch the last voyage of the Demeter thinking it'll be like iwtv lmao

Send me your thoughts if you want me to write something like this!

#katy mumbles #this'll be a tall order to write but idc i love it so much #pirate captain! hobie perhaps? #fae! hobie will still be a thing #in another Halloween fic

[funtheysaid]

🩸 Attn: IWTV Fans🩸

Reminder to get your AMC+ account activated before tomorrow night, if you don’t have cable or the AMC channel on your TV.

Please don’t pirate this show.

We all want a Season 3, right? So, let’s show up and show out. Let’s show, not only AMC, but the entire cast and crew as well, how much we appreciate this story.

I know money is a touchy subject, now more than ever, but I think we can all agree that everyone involved in the making of IWTV deserves to be compensated for their hard work.

An AMC+ subscription is about five bucks a month (in the US - sorry, idk abt other countries). There is also a free trial option.

Honestly, if you’re really tight on cash, you could always wait until all of the episodes are out, and then you could sign up for the free trial and binge-watch all the episodes that way.

^ This is an ethical way to save money and still watch the shows you want. Pirating, illegal downloading, torrenting - these are unethical.

Not trying to be preachy or holier-than-thou btw.

Of course, I can’t tell you what to do. But, what I can do, is be the little Angel on your shoulder guiding you in the right direction. 😉🥂

Here’s to Season 2, and many more!

#amc iwtv #interview with the vampire #iwtv season 2 #loustat #lestat de lioncourt #louis de pointe du lac #iwtv armand #armandaniel #iwtv season 3

[dwreader]

Post-Season 1 IWTV Podcast Transcript

Special Guests: Assad Zaman, Rolin Jones and Mark Johnson

"Armand is someone who comes into Louis's life in the second half of IWTV, they meet in Paris and Armand is immediately like most people completely entrhalled by everything about Louis and what he stands for. He's changed from the person he was before he met Louis, which is a person who's a bit lost in the monotony of his life is the way I would describe it. -Assad Zaman

[intro chit chat with Assad]

Assad: Armand is someone who comes into Louis's life in the second half of IWTV, they meet in Paris and Armand is immediately like most people completely entrhalled by everything about Louis and what he stands for. He's changed from the person he was before he met Louis, which is a person who's a bit lost in the monotony of his life is the way I would describe it.

N: Its been 500 years its definitely been monotonous. [514] Ok yes 514. Ok we get it. You need some love in your life. Now did you know from the beginning like when you got the sides, were you told you were going to be playing Armand.

A: I think if I knew I was auditioning for Armand, I wouldn't be here. I think just the prospect the notion would send me over the edge and I would crumble. I got the audition, a couple scenes with Daniel Molloy, a character named Rashid, I know who this guy is he's highly efficient and he's got skills, very clear part to play in. I kind of went in and did those tapes fairly confidently. Then I got a recall and another scene added, with a bit more subtext. Rashid has a bit of a sting to him with his status. Then I got a third recall and Rolin asked to have a meeting with me on Zoom, give some notes... I was thinking why is he wasting his time talking to me about Rashid when he's got Louis and Lestat to worry about so I'm terrified I get onto Zoom with him and okay okay so basically Rashid is in disguise, he's not Rashid he's actually the vampire Armand and he proceeds to tell me all about Armand. I'm think just don't lose your cool. This has to be a secret and we don't want to leak it but we want to see a bit more from you. And I got off the call and I almost started crying.

N: So how much time did you get then? between that first audition to the recall? You have to go from a no nonsense assistant to I am a vampire king?

A: They gave me maybe 8 or 9 hrs between the call with Rolin and the next tape I sent over. And then I did another 4 rounds after that... it was a grueling process.

N: Once you get to set, everyone knows or its still a secret you're witholding?

A: Apart from the main cast, a lot of the crew didn't know.

N: Sit quiet in a corner and don't attention?

A: That' was my initial approach to Rashid before I knew he was Armand. All  he wants is to keep his job and not get killed.

N: Now while you're filming the first season, what convos did you have with Rolin about the plan for Armadn in the show?

A: We did discuss wth events in IWTV and where we're gonna see him in season 2, a lot of that is very important. Where Rolin has curiosity is when we look into Armand's past and where he came from, there's some obvious differences to me in what to explore and to see what we want to pick from it. His story.. its complex. He's messed up. He was messed up even before he became a vampire. The events that makes Armand have to be complex enough to see how he turned into  what he is. .... I was also very aware as an actor a duty to the story being told in this moment, it's Louis's story and him recounting it to Daniel, their story is very important as well. As much as Armand is sizzling in the background, I have to honor their story as well. We don't want the audience to draw too much attention to it right now cause it deviates from the story and the themes that are important to explore in the season.

N: When Rashid revealed himself, I screamed. It only works cause Rashid has so cleverly.. you almost forgot about him.. "love of his life"? Louis?? Not another old vampire and this one who can stand in the sun.

A: We hope that he hasnt made the same mistakes all over again.

N: Why is he pretending to be Rashid this whole time?

A: I think it's incredibly painful for the love of his life describing another love of his life. There is also curiosity with Daniel about why he's allowing this interview to happen.

N: And Rashid was there in that first interview so that whole thing makes sense.

A: We actually don't know what transpired in SF, cause he was not there in the book. How far did Louis get and what Armand had to do to stop him? That could also be why this interview is happening.

N: A little taste of what's to come in s2?

A: Theatrics, vespas and romance is in the air. We're in Paris. It's a gorgeous part of the Paris and the journey they take to get to Paris and the showdown that has to happen in Paris.

Highlights of Rolin Jones/Mark Johnson

N: How are you feeling about Season 2? Is there pressure? Is there a feeling that OK we did one and now we can really dig in?

R: Actually I'm just sort of being excited about Season 2 and not being scared out of my mind with it. The second half of iwtv, there's some lovely passages but there's a lot of people sitting around talking.

M: It's a whole new continent, but it's characters Rolin has already created. Im feeling quite confident and excited and abuzz about what we're going to do next season.

N: I'm very curious what attracted you to vampires and the world of AR.

M: I was not familiar with AR to begin with, my excitement has to do with what Rolin did with it for the pilot and thought this is extraordinary and I read AR and realized all of the treasures, of what Rolin took advantage of and what needed redressing.

N: Rolin, can you explain to me the process, you know, how did you pitch yourself as the showrunner of this?

R: I had an overall meeting with them about a list of things I wanted to do and as I was leaving they said we forgot to mention our boss bought the Anne Rice books, I stopped and I put everything and I said we're gonna take another 45 min for the meeting. By the time I left, I knew that's what I was going to do. They put me thru the gauntlet to prove if I was a guy. It wasn't just about whats a good poilot or first season it's what does this look like 8 seasons from now.... I was really excited cause I wanted to do something grand and big. I had some of my theater pals create a visual world.

N: Let's talk about Louis being black. I feel as though we are in this age of adaptation or reboots if there will be a gender or race swap and that's the extent of it. It felt as though you making this change meant you got more story, you were able to mine that fact for more story points and a new dynamic. These two men are famously white... and I'm wondering about the choice to do that and what it was to execute that.

R: I came around to his ethnicity a sort of interesting way which is through Lestat. There's a famous rewrite of Lestat in book 2, he's sort of an aggressively different character than what he was in book 1 and that's the Lestat she carried on for the rest of time. So that's our Lestat. So we tried to take the given circumstances and put him back in this time period, so he had a super emo relationship wtih this guy with Nicki, then he had uhhh  a very excitable relationship with his mother as his second companion choice (we'll get into that in season 3 y'all), and then I was like lets give him a legitimate a third attempt at figuring how to be with somebody for the rest of his life and how to not repeat your mistakes. And I started from there so it had to be someone with some money cause he had to be with his own folks and I thought he wanted someone who could fight back and who could be a challenge and would force him to restrain himself. And nobody at AMC was interested in 7 seasons of the regretful plantation owner, so we made Louis come from a lineage that did have a plantation and did own slaves. And the second thing was aesthetic if you take away the ruffle shirts and all the swampy goodness and you wanted to make this new, whats the new hot time and birth of jazz seemed right on. And there was a spot when a black man could get in on some business and have some morally gray thing that owning a plantation would. It all clicked into place pretty quickly. ... and the other thing is you're trying to build as much inherent conflict, enough not to burn thru in a season you want 7-8 years of conflict and distress and vulnerability in both of them. I wanted to load Louis with as many contradictions and things unsettled as possible.

N: How did you decide when to deviate from Anne's books? Were there rules in what you could invent ?

R: There were a couple caveats make it here and now, make it grand and big but we said she wrote a very transgerssive book in 1973 and tried to put her in the room in 2021 making a TV show... there's no point in making it if you're going to make a roughshot of it. You're constantly revisiting the book. That's when you're in draft, in after produciton draft, dropping in as much Anne as we could. We were going to write the heightened language thats in the novel. 

N: Can you tell me about how you found Jacob and Sam?

R: Obviously 9 billion people auditioned. It was very clear something very dynamic was happening when they got in the Zoom. For Jacob, there's this genuine warmth, kindness, for a character who's going to make a number of questionable choices, how do you make you want to love him? .

...

N: Did you always know the season was going to end with the reveal of Armand and the "murder" of Lestat?

R: Very early on, we were talking about making this thing in the writers room and pre-production. A lot had to do with lumber and covid. We were wrting scripts for the entire book and we got a lovely call from AMC "is there enough in this story to stay in new orleans this whole season?" So what we ended up doing, we made the first 4 into the first 7. We did that 50 days before we shot our first day.. it was a lot. And it was to the benefit of the show, we made a better product. We were not going to be able to do Europe in the same beautiful detailed way we were doing New Orleans. What was originally 8 episodes is now a 15 episode book. Was that the ending of my season 1? Not originally but it became the ending.

M: Now it's hard to imagine how we were going to pack all that into one season.

N: There's such a movement to that finale.

R: For me, that kind of episode. It's one for the people, the one for everyone else. you're doing twists and turns like a thriller. My favorite scene is the one that stops the action, the balcony scene...

N: Thinking this is all from Louis's memory.

R: Memory is a huge part of the show. We are only 7 episodes into a 15 episode story.

Audience Q: How sympathetic do you think Lestat is? Obviously this man has some major flaws like the whole next book is a whole lot of backpeddaling like he's not so bad he's not so bad. How sympathetic do you think he really is?

R: The more you spend time with it. I find Lestat wildly sympathetic. and the way it's built... You're not gonna see Lestat speaking for himself until season 3. Its a big deal right? You go ahead and have someone else tell the world about you from their POV. Who had the most traumatic entrance into the world of vampires? It's Lestat. You have no idea the baggage going into North America. We are playing with POV. Stick with Lestat, he's got a lot of pain.

Q: Why is Louis truly doing the interview? He says I wanna redo, but yet he's doing the same thing, he's dodging, cagey. Why did you bring this man to Dubai to do this?

R: It is absolutely THE question. IF you wanna know what we're still digging out, it's the why of it. There's a reason why this is the second interview. The first interview is very important. Something signifcant life altering happened in 1973 but they weren't the right people to do back then. There's a lot if meat on Louis's side, Daniel's side and most important Armand's side.. who's become the most fascinating character of season 2. There's a lot in Dubai left to be revealed.

Q: Do we think we've seen the end of Lestat and Louis's sexcapades?

R: So it's AMC, we are trying to sliding as much under the door as we possibly can. We are interested in the whole thing - the sex sure, the love story, the psychological torment, we are trying to write a love story that doesn't disappear after book 1. There's Armand coming..

N: Can we talk about what's to come? You're hinting this show can go on for many seasons, how long?

R: The real reason I wanted to do this show.. season 3. The Vampire Lestat. I really know how I wanna do The Vampire Lestat and I couldn't be more excited about it... and as goofy as body switching is, I think there's something in the tale of the body thief. QOTD... you gotta think on that one, how to do such a massive object, if you do it in one or two seasons.

#vampterview #rewind the tape

[crazykuroneko]

Browsing through old IWTV articles and stumbled upon this cute on-set story from Kalyne Coleman (Grace)

I love this cast and crew a lot 🫂

#interview with the vampire #iwtv #kalyne coleman #grace de pointe du lac #jacob anderson #louis de pointe du lac

[jaskierx]

seriously praying that other queer shows like iwtv and heartstopper don’t get cancelled after their next seasons, but if they do then maybe it’ll at least knock some sense into the people who were like “just go watch another queer show” to ofmd fans.

seriously. ofmd's cancellation is a symptom of a wider problem. even if you hated the show, even if you thought it was shit and the fandom is annoying and you'd be happier with it off the air, the facts are that the numbers were great, the show was popular and widely loved and generating loads of engagement, the s3 scripts were written and pre-production had started - and then someone pulled the plug.

why? greed? homophobia? a secret third thing? idk but it happened to us and it can happen to you. and it's not just about the fans who are left without their favourite show. it's about the cast and crew - most of whom are not well paid anyway - who earn a living from creating television and have been left in the lurch. it's about the concerning trend of shows and movies being shelved for tax purposes so some wealth-hoarding millionaire can get even richer. it's about the influence of capitalism over art. it's about how there are already so few shows with good queer representation, with opportunities for nb and trans actors, with opportunities for actors of colour, and now we've lost another one.

and saying shit like 'there are other queer shows' is part of the problem. queer isn't a genre. acting like people only enjoy the show because it's got queer characters is ignorant and contributes to the idea that queer IS a genre. like it or not, ofmd is groundbreaking in the way that it handles queerness and the way in which queerness is the norm. it's absolutely fine if it's not your cup of tea, but you have to recognise that for so many people, it's the first time they've ever seen themselves represented in a show that was about love and romance and the canon couple getting to live happily ever after. as opposed to seeing shows that are 'representation-adjacent' (where there is queer rep but only e.g. in the form of white cis gay men), or shows where queer characters are only ever given storylines about homophobia or coming out or self-acceptance or being disowned or getting hiv.

it's fine to hate ofmd, but it's disingenuous to pretend that it's just one of many identical 'queer shows' that can be easily substituted for one another.

#asks #anon #ofmd #save ofmd #rndl