‘The Vampire Lestat’ Cast Portraits: See Sam Reid, Jacob Anderson & Sheila Atim in Our Studio
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The Vampire Lestat finale took place in two living nightmares and ended on an apocalyptic cliffhanger that showed a city destroyed. “She is the answer” was painted on the sidewalk of the ruined city Lestat (Sam Reid) looked upon. “She” is Akasha (Sheila Atim), the mother of all vampires, who’s going to rip through the narrative in Season 4, should the show be renewed.
For our finale cover shoot with the stars of the AMC drama, from in TV Insider’s studio in New York, it was only fitting that the portraits a feel of smoke rising from the destruction.
No matter their maker, all vampires are descendants of Akasha. If she dies, they all die, and so she must be kept alive. A fourth season would reveal why she must be kept subdued and imprisoned in her body, which turned to bronze as centuries passed. Her mind has been awake all this time, and she uses telepathy to observe history as it’s unfolding. She doesn’t like what she sees, but she likes her keeper, Lestat.
Lestat’s present-day tour with his self-titled band led to Akasha rising from her slumber again and wreaking havoc on the world. Louis (Jacob Anderson) and Lestat finally reunited in the July 19 finale after a too-close brush with death, but more danger awaits them and their entire species when the Queen of the Damned returns.
“You know sometimes when parents are like, ‘I brought you into this world, and I can take you out of it’? That’s very much her energy,” Atim told TV Insider.
Atim, along with Reid and Anderson, will be major players in a fourth season. As of the time of publication, we’re still waiting for the series to be renewed. But enjoy these portraits of the queen and the damned in this gallery below.
Read our Vampire Lestat finale cover story for an in-depth look at what to expect from Akasha in Season 4.
The Vampire Lestat, Available Now, AMC+
Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson styled by Dolly Pratt Lanvin for Forward Artists
Sheila Atim styled by Abisoye Odugbesan for A-Frame
Grooming for Sam Reid by Melissa DeZarate for A-Frame
Grooming for Jacob Anderson by Jessica Ortiz for Kalpana
The queen and the damned.
Sam Reid channels the painting of Lestat hanging backstage at the Théâtres des Vampires in Season 2.
Jacob Anderson told TV Insider that it’s time for a powerful feminine energy to control the narrative. “They’re just such destroyers,” he says the male vampires. “It’s time for the real boss, the real destroyer.”
Sheila Atim said joining this series was like getting on a roller coaster that’s already in motion.
Jacob Anderson and Sam Reid have delivered one of TV’s best onscreen collaborations for three seasons.
Reid told TV Insider that “there’s a lot of growth coming” for Louis and Lestat moving forward, especially with Akasha joining the mix.
Reid said Season 3 took viewers “into the deep depths of the vampire ego and the id” with Lestat.
Atim said that female rage is going to come center stage with Akasha. “We see glimpses of it in the other female characters that have already come. [With Akasha] we get to just sit in the full force of it.”
Reid and Atim played adoptive siblings in the original West End cast of the Bob Dylan musical Girl From the North Country. Now, they reunite as the second pair of actors to play Lestat and Akasha onscreen. Atim told us that working with Reid again was a huge appeal for joining the series.
Louis adopted the pseudonym Thomas Pitt for his vampiric business empire in Season 3. The name is a subtle nod to Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, who played Lestat and Louis in the 1994 film adaptation of Interview With the Vampire.
Reid said that Akasha will put “the characters into perspective.” Series creator Rolin Jones said, “She’s a terrifying figure. There’s not anything level-headed that’s coming. There’s something quite Old Testament that’s coming, the feminine version of it.”
Louis and Akasha have one big thing in common: They both love Lestat.
We’re going to need to see Anderson and Atim in a scene together ASAP.
Would a Season 4 be called The Vampire Lestat Part 2, or Queen of the Damned? Either way, the first time these three actors share the scene together is going to be unforgettable TV.
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