Nerd News

⚡ Quick Take

• It’s a bloody world out there, so strap in. We’re keeping track of all the major character deaths in The Vampire Lestat.

Even amongst immortal vampires, deaths can occur. And in The Vampire Lestat, it’s shaping up to be a fairly violent season already. Some deaths, we know are coming from Anne Rice’s books, while others might take us by surprise. Join us as we keep track of the bloody business of being a vampire. Here are all the major character deaths we’ve seen so far in The Vampire Lestat. Warning for some discussion of dark themes below.

Lestat’s Maker Magnus Throws Himself Into the Fire AMC

This The Vampire Lestat series death comes right from Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat book. After stalking Lestat, kidnapping him, and turning him against his will, Lestat’s Maker, Magnus, throws himself into the fire and dies. Granted, we don’t actually see this moment in The Vampire Lestat, but Daniel confirms it is so. Thus, Magnus leaves Lestat totally alone to navigate being a vampire and Lestat never even truly meets his Maker. But in The Vampire Lestat, we get to see Lestat reckoning with Magnus after his death in the song, “Your Biggest Fan.”

Daniel Hart told Nerdist about the song, “I thought, well, if he’s going to write a song about his transformation, then he should write it from the point of view of the person who transformed him. And since it was basically abduction and then abuse, and a rape of sorts, then that would be Lestat’s experience of it.”

And continues:

But the person who did those things, as can often be the case in real life, the person who is the tormentor, the predator, the abuser, doesn’t view themselves that way. And for Magnus, I don’t think he viewed himself that way at all, and either because he himself was so dark and twisted or because by that point in his own life, he had just basically lost his mind. So I thought, yeah, he wouldn’t think of himself as doing something terrible at all. He wasn’t torturing people. He was loving them. So I thought, oh, it’s a love song. Obviously, it’s a love song. So then I started writing a love song about abducting someone and then torturing them, and then it became the thing that it is.

But, [of course, the song] is really about Lestat’s version of what he thinks Magnus thought was happening. Since he barely knew him. The guy transformed him and then threw himself into a fire, and that was that.

Lestat’s First Love Nicki May or May Not Have Been Killed By Armand AMC

In The Vampire Lestat, the readers learn in an “off-screen” scenario that Lestat’s first love and fledgling, Nicolas de Lenfent, cast himself into the fire and died. It’s implied that Armand drove this suicide by tormenting the already unstable Nicki, by, among other things, cutting off his musician hands.

In The Vampire Lestat, Nicki’s death remains off-screen, but its narrative changes from Anne Rice’s books. Lestat recounts Nicholas’ final moments to Daniel in The Vampire Lestat, narrating that Armand pushed Nicki into the fire and held him there until he died. Notably, in this version of events, Nicholas cuts his own hands off, and Armand isn’t responsible for, at the very least, that part of things.

But, as Joseph Potter, Nicholas’ actor, cautions us about the current iteration of Nicki’s death, “We don’t see it.” Make of that what you will.

RELATED ARTICLE

Major Changes AMC’s THE VAMPIRE LESTAT Makes to Anne Rice’s Books The Vampire Bruce Meets Death at Louis’ Hands in The Vampire Lestat AMC

The Vampire Bruce does exist in the world of Anne Rice and appears in Queen of the Damned, but he’s a very different character in AMC’s Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat. Primarily, we know Bruce to be Claudia’s torturer. When Claudia briefly leaves Lestat and Louis, Bruce kidnaps her and does unspeakable things, which make him worthy of way more than death.

In The Vampire Lestat, the Talamsca want Louis to destroy the Detroit coven that’s plaguing them. Louis refuses until they reveal to him that Bruce is the one running it. Like in Anne Rice’s Queen of the Damned, Bruce is now the leader of the Fang Gang coven. And that’s enough to convince Louis to destroy them all.

After demolishing the coven and freeing their human “food,” Louis handily cracks Bruce’s spine and forces him to listen to everything he has to say. In a truly harrowing scene, Louis reads the missing pages from Claudia’s notebook to Bruce (as we also get images of Lestat’s torment at the hands of Magnus). Then, using the fire gift, Louis sets the pages aflame, drops them on Bruce’s head, and that’s it. Bruce, as we said, deserved more than just death in The Vampire Lestat, but we’re glad he got that much.

RIP Lead Guitarist Larry… When Armand Invites You to Rest, You Can’t Refuse AMC

Uh oh. It’s not the good nurse night. After making the rounds with various amends and politely asking Lestat to stop making his music and fueling the Great Conversion, Armand has returned to his usual gremlin ways. It’s implied throughout The Vampire Lestat that Armand has been meddling with the mind of Lestat’s bandmate, Alex. And indeed, in The Vampire Lestat episode five, we see Armand seemingly speak through Alex… With a specific target in mind. Alex’s brother and The Vampire Lestat guitarist, Larry.

Alex tells Larry, “You were a terrible goalie, but you’re a total shredder with an axe… Put your mitts on, one take, and then rest.” Words that we soon see Armand repeat to Larry at the subway station, before saying, “You do look tired. You should probably get some rest.” Of course, for Armand, rest is code for death. And indeed, we see Larry succumb to Armand’s cajoling and jump into his death by subway in The Vampire Lestat episode five.

AMC

Why was it important to Armand that Larry die? On the face of it, it’s not totally clear. Perhaps he is hoping to alienate Alex from Lestat in some way. Maybe he just wanted to send Lestat a more pointed message about the danger of his music. Whatever the case may be, Armand doesn’t usually do things without a purpose at all, so we guess we’ll have to wait and see what Larry’s death will contribute to the narrative of The Vampire Lestat.

We Don’t Want Any More Deaths on The Vampire Lestat

Ultimately, we’re scared for our favs, and we don’t want any more death and destruction in The Vampire Lestat. Can’t we just have cheery, sweet vampiric times?

The Vampire Lestat airs at 9 pm ET/PT on AMC and AMC+. You can also read The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice today as you wait for the next episode of the series to air.

This post has affiliate links, which means we may earn advertising money if you buy something. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, we just have to give you the heads up for legal reasons. Click away!

Originally published on June 21, 2026.

The post THE VAMPIRE LESTAT’s Major Character Deaths appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• President Curtis co-creators Dan Harmon and James Siciliano said the spinoff is more like The X-Files to Rick and Morty’s Doctor Who.

Rick and Morty‘s new spinoff will begin on July 26 at Adult Swim the same night the original show’s ninth season ends. President Curtis will see Keith David’s Commander-in-Chief having his own adventures free of the multiverse’s drunkest grandpa. Considering how many times Rick and Morty have partnered with (or against) their world’s POTUS, it’s been unclear exactly how this new show will differentiate itself from the old one. But co-creators Dan Harmon and James Siciliano have provided an analogy any alien-loving pop culture nerd will understand. They said if Rick and Morty is the franchise’s Doctor Who, then President Curtis is its X Files.

Adult Swim

Harmon and Siciliano spoke to Deadline about their upcoming spinoff, which will start with a quick meta crossover to address “the elephant in the room.” Once Rick and Morty depart, though, they say President Curtis quickly establishes its own “staff and world.” The show will also separate itself from its popular predecessor in the kind of stories it tells. Here’s what Harmon said about why they wanted to do the series. He also addresses why it is different from the show that created David’s POTUS (who is slightly retconned to be a lot less worried about his approval ratings and a lot more focused on saving all Americans):

If we wanted Rick to do an X Files-level mission on Earth, like going to find the Hodag in Rhinelander, Wisconsin or the Loch Ness Monsters, he could do that, but his circle is broader. The comparison I make is it’s like Doctor Who and The X Files. Both involve aliens, but you have a different perspective there. It allows the tonality to stay the same, but it’s not redundant.

20th Century

Essentially we’re getting the same kind of Rick and Morty silliness, but with a different scope. The multiverse is out, ghosts and local monsters are in. Sounds good. Especially when we know just how funny President Curtis already is.

The post PRESIDENT CURTIS Creators Say Spinoff Is Like THE X-FILES appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• The Vampire Lestat will introduce Lestat’s vampiric mother, Gabriella. But will they keep their bizarre mother/son dynamic from the novels?
• We break down Gabrielle from Anne Rice’s books and her current appearances in The Vampire Lestat.
• Gabriella actress Jennifer Ehle offers her thoughts about Gabriella and Lestat’s relationship.

AMC’s The Vampire Lestat will adapt Anne Rice’s second novel in her Vampire Chronicles series, with Sam Reid returning as the titular vamp, now a rock star. Joining him is actress Jennifer Ehle as his mother, Gabriella, a vampire herself. In Rice’s 1985 novel, she goes by Gabrielle, but the show’s producers decided to go with the Italian pronunciation, as the character was born in Italy. The character is a fan-favorite, although some racy scenes between Mama Gabriella and her son Lestat in The Vampire Lestat trailers raised some eyebrows. But this problematic relationship actually has its origins in Rice’s books, even if the Interview with the Vampire TV series may be taking things a step further. Join us as we explore the complex bond between Gabriella and Lestat in the book and the series, whether it’s incestual, and all the other complicated nuances of turning your mother into a vampire.

AMC Table of contents

• Do Lestat and His Mother Gabrielle Have an Incestuous Relationship in Anne Rice’s Books?
• The Mortal (and Miserable) Life of Gabrielle de Lioncourt
• How Lestat’s Mother Became a Vampire in The Vampire Lestat
• Gabrielle Becomes a Cold and Deadly Immortal
• How Lestat and Gabrielle Reunite after 200 Years
• Anne Rice’s Tragic Inspirations for the Vampire Gabrielle, Lestat’s Mother
• Is the Vampire Gabrielle a Trans Character?
• Gabrielle Becomes Gabriella in AMC’s The Vampire Lestat
  • The Vampire Lestat Goes Full Incest (But That’s Not the Most Twisted Part)
  • Gabriella’s Backstory is Revealed
  • Gabriella Wants Lestat to Lead the Great Conversion
• Jennifer Ehle Talks Lestat and Gabriella’s Relationship

Do Lestat and His Mother Gabrielle Have an Incestuous Relationship in Anne Rice’s Books?

In Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles novels, Lestat’s relationship with his mother is complex. And that’s putting it mildly. While many have read an incestuous vibe between the undead pair, that is not literally the truth of Gabrielle and Lestat’s relationship in the books. And that’s for the simple reason that in Rice’s vampire mythology, her undead don’t have sexual intercourse. In Rice’s world, the blood exchange replaces food as sustenance, replaces drugs as hallucinogens, and replaces sex as pleasure (and procreation). So when Lestat and Gabrielle exchange blood in Interview with the Vampire‘s world, there’s an erotic charge in the text, but it’s not sex in the literal sense.

Alfred A. Knopf/Innovation Comics

Having said that, AMC’s Anne Rice Immortal Universe does not adhere to Rice’s rules in this way. The vampires in the series do have sex in human fashion, and are particularly horny in fact. One scene in the trailer for The Vampire Lestat shows Gabriella definitely touching her son, in an area where a mother should never touch her adult child. But this is clearly after she’s become a vampire. So does human morality even apply to them anymore? After all, is it any worse than, say, murdering people every night?

To recap, Lestat and Gabrielle have not been officially incestuous in the world of The Vampire Chronicles yet, although their relationship is blurry. But the series may be about to change all of that. Despite the lack of incest, though, Lestat and his mother plainly have always had a very complicated bond, going back to their human days.

The Mortal (and Miserable) Life of Gabrielle de Lioncourt

We are introduced to Gabrielle via the perspective of her son, Lestat. The Vampire Lestat explains how he was born Lestat de Lioncourt, the son of a country lord in the Auvergne in France. Although his father had a large and ancient estate, he’d run out of money years prior. A boorish man, he married a young girl named Gabrielle from Italy, hoping the dowry would help replenish his wealth. In The Vampire Lestat, we learn that Gabrielle was miserable in her life in the castle and hated her cruel husband. She bore him several children, only three of whom lived to adulthood. She had nothing but disdain for her eldest sons, who took after their awful father. But Gabrielle had a special place in her heart for her youngest, Lestat, who was sensitive and smart, and loved the arts.

AMC

When Lestat was 21, around the year 1780, his mother became ill with consumption. Knowing she was dying, she gave him her precious jewels and told him to sell them. She then told him to use the money to run away from home with his lover, Nicolas, and pursue his dream of acting in Paris. Although he was reluctant to leave his dying mother, it was her final wish that he escape and be happy. What Gabrielle didn’t count on was Lestat becoming a vampire while living in Paris.

How Lestat’s Mother Became a Vampire in The Vampire Lestat AMC

When Gabrielle knew the end was near, she decided to make one last trip before she died. She went to Paris, hoping to say farewell to her son in person. Lestat was a vampire now and revealed his true nature to his mother. He had never made another vampire before, but asked her on her deathbed if she was willing to become his fledgling. Knowing she would die otherwise, Gabrielle eagerly said yes, and Lestat became the vampiric father to his human mother. Who, in a way, was now his daughter. Vampire family trees are complicated things, folks!

RELATED ARTICLE

Anne Rice’s Queer Supernatural World Was a Gift

Gabrielle’s personality shifted almost instantly. Where Lestat only hunted evil doers (most of the time) Gabrielle killed anyone she wanted, with little moral compunction. As she saw it, as a vampire,  she was higher on the food chain. She also began dressing as a man and wearing her long hair in a braid. She always felt powerless as a woman while mortal, uncomfortable in her own body, especially as the laws of the time required her to be subservient to men. And in particular, her cruel husband. Gabrielle, who insisted Lestat call her that name from now on, as “Mother” seemed inappropriate, also had little interest in the human world.

Gabrielle Becomes a Cold and Deadly Immortal

In The Vampire Lestat, Gabrielle constantly talked about hunting bears and other animals in the forest, and simply disconnecting from human life and returning to nature. Lestat, in contrast, remained very connected to humanity. He loved human art, and music, loved performing on stage for humans. He had no interest in living in a forest or jungle. When the ancient Vampire Armand blew up their lives in Paris, Lestat and Gabrielle left and wandered Europe and parts of Egypt for a decade. But even from the start of their journey, Gabrielle would vanish for weeks and months at a time. Although Gabrielle still loved Lestat, their bond was breaking. Things came to a head when Lestat learned she kept the news of their mortal family’s deaths from him, and he told her to leave him for good.

How Lestat and Gabrielle Reunite after 200 Years AMC

Lestat would lose all contact with Gabrielle for almost two centuries. When he became a rock star in the 1980s, Gabrielle learned her sire/son was alive and well. When Lestat threw his big Halloween Night concert in 1985, the vampire community attacked the show, and Lestat and Louis had to escape. Gabrielle then pulled up in a sports car and rescued her son/father and his lover from the undead mob. Gabrielle tells Lestat that she imagined their reunion a hundred different ways over the centuries. And she never thought it would involve her saving him from a vampire gang at a rock concert.

RELATED ARTICLE

INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE’s Overwhelming Queerness Is Revelatory and Queer People Deserve It

After the events of book three, The Queen of the Damned, the surviving vampires form a coven on the luxurious Night Island, belonging to Armand, off the coast of Florida. But as she was known to do, Gabrielle quickly grew restless and wandered off into the world again. Gabrielle would pop in and out of Lestat’s life, making cameos in Rice’s subsequent novels. But she never had a book of her own, and Anne Rice said she never wanted to write one. She said Gabrielle was too cold for her to ever write from her perspective. But as of Rice’s final novel, Blood Communion, Gabrielle and Lestat were on good terms, promising never to go no-contact again.

Anne Rice’s Tragic Inspirations for the Vampire Gabrielle, Lestat’s Mother

Anne Rice went on record several times saying that her characters helped her work through her own personal tragedies. Her daughter Michelle’s death from leukemia at age 6 inspired her to create the child vampire Claudia in Interview with the Vampire. And Rice was at least partially working through the death of her mother with the creation of Lestat’s mother, Gabrielle. Rice’s mother, Katherine O’Brien, was ahead of her time, and named Anne “Howard” when she was born, not believing in gender specific naming conventions. But her mother also suffered from alcoholism and died from its complications at age 42, when Anne was only 15. Lestat saving his Gabrielle’s life and giving her a new one was Rice using writing to fictionalize saving her own unconventional mother via supernatural means.

Is the Vampire Gabrielle a Trans Character? AMC

Fans have often cited Gabrielle as being extremely trans-coded. In The Vampire Lestat, she often lamented being forced to endure the trappings of being a woman, especially as an 18th-century woman. When she becomes a vampire, she dresses in masculine clothing and often passes as a man in a crowd. However, she never changes her pronouns, and Lestat always refers to her as “she.” But were she created today, it’s very possible Anne Rice would have written Gabrielle as a trans man. Perhaps we will see the series pick up these threads to weave a beautiful, representative story.

Gabrielle Becomes Gabriella in AMC’s The Vampire Lestat The Vampire Lestat Goes Full Incest (But That’s Not the Most Twisted Part)

Jennifer Ehle as Gabrielle, now using the Italian pronunciation of her name, Gabriella, has finally arrived in The Vampire Lestat. In her first episode, we do get the idea that her relationship with Lestat is not really one of warmth and compassion. As Anne Rice would say, a distinct coldness emanates from the way she only appears when Lestat has literally hit rock bottom. And then the pair… make out, which is twisted in a number of ways… most of all that it is not what Lestat needs and very much what Gabriella wants.

AMC

The Vampire Lestat has definitely taken the novels’ incestuous subtext to another level, and now it is just plain text between mother/child Gabriella and child/father Lestat. And while incest is shocking, to be sure, the more important consequences come as a part of the emotional toll the relationship and its dynamics take on Lestat.

Gabriella’s Backstory is Revealed AMC

In episode two, we get to see more of Gabriella, including her miserable existence in 18th-century France and her much freer life in the modern day. We get a distinct impression of how repressed and terrible her life was, trapped with her awful husband and children (“the cabbages”), with only a slight solace in Lestat as a kindred soul. Unlike in Anne Rice’s books, The Vampire Lestat‘s Gabriella gets to dispose of her hateful husband herself in Auvergne, happily embracing her vampiric ferocity after Lestat turns her into a vampire. Sadly, she does not instinctively kill a man and don his clothing as her first kill, but there’s still time in the series to see that.

In the present, Lestat and Gabriella hide Gabriella’s identity as Lestat’s mother, calling her Sofia. But the pair agree to no longer… dally together. Although it’s clear Gabriella is teasing Lestat throughout the episode, pushing him to see where his limits are. It’s also evident that Gabriella is quite jealous of Lestat’s relationship with Louis and doesn’t like that he has someone else in his life. In The Vampire Lestat, the relationship between Lestat and Gabriella quickly loses its easy veneer and reveals notes of something ugly beneath.

Additionally, we see Gabriella take cruel revenge on Lestat for not cleaving only to her, sleeping ostentatiously with his body double, Jarda, and then walking purposefully out of his concert midway through. Yikes!

Gabriella Wants Lestat to Lead the Great Conversion AMC

Gabriella has been the character to most prominently bring up the Great Conversion, and now, we can see it’s more than just a passing fancy for her. It’s something that she really wants to see realized.

In the past, she and Lestat dream about a vision of life where, they, the vampires are in charge. Gabriella says, “You put Armand’s Ghouls on stage, and that was something I guess.” But what she wants is, “Dante’s Hell, but not in the mouths of priests, out in the world. Thieving in the streets. An evil that answers goodness.” And Lestat asks, “Shall we scorch the mortal world?” To which Gabriella responds, “Decimate it. Brothers impaling brothers, mothers throttling their babes, all writhing on the ground. Till no light remains, no hope of light, and, then, we, the devils, rule.”

RELATED ARTICLE

Why the Beach Scene in THE VAMPIRE LESTAT Is Significant

And it’s a sentiment she has clearly not forgotten, because when she finally returns to Lestat, she brings with her visions of his leading the Great Conversion. She says she has been “with the voices” of other vampires, all of whom call to Lestat, revealing that they all care about his mission, work, and idea of vampiric freedom. “You’ve been hearing them,” Gabriella tells Lestat, “You’ve been reaching them. They are lost and angry and tired of enduring. Your music speaks to them. They long for communion.”

And so, though he calls her “conspiring” in his voiceover, Lestat allows himself to be swayed back to the work of sharing his vampire insights through his music… and continuing to feed the Great Conversion. In episode five, we see that Lestat is recording an album at Gabriella’s behest, presumably to help inspire the vampiric movement.

However, Lestat begins to seem wary of Gabriella and her motives as his Great Conversion album unfolds. He all but accuses her of only needing him for the role he can play in the Great Conversion. And, while he’s right about her selfish motivations, he doesn’t break away from her yet.

Jennifer Ehle Talks Lestat and Gabriella’s Relationship AMC

Following on some of what we see in The Vampire Lestat‘s early episodes, in an interview with Nerdist, Jennifer Ehle, who plays Gabriella, mused on her relationship with Lestat, and how Lestat’s love for Louis fits into it. Ehle notes of Louis and Lestat’s love, “I think she’s threatened by it. She’s threatened by it as somebody who loves him and who wants to be the primary relationship in his life, wants to be the most important person to him in any room, and suddenly, there is somebody else. And Louis having Lestat’s ear just really saps her power.”

We’ll have to wait and see where this relationship goes as The Vampire Lestat continues airing.

Interview with the Vampire seasons one and two and The Vampire Lestat are now streaming on AMC and AMC+.

Originally published March 4, 2026.

The post TVL: Lestat’s Complex (Icky?) Bond with Mother Gabriella, Explained appeared first on Nerdist.

Apple has started a phased rollout of card payments for Apple Account purchases in India after adapting to the country's payments framework.

⚡ Quick Take

• We’ve heard about the Great Conversion a few times in Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat and it may become more important this season.
• The Great Conversion appears to be a movement by vampires to grow their numbers and take power in IWTV and The Vampire Lestat.
• The synopsis for The Vampire Lestat mentions the Great Conversion and we’ve recieved different bits of information about it.

The Great Conversion. We’ve been hearing about it distantly in Interview with the Vampire for two seasons. And the phrase was included in the synopsis for The Vampire Lestat. Now, we hear it again as the season begins in earnest. But the Great Conversion is not a storyline from Anne Rice’s books, so there’s not exactly a direct analog we can turn to as we examine this Vampire phenomenon in Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat. So, what is The Vampire Lestat‘s the Great Conversion, and what do we know about it from Interview with the Vampire and the current season? Let’s dive in.

AMC The Great Conversion in Interview with the Vampire

In Interview with the Vampire, the Great Conversion was mentioned twice. Once by Louis de Point du Lac in his interview with Daniel Molloy. And once by Talamasca Agent, Raglan James. Here’s what we learn about The Great Conversion in these instances.

Louis Introduces The Great Conversion as a Vampiric Movement

Louis shares the following in Interview with the Vampire season one, episode two, in response to a question from Daniel about whether the vampires in the world have mastered their instincts, “Just the opposite, most of them are slaves to the blood… Exhausted from decades, centuries, of hiding, giddy to increase their numbers.” And then adds that this spurred by the “Pandemic, the unraveling of geopolitical foundations…” And notes, “One of them a brute in Madagscar called it the Great Conversion.”

When Daniel expresses some dubiousness about whether humans would want to be converted, Louis scoffs, “Yes, what on earth would a meth-addicted son of a coal miner in West Virgina want with eternal life? Or the Arab youth whose family were wiped from existenced from a Western drone?”

AMC

In all, this makes us feel like the Great Conversion is a vampiric movement to well… convert humanity to vampirism. And well, we feel like if we were vampires, always forced to hide our true nature, we might not be so opposed to it either. And to Louis’ point, wouldn’t eternal life be of interest to many mortals?

But the way Louis describes, the Great Conversion is a loose collection of disgruntled vampires, trying to push vampirism forward. Is the Great Conversion actually a meaningful meaningful movement in the world of Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat? We guess we need a bit more information to know the truth about that.

Raglan James Adds in a Few Details About The Great Conversion AMC Networks

And when one needs information, the Talamasca is a pretty good place to start. In Interview with the Vampire season two, Talamasca agent, Raglan James (who we see lurking in the first episode of The Vampire Lestat) offers us a few more details about the Great Conversion. He reveals in season two, episode three, “We were tracking 900 of them a month ago.. We’re tracking 1,600 now. The Great Conversion. It’s real, it’s happening.”

Okay, a near doubling of Vampires in the matter of a month does seem more serious that just errant grumbles in the night. As we mentioned, The Great Conversion is not a part of Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, or any other of Anne Rice’s books. But in the context of the series, it does feel like the vampires are gathering, amassing numbers in a purposeful way, to the end of… a vampiric world order? The decimation of mortals? It’s hard to say as of yet.

The Great Conversion in the Synopsis for The Vampire Lestat

In the plot description for The Vampire Lestat, we learn, “In the new rock and roll centric season, the Vampire Lestat goes on an electric multi-city tour while being haunted by ‘muses’ from his wild and rebellious past. As his band’s popularity and star power rises, so does Lestat’s influence over vampires and humans alike, leaving others to contend with Lestat’s power in the face of the Great Conversion, an unnatural surge in the vampire population. In addition to Reid, The Vampire Lestat stars Jacob Anderson, Assad Zaman, Eric Bogosian, Delainey Hayles and Jennifer Ehle and is executive produced by award-winning producer Mark Johnson, creator, writer and showrunner Rolin Jones, Hannah Moscovitch, along with Christopher Rice and the late Anne Rice.”

RELATED ARTICLE

THE VAMPIRE LESTAT Is Unlike Anything Else on TV (Review)

But what is Lestat’s power in the face of the Great Conversion? We know Lestat is singing songs about being a vampire, more specifically his life as a vampire. Could these songs serve to make mortals interested in vampirism? Or conversely, will they give humans too much knoweldge about the vampire, perhaps enough to make them dangerous? So far, we can’t be sure.

The Great Conversion in The Vampire Lestat

The Great Conversion was only been brought up minimally in The Vampire Lestat‘s first episodes. In episode one, Lestat listens to the vampire voices discussing his tour. Some of them seem to echo the sentiments of the Great Conversion as they consider his music, calling for vampires to “make more.”

In episode two of The Vampire Lestat, Gabriella tells Lestat that she fancies one of the strippers she kissed in an Ohio bar. “Predatory spirit. A good candidate for the Great Conversion.” Seems like the Great Conversion is on someone’s mind… Very curious. Then, in episode three, Gabriella tells Daniel to ask Lestat about the Great Conversion for his documentary. That’s twice now she’s brought it up, which certainly perks up our ears.

Daniel finally asks Lestat what he thinks about the Great Conversion, but he’s not particularly impressed. He says, “Oh, the vampire thing? Vampires taking over the world, collaborating? Fucking stupid.”

Armand Confirms the Great Conversion is Real and It Is Dangerous AMC

In The Vampire Lestat episode three, Armand confirms that the Great Conversion is a real thing, and it is dangerous. Armand tells Daniel, “You are courting great danger with Lestat… There are nearly enough of us now. Each a body a night, each turning one a week. More deaths than births. The Great Conversion. It’s happening, Daniel. And he’s going to lead it and get us all killed.” And, honestly, we can kind of see his point. If vampires need humans to feed and exist, then making so many vampires that the human population can no longer sustain them… seems like a bad idea.

Gabriella Is Really Pushing for the Great Conversion, and She Wants Lestat to Lead It AMC

After bringing it up subtly throughout The Vampire Lestat, Gabriella finally reveals some of her true motivations for being at Lestat’s side. She wants him to continue writing and performing his songs to fuel the Great Conversion. And it turns out, this is a dream that The Vampire Lestat‘s Gabriella has held for a very long time.

In the past, she tells Lestat her dream is to scorch the world, bring an evil to it that answers goodness. “Decimate it. Brothers impaling brothers, mothers throttling their babes, all writhing on the ground. Till no light remains, no hope of light, and, then, we, the devils, rule.”

And in the present, just as Lestat is ready to give up his rock band and his overt presence as the world’s vampire, Gabriella arrives to convince him to do otherwise. She says she has been “with the voices” of other vampires, all of whom call to Lestat. “You’ve been hearing them,” Gabriella tells Lestat, “You’ve been reaching them. They are lost and angry and tired of enduring. Your music speaks to them. They long for communion.” And it’s clear she wants Lestat to bring them that communion, that Great Conversion.

And Lestat, it seems, allows himself to be swayed. In The Vampire Lestat episode five, we see that he’s working on an album to reach the other vampires living in the world, a “soundtrack for the revolution,” as Armand puts it. Lestat’s work even includes a song that appears to be titled “Make More,” which is quite on the nose. He insists to his human band that their sounds need to transcend mortal instruments and become appealing to vampire ears. In his voiceover, Lestat notes that this album would create “clearly attributable devastation.”

So, What Is the Great Conversion? AMC

Ultimately, The Vampire Lestat‘s Great Conversion appears to be a quickly growing, somewhat organized movement/effort by vampires to increase their numbers and find more of a footing in this world. Undoubtedly, Daniel Molloy’s book, which flagrantly reveals truths (and untruths) about vampires and The Vampire Lestat’s musical tour, will have some impact on whether other vampires wish to join them in the metaphorical sun and how humans come to see vampires, whether as real or extra false.

In The Vampire Lestat book, the Vampire Akasha is awakened by Lestat’s music, and she holds devastating plans for both vampire and humankind. As mentioned, the Great Conversion is not a part of the books’ plot… But perhaps here, something about the mass formation of new vampires will not please the Queen. Could the vampire Gabriella drive the world to its end with her desire to inflame the Great Conversion through Lestat?

We’ll surely learn more about the Great Conversion as The Vampire Lestat continues to air. The Vampire Lestat releases Sundays at 9 pm ET/PT on AMC and at midnight PT on AMC+. You can also read The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice today as you wait for the next episode of the series to arrive.

This post has affiliate links, which means we may earn advertising money if you buy something. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, we just have to give you the heads up for legal reasons. Click away!

Originally published on June 14, 2026.

The post What Is the Great Conversion in THE VAMPIRE LESTAT? appeared first on Nerdist.

Microsoft cut around 4,800 roles, or 2.1% of its global workforce, on Monday — the latest in a series of layoffs that’s stoking fears of AI replacing jobs. The layoffs will hit Xbox and commercial sales the hardest.

⚡ Quick Take

• Delainey Hayles returns to The Vampire Lestat as new character Regina. But who is Regina? Is she related to Claudia? And how does Louis fit?

We’ve known for quite some time that Delainey Hayles would be back in The Vampire Lestat. But we didn’t know what character Hayles would play in her return. In Interview with the Vampire, we witnessed the death of Delainey Hayles’ original character, Claudia. Claudia was the vampire daughter of Lestat and Louis, and she was murdered by the Paris Coven for “breaking the Great Laws” of the vampire, while Louis was just barely spared. Uncovering the truth of her death was a core part of Louis’ journey in Interview with the Vampire, and no doubt, reckoning with the grief of losing her will continue to be a major part of his story in The Vampire Lestat. But does Delainey Hayles actually return as Claudia in The Vampire Lestat? In The Vampire Lestat episode three, she comes back to us in the form of someone else, a human. But who is Regina, Delainey Hayles’ new The Vampire Lestat character? Let’s take a closer look at what the series has revealed to us so far about this familiar face with a new name.

AMC Who Does Delainey Hayles Play in The Vampire Lestat?

Delainey Hayles plays Regina in The Vampire Lestat. We meet Hayles’ Regina in The Vampire Lestat episode three, but we hear Louis talking about her as early as episode two.

Who Is Regina in The Vampire Lestat? Here’s What We Know About Regina AMC

Regina is that she is a human who works as a waitress at a NYC diner called “Brick and Bacon.” Louis describes Hayles’ Regina to Daniel as follows: “I saw Claudia in New York, coming out of the subway… Someone who looked like her, but in her twenties, if she’d made it to her twenties. So I come up, I watched her turn the corner. I saw her walk into a diner. I couldn’t help myself. I go inside, I grab a booth. It’s not her, she’s not there. Chased a ghost, I guess. I ordered a donut and coffee, just to pass. And she comes out the back in uniform. It’s not her. This one’s got a different walk, accent. I’m not in her section. I walked out.”

RELATED ARTICLE

THE VAMPIRE LESTAT Is Unlike Anything Else on TV (Review)

But indeed, when we finally see Regina in The Vampire Lestat episode three, played by Delainey Hayles as she is, the character is an exact copy of Claudia. Her accent is British when she speaks to Louis, and she’s aged to Hayles’ age at the present. But we can understand how intense this might be for the character.

In episode four of The Vampire Lestat, we learn more about Regina’s background. Regina reveals that she’s quite poor, living in an apartment that’s falling apart, full of mice and dangling wires, and populated with too many roommates. And Louis discovers that she’s been struggling. Among other things, Regina has a debt looming over her and a criminal record that includes a history of credit card scams and stealing cars. Of course, all of this makes engaging in a relationship with Louis look quite tempting, but also makes the relationship between them, not exactly healthy to begin with, even more so born of desperation and unequal power dynamics.

Is Regina Related to Claudia at All? AMC

For now, we don’t know if Regina and Claudia have any kind of cosmic connection on The Vampire Lestat. Anne Rice’s universe is full of all kinds of magic and powers, though, so we guess we can’t entirely rule it out either.

That said, in episode five of The Vampire Lestat, Louis asks Lestat to meet Regina and confirm for him whether she’s “Claudia come back to him” or not. Lestat becomes emotional about seeing Regina, who does look like Claudia, but confirms to Louis that she is nothing like their dead daughter. Chiefly, Lestat cites that “it’s not her,” because of “the eyes.” And Louis agrees, “No spark, right?”

After this meeting, Lestat is moved to write a song about Claudia called “Stained Glass Eyes,” so we’re feeling like the lack of Claudia in Regina’s eyes implies she isn’t connected to Claudia. Still, anything could happen.

Is Regina Secretly on Armand’s Team?

Recently, we received a new fascinating insight into Regina, this time from The Vampire Lestat‘s marketing team. Since the beginning of the series, The Vampire Lestat has been releasing character posters that are either pink or yellow-colored. Eagle-eyed fans realized that these colors implied the formation of two teams. Speculation abounds that the color marks a character’s allegiance, either to Lestat or to Armand, or perhaps their feelings about the Great Conversion. It’s too soon to tell exactly what the posters mean, but what we can tell is that Regina’s poster is yellow, like Daniel and Armand, not pink, like Lestat and Louis. Could that mean the Claudia look-alike turns against her doppleganger’s fathers? We certainly wouldn’t blame Regina for being mad at Louis and, by extension, Lestat. We truly expected Regina’s poster to come in pink, but we’ll have to wait and see what this unexpected colorway means for not-Claudia.

akasha está vindo para desequilibrar isso #tvlspoilers pic.twitter.com/deEjIdDAOg

— Liz ᵗᵛˡ ˢᵖᵒⁱˡᵉʳˢ (@lestatgothic) July 3, 2026 Nerdist Take: What Role Will Delainey Hayles’ Regina Play in Louis’ Story in The Vampire Lestat? AMC

What we can say is that Regina’s resemblance to Claudia is likely not good for Louis if Regina is, indeed, not at all connected to Claudia in The Vampire Lestat. After his first encounter with Regina, Louis returns to the diner several times, as Regina notes, “three times in five nights,” to engage with the Claudia look-alike and try to get to know her.

Regina, for her part, is wary of Louis at first, imagining he might want something sexual from her. And while that’s not what Louis is after, he is after something… Louis tells Regina that she’s been helping him, just by being herself. Although clearly, Regina looking like Claudia is an important component of why that’s true in The Vampire Lestat. Ultimately, Louis reveals to Regina that Interview with the Vampire, by Daniel Molloy, is real, and that she reminds him of Claudia. He offers to help her with the struggles she faces in her life.

AMC

At first, Regina rejects the notion, refusing to play “be my dead daughter” in The Vampire Lestat. But in time, she comes to accept the thought, making a deal with Louis to pretend to be Claudia in exchange for $500,000. After they agree on this, Regina looks at Louis and says with Claudia’s New Orleans accent, “What now, Daddy Lou.” Eeps! It definitely doesn’t get better in episode five, when Louis and Regina get deep into the farce, even hiring someone to play Claudia’s dead lover, Madeleine. At the very least, when Louis brings Lestat into it, he seems to come to terms with the fact that seeing Regina again is a bad idea. But whether this knowledge will last for Louis in the face of his heartbreak over Claudia, remains to be seen.

The idea of seeing someone we love come back to life is, of course, a temptation that no human and vampire could withstand easily. But if Regina is truly just some human person, then she likely cannot actually help Louis with his grief over Claudia. In all likelihood, she would just make it worse if she is not actually Claudia in any way. And, especially for a vampire, intense grief can be a dangerous thing. We want healing for Louis, but we’re not sure this is the path that brings it. Hopefully, going so far down this dangerous road with his grief will help Louis to see that it is time to work through his feelings more productively.

Will We See More of Delainey Hayles’ Regina in The Vampire Lestat? AMC

It’s unclear if Delainey Hayles will be back as Regina in the final two episodes of The Vampire Lestat. For now, Louis appears to have walked away from her. But it feels like the storyline has not yet fully wrapped up.

The Vampire Lestat (or season three of Interview with the Vampire) is currently streaming on AMC and AMC+. New episodes arrive Sundays at 9 pm PT/ET on AMC and at midnight PT on AMC+. You can also read Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat book today.

Rotem Rusak is the Editor-in-Chief of Nerdist. She cannot take any more Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat devastation for Louis or anyone else.

This post has affiliate links, which means we may earn advertising money if you buy something. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, we just have to give you the heads up for legal reasons. Click away!

Originally published on June 21, 2026.

The post Delainey Hayles’ New THE VAMPIRE LESTAT Role, Revealed appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• We got a chance to taste Pringles new Pop Dog Buns, and these potato chip-infused flavored breads are both exactly what you’d expect and surprising.

A good summer always includes a whole lot of potato chips and hot dogs, but this year Pringles is combining those two seasonal staples into one. The iconic chip company wants you to pop open a can of its all new, potato-based buns infused with popular potato chip flavors. And Nerdist got an early chance to taste the one-of-a-kind Pringles Pop Dog Buns.

Mars, Incorporated

Pringles’ special new limited-time product will arrive just in time for this year’s National Hot Dog Day on July 15. The company has created three unique styles of hot dogs buns that each come in a classic Pringles can. The new Pop Dog Buns flavors in Sour Cream & Onion, BBQ, and Honey Mustard, each a potato chip flavor staple.

Here’s the official description for each of these buns, which measure at around 7.5-inches:

• Pringles Sour Cream & Onion Pop Dog Buns: All the tangy, savory and creamy flavors fans know and love, reimagined in a soft, potato-based bun.
• Pringles BBQ Pop Dog Buns: A little smoky with a touch of sweetness for a backyard barbecue flavor that perfectly complements any hot dog.
• Pringles Honey Mustard Pop Dog Buns: Combines the sweetness of honey with the tang of mustard for a bold, satisfying twist on the classic bun.

Mars, Incorporated

“This summer, we’re bringing the ‘Once You Pop’ experience to the center of the plate! We wanted to take something everyone knows and completely flip it into an exciting new snackable experience,” said Mauricio Jenkins, Salty Snacks Brand & Content Lead at Mars North America, in a statement. “With our new ‘Once You Pop’ campaign, our mission is to continually deliver the unexpected to our fans, which is why we’re reimagining ordinary, bland buns and transforming them into an extraordinarily flavorful experience fit for our iconic cans. Trust me, that extra Pringles flavor truly makes these buns pop because… Once You Pop, The Pop Dogs Don’t Stop.”

Do these buns deliver the flavor Pringles promises? Yeah. These are exactly as advertised. I know because I got a chance to try them. Pringles sent me a pack of the chips and their corresponding buns ahead of this announcement.

I could have done the adult thing and had them with actual hot dogs or sausages, especially since Pringles also supplies corresponding recipes to maximize each buns’ flavor profile. But I wanted a more authentic Pringles experience, so I instead ripped open each Pop Dog Bun can and tore into them just as I would with Pringles potato chips.

While the intensity of the flavors didn’t totally surprise me, the consistency of the bread did. These are soft and chewy. But they will surely hold up even with a lot of toppings. Whether you will taste those toppings is less clear. As you can see from my taste taste, these are so flavorful the plastic wrapper couldn’t contain the aroma. You can smell these through the bags. That gives you a really good idea how strong they are.

If I had not already tried these, I’d be obsessed with getting my hands on them. If you’re like me and feel the same way, here’s how you can score these before they’re all gone. Sign up at Once You Pop Market website right now to get alerts for when these become available. The first drop will go live at Wednesday, July 8. Then you’ll have one more chance on National Hot Dog Day, Wednesday, July 15 at 12 p.m. ET. Technically, the buns are free with the purchase ($6.97) of a Pringles Three-Pack that features the same flavors.

And why wouldn’t you want to try these? No summer is complete with potato chips and hot dogs. Now you can have both at once.

The post We Tried Pringles’ New Potato Chip-Flavored Pop Dog Buns appeared first on Nerdist.

In the AI era, platforms have no choice but to fight fire with fire to cull spam.

⚡ Quick Take

• Vin Diesel announced that the next Fast & Furious sequel, titled Fast Forever, will hit theaters in March 2028.

It’s time to go another quarter mile at a time. The next film in the Fast & Furious franchise, which is officially titled Fast Forever, will race into theaters on March 17, 2028. That feels like a long time to wait but you cannot rush greatness, my friends. As usual, Vin Diesel is the one who shared the news via Instagram with a photo of himself and the late Paul Walker, whose character Brian is still alive in the franchise. 

“No one said the road would be easy… but it’s ours,” Diesel said in the caption. “One that has defined us and become our legacy… And a legacy… lasts forever.” Why are we getting another Fast & Furious movie? Because they have to do it for family, obviously. Fast Forever will be the 12th overall film in this universe, which also includes the Hobbs & Shaw movie, and the 11th Fast film.

Fast Forever seems to be running on schedule, with Vin Diesel posting on socials once again to keep fans updated.

“I’m on set. People are grinding. Incredible crews are working,” Diesel said during a behind-the-scenes IG video. “I just wanted to take a second to say thank you. You guys are the best audience in the world, best fans in the world. You’ve been patient to the industry, you’ve been patient to the studio, and you’ve been patient with me. Over the past three and a half years, we’ve been grinding to try to make the most amazing finale.”

Universal Pictures

We thought they’d done everything possible in this franchise, including going to the moon, but there’s still more for Dom and friends to accomplish. Fast Forever will keep the franchise’s motor running with yet another sequel in 2028, and we are riding along to see what happens.

Originally published on January 30, 2026.

The post FAST FOREVER Sequel Starts Production appeared first on Nerdist.

The hacking operations disclosed in a Canadian spy agency's annual report underscores some pressing national security threats facing the country and its top allies.

⚡ Quick Take

• A new promo for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping dives into all things Haymitch Abernathy, from the past and future.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will kick off this year’s holiday season right when it hits theaters on November 20. We will go back 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games to meet a young Haymitch Abernathy, who will be played by Joseph Zada.

Lionsgate

The film kicks off on the morning of the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell. A new promo for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping dives into who Haymitch is at this point in his life, giving fans more context about what they will see in the movie. We also get a lot of cross comparisons between young Haymitch alongside of footage of his future self, who was infamously played by Woody Harrelson.

RELATED ARTICLE

THE HUNGER GAMES: SUNRISE ON THE REAPING Trailer Delivers FAMOUS Faces

We see Zada discussing his character as well as some awesome footage, both from the film as well as behind the scenes. Fans have been waiting for these types of looks for a while, and we are certainly among that crowd. It made our hearts swell to see Whitney Peak’s Lenore interact with her boyfriend Haymitch.

The cast is stacked, including Glenn Close, Billy Porter, Maya Hawke, Kieran Culkin, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Lili Taylor and Ralph Fiennes, among many others. May the odds be ever in their favor.

The post THE HUNGER GAMES: SUNRISE ON THE REAPING Promo Celebrates Haymitch appeared first on Nerdist.

WhatsApp now lets users reserve usernames ahead of the feature’s full rollout, making it possible to connect without sharing a phone number once usernames go live.

Station F, a Paris-based startup hub founded by French billionaire Xavier Niel, is gearing up for a new edition of its F/ai accelerator program in a bid to strengthen its positioning as a stepping stone for promising AI startups.

Even Realities, an ex-Apple team building camera-free smart glasses, raised $150M from Meituan and Tencent at a $1B valuation.

While other humanoid startups chase sky-high valuations, Agility Robotics is betting its future on execution — and a SPAC.

⚡ Quick Take

• The question on the minds The Vampire Lestat fans is this: Is Past Devil’s Minion real? Here’s what we know about Armand and Daniel’s love.

Ah, “The old DM” as The Vampire Lestat showrunner, Rolin Jones, puts it. The question of whether Devil’s Minion is real and, if it is, how it will manifest, has been one that has been on fans’ minds from the very beginning of the series. In Anne Rice’s books, Devil’s Minion, the romance between Armand and Daniel Molloy, is very much real, but it takes a much different form than in the series. In Queen of the Damned, Armand and Daniel’s courtship and Armand’s eventual turning of Daniel into a vampire all happen while Daniel is young. But in The Vampire Lestat, Daniel makes it to old age before he’s made a vampire, changing the story. Still, we know from Interview with the Vampire that Daniel and Armand did encounter one another in 1973. And, although Daniel shows no signs of recollecting a relationship with Armand in his younger days, the possibility that, what fans call, “Past Devil’s Minion” could be a reality exists in the series. Now that Devil’s Minion has begun to be unpacked on The Vampire Lestat, is Past DM real? In short, it’s not yet fully real. But also, it could be. Let’s take a look at what we know.

AMC Table of contents

• Let’s Define Past Devil’s Minion
• Past Devil’s Minion Exists for Armand 
• The Timing of Memories Armand DOES Mention Seems to Fit a Past Devil’s Minion Narrative
• Assad Zaman Says Armand’s Fascination with Daniel Has Been with him Since San Francisco 
• Armand Has a Penchant for Wiping Minds and Altering Memories Memories
• Daniel Has Forgotten Armand in His Past Before
• Eric Bogosian Says Armand Has Been ‘Corrupting Daniel’s Mind’ for 50 Years
• Armand Tells Daniel: ‘I Want to Give You Half Your Life Back’
• Armand and Daniel’s “She Wanted to Say Yes,” Scene From Interview with the Vampire Season 2 
• Daniel’s Blue-Sky Ceiling NYC Apartment
• The Blackout Years at “Knight Ridder”
• Rolin Jones Says Young Daniel Actor, Luke Brandon Field, Will Return in the Series
• The Existence of the Night Island Series
• So, Is Past Devil’s Minion Real in The Vampire Lestat?

Let’s Define Past Devil’s Minion

So far, The Vampire Lestat has established that Armand has been part of Daniel’s life since San Francisco in the ’70s, which we’ll discuss in a minute. But for me, that’s, as they say, only half the battle. Even given Armand’s love confessions and admissions that he’s been a party to Daniel’s existence for a long time, Daniel does not seem to offer any indication that he remembers Armand as a part of his life. And it’s not really a true relationship if both parties aren’t engaging in it. So, in order for Past Devil’s Minion to be real, I feel we need confirmation that Armand was there in Daniel’s life AND Daniel was there in Armand’s life. Present Devil’s Minion feels like it’s full steam ahead to me, but let’s take a closer look at whether it extends backward in time.

AMC Past Devil’s Minion Exists for Armand 

Half the battle is still a large part of the battle. And in order for Past Devil’s Minion to become a reality, Armand does need to have been present in Daniel’s history. And… he has been!

In episode five of The Vampire Lestat, Daniel demands Armand prove to him that he’s been in love with him all this time, as Armand confesses to him in episode four. And Armand reveals, “I had a fang in his neck, but I was interrupted and had to let him go. I tracked him down, planned to finish the work, but as I followed him, I found him fascinating. I’d sit at the foot of his bed in derelict motel rooms as he slept off a fix. Gradually, over the next 52 years, I was interceding on his behalf. And when he blacked out under an overpass, a junkie about to roll over him in an RV, wife Alice at home, pregnant at the time…”

AMC

And then Armand picks up to offer a smattering of scenes throughout Daniel’s life that he’s been present for, “February 11, 1990. A reading at Amherst, Massachusetts. Four students attend, three are there for extra credit, one is there for you to use. Which you do. Agressively. In your rental car in the garage of your North Hampton hotel. I make sure the boy makes it home and forgets the event. May 15th, 2002. You sneak away from your book research to attend your daughter’s graduation at Rice University. She didn’t ask you to come. I mouth the words “Fuck off,” when she sees you approach. You respect her wishes and drive away in a daze. But I guide you to the Rothko Chapel, where, inside, you unburden yourself and weep uncontrollably. The attending guard asks you to step outside, but I create in him a coughing fit. And you mourn your daughter’s hatred for the next 30 minutes in peace. August 5, 2025. I don’t plan to say ‘love,’ until I make profound amends for the harm I’ve caused you. 52 years, I’ve watched you, where you went, what you did. Watching your sorrow. Your modulating sexuality…”

AMC

So, that feels pretty cut and dry. In The Vampire Lestat, Armand is in love with Daniel, past and present.

The Timing of Memories Armand DOES Mention Seems to Fit a Past Devil’s Minion Narrative

I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS REAL THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST ROMANTIC THINGS I’VE EVER SEEN “i want to be your maker” “52 years i’ve watched you” I’M GONNA BE SICK #tvlspoilers pic.twitter.com/99ICJfIQra

— nora ꕤ (@norabuckleydiaz) July 4, 2026

Armand does offer Daniel an extensive array of different memories in which Armand has been present for in Daniel’s life, ostensibly without his knowledge. But there’s a little bit of a detail gap. Armand and Daniel’s earliest meeting occurred in 1973 in San Francisco. But the first detailed moment Armand offers Daniel takes place in 1990. Curiously, he has nothing to say about the 20ish-year stretch between 1973 and 1990. Curiously, in Queen of the Damned, the Devil’s Minion chapter just happens to take place over the course of twelve years, 1973 and 1985. And that means Armand and Daniel can still have their full Past Devil’s Minion arc in The Vampire Lestat, everything from first meeting to Armand chasing Daniel across the world to settling in Night Island. But instead of culminating with Armand turning Daniel into a vampire, Past DM culminates with Armand leaving Daniel and erasing his memories, only to watch him from afar and “intercede on his behalf.” The story currently allows for it and it feels very telling that the exact stretch of Devil’s Minion years are left open.

Assad Zaman Says Armand’s Fascination with Daniel Has Been with him Since San Francisco  AMC Networks

Not that we needed any more confirmation of Armand’s feelings for Daniel, but in an interview with Nerdist, Assad Zaman shares that Armand was always in the background of Daniel’s life, pulled toward him by his fascination for the other man. “There’s a long 50 years between San Francisco and where we are. There’s always that possibility. Armand, his elaborate lies are often always laced with some truth. If you sort of listen to him, there’s something honest kind of coming out there, shrouded in manipulation and lies. And then in San Francisco, his fascination is real. His fascination with Daniel Molloy is real and way stronger than Louis’ fascination.”

Armand Has a Penchant for Wiping Minds and Altering Memories Memories

Armand doesn’t say that he and Daniel ever interacted in those 50 years of watching, though. And Daniel clearly has no memory of it. That is a mark against Past Devil’s Minion being real in The Vampire Lestat. HOWEVER, Armand does have a PROVEN track record of wiping minds and altering memories. And that makes it a real possibility that The Vampire Lestat‘s Armand could have been an active part of Daniel’s past existence, and then Armand could have simply erased those memories from Daniel’s mind.

AMC

In Interview with the Vampire season two, we learn that Armand altered Louis’ memories of the Paris Trial and Claudia’s death. And he erased memories of San Francisco from Louis’ mind as well. Louis, being a vampire at both these times, would have an even harder mind to manipulate than Daniel, a human. So, the foundation for Armand to have simply removed parts of Daniel’s recollections is very much laid.

Additionally, in The Vampire Lestat, we also learn that Armand is presently manipulating the mind and feelings of Lestat’s band member Alex, reminding us that this is something Armand does not really hesitate to do.

Daniel Has Forgotten Armand in His Past Before AMC

And, of course, Daniel Molloy has himself forgotten Armand’s existence in his past. As with Louis, Armand erased the events of San Francisco in 1973 from Daniel’s memory. When Daniel came to Dubai, hazy recollections of Armand and the time spent in his captivity floated back into his awareness. But it took an extended recording of the day Louis, Daniel, and Armand met and Louis’ shared experience of the time to really bring the memories back to Daniel.

If Daniel has forgotten interacting with Armand once, it feels truly possible that he could have forgotten it multiple times (with the help of Armand), keeping the Past Devil’s Minion options open.

Eric Bogosian Says Armand Has Been ‘Corrupting Daniel’s Mind’ for 50 Years

In an interview with Nerdist, Eric Bogosian, who plays Daniel, shares, “You get told things like ‘this guy has been part of your life for 50 years,’ and you go, ‘Okay.’ But then you start to think about it, and it’s something that kind of sinks in and causes a kind of deep corrosion in your personality. If you think about it too much, it can drive you crazy. So I think it’s something that just keeps moving along through the season.” And then Bogosian levels at Zaman, “You love the idea that you’re corroding my brain.”

Again, “a part of your life” doesn’t necessarily confirm or deny Armand’s active presence in a Past Devil’s Minion scenario. But it does confirm the intensity of Armand’s presence in Daniel’s existence.

Armand Tells Daniel: ‘I Want to Give You Half Your Life Back’ AMC

In addition to his confessions about being a part of Daniel’s life for 52 years, Armand tells Daniel, “I want to give you half your life back.” Now, it’s, again, not totally clear what Armand is indicating here. On the one hand, it could just be a kind of metaphorical statement. Daniel insists Armand ruined his entire life after San Francisco, and Armand wants to give it back to him now by being present for his vampiric existence, teaching him how to walk in the sun (a half of his life for certain values), and overall being his maker. But, given all of this other context, it could also be literal. If Armand has obscured half of Daniel’s life from him, namely the half where they were together in the past and loved one another, then if Armand returns these memories to Daniel, he will actually be returning half of his life to him. And wouldn’t that be nice for everyone?

Armand and Daniel’s “She Wanted to Say Yes,” Scene From Interview with the Vampire Season 2 

Okay, we’re in the thick of it now. There are many scenes that feel loaded to Devil’s Minion fans throughout Interview with the Vampire and Armand and Daniel’s time in Dubai. But the one that fans come back to the most is a scene where Armand and Louis are rifling through Daniel’s memories.

As they do, Louis comes to Daniel’s recollection of proposing to his wife, Alice, in Paris. “You felt freer to hold her hand in Paris, I wonder why that is…” Which is a bit of an odd thing to say to a straight couple who could probably hold hands anywhere. And then follows it up with, “And what did she say when you finally asked her to marry you?” And as the camera hovers intensely on Armand, “She said no,” Daniel admits. And then Armand, looking intensely thoughtful, offers, “She wanted to say ‘Yes,’ but she didn’t trust you. You hadn’t given her a reason to.”

Fans of Devil’s Minion will know that Daniel spends much of his time with Armand begging to be turned into a vampire in the Anne Rice books. And Armand doesn’t grant him that wish until he is literally dying. So it doesn’t feel like such a stretch to imagine that, in the memory, instead of a marriage proposal, Daniel is really asking Armand to turn him into a vampire. And Armand, “wanted to say ‘Yes,’ but, he didn’t trust him. He hadn’t given him a reason to.” While I don’t believe that Alice is Armand, I do think it would probably be simple for Armand to alter a few memories away from himself and Daniel and onto Alice. And there really is something about that scene…

Daniel’s Blue-Sky Ceiling NYC Apartment AMC

This is the minutest of details, and yet, compelling. Daniel’s original NYC apartment is only shown briefly in Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat. And yet, Art Director, Nealy Orillion, who specializes in acrylic and watercolor, took the time to ensure that the ceiling of it had blue skies with clouds painted in a Renaissance-style fresco.

Daniel Molloy’s ceiling paintings of the sky, by the art director Nealy Orillion // 1.01 “In Throes of Increasing Wonder” pic.twitter.com/i2pCeKwYvi

— 🎨🩸🦇 (@iwtvasart) September 17, 2024

Art Director Nealy Orillion in Molloy’s NYC Apartment. Nealy is an exceptional artist who specializes in acrylic & watercolor medias in her own work. She has also worked on @euphoriahbo & @SHOBecomingAGod. Check out her website: https://t.co/xVeejnSpOj pic.twitter.com/xf4vvvV33x

— Interview With the Vampire Writer's Room (@IWTVWriters) October 26, 2022

And in Queen of the Damned, we learn the following of Armand, who also happens to have a great attachment to Renaissance art: “Anything with blue skies enthralled him. Then he must watch news programs, prime time series, documentaries, and finally every film, regardless of merit, ever taped.” Additionally, in Anne Rice’s books, Past Devil’s Minion lived together in New York for a great deal of time.

Of course, Armand could have just manipulated Daniel into buying an apartment with skies painted on the ceilings… But, it does seem a lot more logical for it to have happened because Daniel and Armand were living there together at some point.

The Blackout Years at “Knight Ridder”

‘Sorry about Dubai, sorry about San Francisco. And hey, a big-time sorry about every second in your life in between; the two divorces, the blackout years at Knight Ridder, the five trips to rehab, the year listening to Phish. Yeah, that’s all on me.’

— daniel bot 🎳 TVL SPOILERS (@danielmolloybot) June 30, 2026

In Daniel’s angry “amends” speech to Armand in The Vampire Lestat episode four, he mentions he holds Armand responsible for “the blackout years at Knight Ridder.” Interestingly enough, Knight Ridder was “an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing” that was headquartered in Miami from 1974 to 1998. Meanwhile, Armand and Daniel’s Night Island complex was also located in Miami from the early 1980s onward. Of course, Knight Ridder owned many publications, but Daniel specifically mentions the corporation by name.

Which could mean nothing! Daniel names them in his Masterclass ad in the IWTV pilot. ("I've been fired from three papers, hired back at two of them. Third got gobbled up by Knight Ridder.") They owned papers all over.

but "the blackout years at"? the homophone of it all? 👀

— Leah Marilla Thomas (@leahmarilla) June 28, 2026

This could indicate that he worked for Knight Ridder in Miami because he was already in the city, living on Night Island with Armand. Alternatively, “Knight Ridder” shares a word with “Night Island” if you say them both out loud. Could it be the blackout years were in “Night Island” instead of “Knight Ridder”? Well, if past Devil’s Minion is real in The Vampire Lestat… maybe. We love a homophone.

Rolin Jones Says Young Daniel Actor, Luke Brandon Field, Will Return in the Series

More practically, Rolin Jones recently shared of young Daniel’s actor, Luke Brandon Field, “He’s in our family, he will be there opening night in New York [at the June 2 concert]. We think about him often. He will probably come back.”

AMC Networks

If Brandon Field does come back, it will most likely be for Past Devil’s Minion purposes. We suppose he could come back and be vaguely haunted by Armand without his knoweldge. But would that really be any fun?

The Existence of the Night Island Series AMC

Speaking of Night Island, AMC has been developing a Night Island series for a long time. And recently, Nerdist exclusively learned that “We’re getting closer” to Night Island becoming a reality. Of course, Night Island is the island complex that Armand builds for himself and Daniel to live in, and much of their romance takes place there. It’s possible that a Night Island series could be done in the present of The Vampire Lestat, if Armand builds it for older Daniel instead of younger Daniel. But it also feels like it might hint at a history between the pair—and that would make Past Devil’s Minion a reality.

So, Is Past Devil’s Minion Real in The Vampire Lestat?

So, is Past Devil’s Minion real in The Vampire Lestat. The truth is, we just don’t know. All we know for sure is that Armand has been in Daniel’s past. Whether there was a two-sided romance between them that’s been erased remains a mystery. That said, I’d like to think PROBABLY?! Otherwise, the pair will have EVEN more to figure out than they already do. But, at the very least, we can’t rule Past Devil’s Minion out yet.

AMC

The Vampire Lestat airs at 9 pm ET/PT on AMC and AMC+. You can also read The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice today as you wait for the next episode of the series to air.

Rotem Rusak is Editor-in-Chief of Nerdist. She is waiting for Armand and Daniel to finally get together so one of her canon ships can finally sail on The Vampire Lestat.

This post has affiliate links, which means we may earn advertising money if you buy something. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, we just have to give you the heads up for legal reasons. Click away!

The post Is Past Devil’s Minion Real in THE VAMPIRE LESTAT? appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• In The Vampire Lestat, our titular hero has mentioned many times that he has the blood of Akasha in him. But what does that really mean?

In Interview with the Vampire season two, we hear Lestat (Sam Reid) mention that he has “the blood of Akasha” in him. This is something he brings up once again in The Vampire Lestat. Akasha is the first vampire, over 6,000 years old, known as the Queen of the Damned. But in episode five of The Vampire Lestat, “New York,” we see how the Brat Prince drank the blood of the eldest vampire, and what that means for his abilities compared to those of other vampires in Anne Rice’s world.

AMC In Most Cases, Age and Maker Stats Determine a Vampire’s Power in The Vampire Lestat

In Anne Rice’s vampire lore, the age of a vampire determines how powerful they are. If they are ancient, they are incredibly strong and almost impossible to destroy by traditional methods. Especially if they are over 1,000 years old. But if they are younger fledglings, then their immortality comes with a bit of an asterisk. But Lestat, despite being a relatively young vampire at less than 300 years old, is one of the most powerful on Earth. In fact, he’s the most powerful. And that’s because Lestat carries the blood of the vampire Akasha, the Queen of the Damned, in his veins. And that makes all the difference. But he didn’t start out that powerful.

RELATED ARTICLE

Sam Reid on How Lestat’s Relationships with Louis and Gabriella Define Him in THE VAMPIRE LESTAT

In addition to age, the power of one’s maker and the number of fledglings that one’s maker has can influence a vampire’s power. The older the maker, the more powerful the fledgling vampire. Additionally, making more fledglings dilutes the power of the maker’s blood, so the fewer fledglings made before you, the stronger you are.

Lestat Was a Decently Powered Vampire at His Turning

Lestat de Lioncourt was transformed into a vampire around the time of the French Revolution by the 300-year-old Magnus. At three centuries of age, the alchemist vampire Magnus was very powerful. And because he’d never made a vampire fledgling before Lestat, the strength contained in his blood was not diluted. So young Lestat was slightly stronger than other younger vampires his age, but he wasn’t one of the most powerful. In all, he received the standard vampire gifts, like the Mind Gift, telepathy, and the Fire Gift, which allows him to set fire with his mind.

Drinking the Blood of Akasha Turns Lestat Into One of the Most Powerful Vampires in the World AMC

In the late 18th century, the vampire Marius brings Lestat to his island sanctuary. This is where he guards Those Who Must Be Kept, the first two vampires, Akasha and Enkil. Although the Egyptian Queen Akasha has not moved in centuries by this point, something about the young and rebellious Lestat captivates her. When Lestat plays the violin for her, Akasha awakens and shares her blood with him. Having so much of the Queen’s ancient blood makes Lestat among the most powerful vampires on Earth. This, despite his relative youth. Having the blood of Akasha in him also grants him the Cloud Gift, allowing him to fly.

RELATED ARTICLE

What Is the Great Conversion in THE VAMPIRE LESTAT? Akasha’s Blood Allows Lestat to Survive Attempts on His Life That Would Spell Death for Other Vampires His Age

Because of Akasha’s blood, Lestat can survive attempts on his life that would signal the “True Death” for most other vampires. When Louis and Claudia tried to kill Lestat in the first season of Interview with the Vampire, he survived because of the blood of Akasha. When they dump his seemingly lifeless body in the Louisiana swamp, he’s able to return because of Akasha’s blood. He also survives immolation, again, thanks to the blood of Akasha.

AMC

In The Vampire Lestat, Daniel claims that he saved Lestat’s life from The Fang Gang in Detroit, but Dr. Fareed cautions him not to be so sure. Fareed tells Daniel that he only “Perhaps” saved Lestat’s life, saying, “You assume death at decapitation. A study done in Budapest had two class B vampires surviving separation for nearly two hours. A vampire of Lestat’s breeding could last four to five times that.” So Lestat has about 10 hours of time without his head in The Vampire Lestat thanks to the blood of Akasha. Got it, Dr. F.

Lestat Is Most Likely Going to Drink More of Akasha’s Blood, Letting Him Walk in the Sun/Day Walk

In the novel The Queen of the Damned, Lestat drinks even more of Akasha’s blood in the modern day, tripling his powers.

AMC

In the fourth Vampire Chronicles novel, The Tale of the Body Thief, Lestat exposes himself to the sun in the Gobi Desert. Because of the fresh infusion of Akasha’s blood, instead of turning to ash, Lestat merely gets a solid tan. By the 20th century, Lestat is absolutely the most powerful vampire on the planet. Even more than immortals much older than he is, like Marius, Pandora, Armand, and the ancient twins, Maharet and Mekare. This more than annoys some of the ancients, who see Lestat as an undeserving “Brat Prince.”

Lestat Will Become THE MOST Powerful Vampire in the World in the Future of The Vampire Lestat

But regardless of what any other vampires think of him, Lestat eventually becomes the most powerful immortal in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. And as of Anne Rice’s final Lestat novel, 2018’s Blood Communion, Lestat is still the strongest of the species. And it’s all thanks to Lestat having the blood of Akasha in him.

We’re excited to see an all-powerful Lestat on the series eventually. We bet he’ll be unbearable.

The post What Does It Mean That Lestat Has Akasha’s Blood in Him? (THE VAMPIRE LESTAT) appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• The Queen of the Damned has awakened in episode five of The Vampire Lestat, and actress Sheila Atim talks about playing the 6,000-year-old monarch.

Fans of Anne Rice’s legendary vampires have been waiting patiently, and in episode 5 of The Vampire Lestat, “New York,” we finally meet Akasha, the first vampire, known as the Queen of the Damned. She’s portrayed by actress Sheila Atim, who fans might know from roles in The Underground Railroad, The Woman King, Dust Bunny, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. She’s also an accomplished stage actress, singer, composer, and playwright. We got to chat with her about her debut as the ancient Egyptian ruler in The Vampire Lestat. Here’s what Sheila Atim had to say about taking on the epic role of Akasha in The Vampire Lestat.

AMC

Nerdist: Akasha has been silent for centuries when she has her keeper Marius bring Lestat to her. What do you think the Queen sees in him compared to all the other immortals that wander the Earth? What does this 6,000-year-old see in this relative baby vamp? Why pick him to be her new keeper?

Sheila Atim: I think she sees potential. I think Akasha sees a real spark in Lestat, and ironically, a life in him, and a thirst for knowledge, and a questioning that I think she also shares. You can tell by Akasha’s speech she makes when she wakes up, it’s all questions. So he’s a curious person. And even in that scene, when Akasha’s waking up, Lestat asks her a question. He says, “Am I evil? Why did she leave me?” He’s kind of a philosopher of sorts, and I think she is too. And her counterpart (Enkil) is now destroyed, and no longer a viable option. So, if she’s going to spend all of her time being kept by somebody, she’d rather it was someone like Lestat than Marius. And then, of course, as she begins to awaken, I think Lestat was the only one who could do it.

AMC

Note: The following two questions contain major plot points for Anne Rice’s novel The Queen of the Damned. Which may be SPOILERS for a potential future season of AMC’s Anne Rice Immortal Universe.

Book readers already know what Akasha’s plans are in Queen of the Damned, and there are already hints of it this season. Anne Rice once said in a PBS interview that Akasha’s plans, to kill 90% of the male population to end war and suffering, were obviously evil. But she also conceded that her plan would probably work. Do you agree?

Sheila Atim: That’s interesting. I mean, yeah, it’s drastic, drastic plan, right? I’m not inciting anything [laughs]. But I do think what’s brilliant about putting a story point like this, that is that it is so extreme, into this world is that it does force us to question what that would look like and why and how we feel about that. I think there is something to be said for the way the world is at the moment, and the way the world has been many times over the course of history, when things haven’t been the most fun and enjoyable for everyone. There’s something to be said for the groups that historically appear to be at the center of that. I’m being very careful about how I say that, because I do think that things often get oversimplified so much.

AMC

I think there’s so much more to it. There are so many layers and nuances. So I don’t necessarily think that Akasha’s plan would work. But I think it raises an interesting conversation that we definitely need to have. She says, “What’s going on?” You know, and “Why, why, when will it stop, and who will stop it?” Why do we keep finding ourselves in these situations and in these cyclical patterns where time and time again, people are suffering?” Yeah, that’s my diplomatic answer [laughs].

RELATED ARTICLE

THE VAMPIRE LESTAT’S Backstory, Explained in Linear Fashion

You get an intense scene when you awaken in episode five, and have a very powerful bit of dialogue. At the end of it, Akasha screams “I am the answer!!” Do you feel at the point in time that Akasha already knows the question? Do you think that she already believes that only she can fix the world?

Sheila Atim: I think so, yeah. Well, I think she knows what needs to happen. She maybe doesn’t necessarily know how yet. She’s almost kind of reached an endpoint, and then maybe has to reverse-engineer it all. And she knows that she is the one who has to do it. I think she’s seen enough over the span of history, both in her own time, and also locked away. She knows that it’s going to require some drastic intervention, and that she has the power to enact that. Because she does, in her speech, say, “When will it stop, and who will stop it?” And the fact is, no one is stopping it. So, I think she believes, “I have to do something. It’s probably this, and now, how do I go about that?”

Akasha is such a mythical figure in the world of Anne Rice. How did you go about channeling her kind of ancient awesome spirit?

Sheila Atim: I think getting into the accent for me, or just having an awareness of this kind of ancient Sumerian reference. I think what’s nice about that is the world was so different back then in terms of how it was divided up. So I had real scope to explore kind of the whole of East Africa, where I’m actually from, through to like parts of North Africa and parts of the Middle East. So I just sort of melded all of that together and came up with something accent-wise. And I think having the awareness of all of those cultures in me, which are all very ancient, did a lot of the work, and then just this sense that she’s got this, she’s got a huge amount to say.

We see Akasha in her frozen, statuesque form, but also when she rises. Were any of those scenes where she’s frozen you actually in makeup, and how many were a practical effect?

Sheila Atim: Most of that is me. I’d say. There are one or two shots that are an actual statue. And then there’s me in prosthetics, and so sometimes it was me with just my normal face, and that’s when I’m further along in the whole waking up process. But in the really, really early stages, where she’s lying flat on her back, that’s me with a prosthetic mask on. So it looks like my face is more kind of stone-like. Yeah, it was me, so I was holding my breath and being very still.

AMC

The makeup’s incredible, all of the work, the makeup, the costume, even the statue version of me, is so great. It was just such a great team effort. I became so impressed when I arrived in Toronto, and everyone on the crew was like, “So this is what we’ve done.” I was like, “Great, just put me in the chair, and I’ll get onboard with it.” But yeah, the majority of that was me, which was wonderful, even though I’m not saying much. It’s nice that Sam (Reid) gets to be talking to me, more than an inanimate object. Because the point is, even though she’s in stone, she is alive. It kind of makes more sense for him to be talking to me, being super, super still, than to a statue.

Akasha is so powerful and so out of time, but her past is also full of this great tragedy. What do you want viewers to really understand about the character as she appears?

Sheila Atim: What I’ve tried to do in this season is to show the real depth of human emotion in Akasha, because all of us have been humans once, right? I don’t think that goes away. I think if anything becomes exposed, the masks and the layers of what it means to be a person living in the world suddenly become magnified, and the intensity of that passion and drive and human emotion. So I think it’s important that people are able to still connect with Akasha as somebody who was once human and still feels rage as opposed to a kind of godly figure that doesn’t understand or comprehend that. So I think that’s what I want people to take, that righteous rage is real.

There is a lot of backstory to her character that Anne Rice created, and how she came to be the first vampire. Is this all something The Vampire Lestat plans to show in the future? And do you already have thoughts about how to play Akasha potentially in her human form in flashbacks?

Sheila Atim: No. I don’t, because first of all, we’ve got to get there. The whole team, I mean. But I have thoughts. I have fleeting thoughts, but I think to share in it, at this moment, would be premature, because it is such a team effort. And I need to see where the adaptation is taking us, right? Because it is a TV adaptation. There are things where they’ve departed from the book. But I’m very excited about it. I’m very excited about where we could go.

AMC

I think her backstory is very important. Because I think her context (for becoming a vampire) is so wildly different to everyone else’s. You know, it’s not the case of “Yeah, I nearly died, and then someone came and brought me back to life,” or, “They were in love with me, and so they kind of killed me, but kept me alive.” Akasha has an an origin story that no one else has. So yeah, it’s going to be really important to make the most of that however we do it. But in terms of the specifics, no, we’re not there yet.

This series has a very intense fanbase. Even though, as we’re recording this, your character has yet to appear, have you already encountered some of the devoted Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat fans, and what’s that been like for you?

Sheila Atim: Yeah, there were so many at the premiere in New York. And it was wonderful. There was so much screaming. I couldn’t believe it. I was like, I look out the car, and I was like surrounded by sound, screaming, all these groups of people, and you know, they were all dressed up and very emphatic and very excited, which is really a wonderful thing when you are a performer, and you spend a lot of your time essentially in kind of make-believe stories. You know, whether they’re fantastical or naturalistic or whatever, you’re often in these like pseudo-fictional or fictional worlds.

RELATED ARTICLE

AMC’s THE VAMPIRE LESTAT Concert Is the Pinnacle of All Fan Events EVER

It’s nice to be reminded that what you do matters to people because that is why you do it, you know? I mean, also it’s fun. It’s fun, it’s great. I believe there is a bigger purpose in my work, genuinely, but it’s nice to be reminded of that. And I think in a time where there’s a lot of cynicism and pessimism around in the world, around like the future of all of our jobs, our careers, you know, creativity, just to be reminded that what you do actually affects people and there are still people who are really devoted to engaging with TV, film, books, is really hot.

The Vampire Lestat is currently dropping new episodes on Sunday nights on AMC and AMC+.

The post Sheila Atim on Playing Queen Akasha in THE VAMPIRE LESTAT appeared first on Nerdist.

⚡ Quick Take

• AMC’s The Vampire Lestat finally introduces the ancient vampire Marius de Romanus, played by Christopher Heyerdahl. But who is this 2,000-year-old vampire?
• Marius has a complex history with Lestat, Armand, and Daniel.
• The Vampire Lestat series makes some changes to Marius’ lore from Anne Rice’s books.

Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe finally introduces one of the iconic author’s most famous creations, the ancient vampire Marius de Romanus, played by Christopher Heyerdahl. We finally meet Marius in The Vampire Lestat episode 5, “New York.” But, in that time, we only get a brief glimpse. Who is this legendary and powerful undead scholar in Anne Rice’s lore? Marius’ history ties into the vampire race’s very survival in The Vampire Lestat.

Who Is Marius de Romanus in The Vampire Lestat? AMC

The ancient Roman vampire Marius de Romanus, who is over 2,000 years old, is one of the oldest and wisest vampires in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. He is a scholar and student of human history, and loves the art that humanity makes, such as literature, theater, and architecture. But he especially loves paintings, and becomes a painter himself in Renaissance Italy. Marius often wanders among humans dressed in red velvet clothing. He is the keeper of Those Who Must Be Kept, also known as Queen Akasha and King Enkil, the source of all vampiric power. He is also the maker of the vampire Armand, as well as the vampire Pandora. In the year 2001, Anne Rice gave Marius de Romanus his own novel, Blood and Gold.

How Old Is Marius in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles?

Marius was born in ancient Rome, about 30 years before the time of Jesus of Nazareth. He was the son of a Roman senator and a Celtic slave, but grew up to be a learned man and scholar, despite having no official status. Marius became a vampire around the year 10 AD. So, how old is Marius de Romanus in The Vampire Lestat? As mentioned, all of that makes Marius over 2,000 years old.

Marius de Romanus and Those Who Must Be Kept, Akasha and Enkil AMC

At the age of forty, Marius de Romanus is abducted from a Roman tavern in Gaul, today modern France. Druids kidnapped him, with the plan to transform him into the replacement for their dying God of the Grove. This “God,” whom the Druids worshipped, was actually an ancient Egyptian vampire named Teshkamen. Mael, a Druid Priest, prepares Marius for months to become the tribe’s new God, and replace the old one. The tribe thought that his knowledge and linguistic skills would make Marius an ideal new Blood God.

RELATED ARTICLE

Assad Zaman on Armand Comparing Marius and Daniel in THE VAMPIRE LESTAT

During the night of Samhain (modern-day Halloween), Marius is taken to the God of the Grove. The God was badly burnt when Akasha was put into the sun by her keeper, since Akasha is the source of all vampiric power, her time in the sun hurt all other vampires. Teshkamen gives Marius the Dark Gift, with orders to escape the Druids and go to Egypt to seek answers about why vampires all burnt at once.

When Marius reaches Egypt, he discovers that the current keeper of Akasha and Enkil placed them out in the sun in a moment of insanity. This killed most of the vampires in the world, and burned the skin of the vampires old enough to survive. Akasha kills her old keeper upon his arrival and designates Marius de Romanus as her new guardian. Marius then devotes the next 2,000 years to protecting Akasha and Enkil.

Marius Is Armand’s Vampire Maker: The History Between The Pair AMC

At some point during his watching of Akasha and Enkil, in the 15th century, Marius lived as a painter in Venice, Italy. During this time, he buys a young slave from Russia named Andrei, whom he renames Amadeo, meaning “Beloved of God.” He develops a great love for the boy, although there are clear power and age imbalances between them that prevent the relationship from being equitable. Armand is a child and a slave, and Marius, an ancient, has total control of his existence. When Amadeo is 17, he falls ill and is dying of poison, and so Marius finally turns him into a vampire.

Eventually, a local Satanic coven, the Children of Darkness, attacks Marius for not obeying their laws. The coven leader, Santino, sets Marius ablaze, believing he’d killed him. Santino kidnaps and brainwashes Amadeo into following their ways, renaming him Armand. Both vampires believe Marius is dead, but he survived by jumping into the canal. He makes a vampire of a local courtesan, Bianca Solderini, who nurses him back to health. Marius continues his watch over Akasha and Enkil, and he never reveals his survival to Armand, whom he now considers brainwashed. He admits to Lestat, later, his regrets about giving Armand the Dark Gift.

From the perspective of a modern audience, the relationship between Marius and Armand is riddled with issues and traumas that will surely need to be handled with care as they are adapted for The Vampire Lestat series. However, from the perspective of Anne Rice’s books, Marius is not specifically seen as a villain for his relationship with Armand.

What is Marius’ relationship with Lestat? AMC

Lestat learns about Marius de Romanus from Armand. In the 18th century, Armand describes his maker and his apparent demise. But Lestat doesn’t believe that Marius could have died in that attempt on his life. Lestat and his mother, Gabrielle, spend years looking for Marius across Europe, writing messages for him on walls, hoping to draw him out so they can meet the ancient vampire.

After Gabrielle leaves him, Lestat buries himself in the Earth in a state of deep depression, and eventually Marius finds him and pulls him out. Marius takes the traumatized Lestat to his Mediterranean island, where he reveals the vampiric history. Marius appreciates his genuine curiosity, but swears him to secrecy about everything he knows. Alas, Lestat, the cad he is, drinks from Akasha, stirring her awareness. And so, Marius tells him to run away, and when the time is right, he will find him again.

Is Marius de Romanus a Villain or an Ally?

Marius is very fond of Lestat and is in many ways the mentor that he wished his maker Magnus had been. Even when Lestat breaks his promise to Marius and reveals the vampiric history to the world, Marius doesn’t hold it against him. When Akasha rises, she traps him under sheets of ice, immobilizing him. But she chooses not to kill him, perhaps as a bit of gratitude for keeping her safe for centuries.

After Queen Akasha decimates the vampire species, Marius survives and continues to exist after being freed from his 2,000-year charge. For a time, he becomes a mentor to the newly made vampire, Daniel Molloy, his “grandson” in vampiric terms. In the film Queen of the Damned, French actor Vincent Perez played Marius, and was Lestat’s maker, a big deviation from the books.

Again, as mentioned, though fans and readers percieve Marius as a villain for his relationship with Armand, the series itself does not necessarily condemn him for it.

Marius in The Vampire Lestat AMC Series

In The Vampire Lestat, former Twilight Saga actor Christopher Heyerdahl plays Marius. In those films, he also played an elder vampire, Marcus Volturi. The Vampire Lestat‘s Marius de Romanus seems older than book Marius, appearing to be in his sixties. In the series, he’s still the keeper of Akasha and Enkil, but he reveals he accidentally left them out in the sun once, burning many vampires worldwide. Akasha has also instructed him telepathically to bring Lestat to her, to replace Marius as her new keeper.

RELATED ARTICLE

Jennifer Ehle and Sam Reid on Gabriella, Lestat, and The Great Conversion in THE VAMPIRE LESTAT

This is a deviation from the novel, where Marius rescued Lestat of his own accord. He also seems to have less warm feelings toward his fledgling Armand in the series, referring to him as a “rotten boy.” Marius in the series seems angrier at Lestat sharing blood with Akasha, and doesn’t really give him any specific orders when it comes to revealing any secrets.

In The Vampire Lestat, we don’t yet get any information about Marius’ backstory, or his personal history with Armand—beyond the glimpses Armand offers in Interview with the Vampire season two. However, the serues may be saving that for future episodes or seasons. We definitely hope the AMC series gives us more information about this member of Anne Rice’s canon, Marius de Romanus’ presence will certainly be a complex one to add to the narrative.

The Vampire Lestat airs at 9 pm ET/PT on AMC and AMC+. You can also read The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice today as you wait for the next episode of the series to air.

This post has affiliate links, which means we may earn advertising money if you buy something. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, we just have to give you the heads up for legal reasons. Click away!

The post Who Is Marius de Romanus in THE VAMPIRE LESTAT? appeared first on Nerdist.