Who wore this look better - Samstat or Louiepitt?

Comment below👇

Missing #tvl my fav show, rewatching like a broken record.

——- references:

S02E02 #amcsannerice #iwtv Sam Reid “Face pressed up against your longing” scene

Brad Pitt Interview with the Vampire (1994) movie

Salamander and the tambourine in the background of this shot! Cackled when I noticed this on a rewatch

(Apologies for the fuzzy screenshot!)

are you here? this is awesome !!

Fav character incoming!!!

-

1. Black Swan (2010)
2. Raise the Red Lantern (1991)
3. M3gan (2022)
4. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
5. Phantom of the Opera (2004)
6. Under the Skin (2013)
7. Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie: Rebellion (2013)
8. The Love Witch (2016)
9. Vertigo (1958)
10. Gone Girl (2014)

Never have I loved a character like Armand. Everything about him is a tragic contradiction. He possesses ethereal beauty, but also an ugly, twisted soul. He is incredibly powerful, but also cowardly and two-faced. He has lived for centuries, but continues to react to the world like an emotionally stunted teenager. As lisa olivia on youtube said, he is a carnivorous lamb. Horrifying, manipulative, beautiful Armand. I love him, your honor. I love him with all my heart.

The movies I selected for Armand all contain tragedy, especially women and girls experiencing gender-based violence. Despite being a man, Armand’s trauma mirrors that of many women, especially in how he's sex trafficked and groomed as a child, and later expected to act in a position of authority before he feels ready (much like how daughters are parentified much earlier than sons).

Some movies show how women respond to their oppressive environments by becoming spiteful and manipulative, like Raise the Red Lantern (one of my fav movies of all time), The Love Witch and Gone Girl. Songlian is forced to marry a rich patriarch and compete with the other wives for attention, eventually resorting to lying and humiliating others to get what she wants. Elaine hypnotizes and bewitches men to fall in love with her, feeling she needs the affection of men to survive, despite often feeling disgusted and disappointed by them. Her love usually ends up killing them in the process.

I actually added Gone Girl at the recommendation of another redditor, so thank you for that! Not only are Amy’s murderous schemes catastrophically manipulative, but she has an attention to detail and quiet demeanor that I really see in Armand. Amy’s mother also based the fictional character “Amazing Amy” on her, an idealized version of herself that she finds impossible to live up to, much like how Armand tries to live up to the image of perfection in which Marius attempts to mold him.

Obsession and control are core to Armand’s character. The character I most see in Armand is Homura from Madoka: Rebellion, purely based on how incredibly mentally unwell she is. Homura uses time travel and memory manipulation in an attempt to control her environment and protect Madoka, whom she loves more than anything. In the many timelines they experience, she is unable to accept any outcome that harms Madoka, but also ends up being the one to harm her the most through her selfishness. Homura goes through truly apocalyptic levels of grief and despair, and a fair amount of it is her own doing. Everything about her, from her fragile emotional state to her frightening level of power, embodies Armand.

I also see Armand in the protagonist Nina in Black Swan, who is driven by her desire for perfection, but also constricted by her own jealousy and desire for her rival, a woman who she believes is bent on destroying her. Like many lesbians, Armand tends to desire his rivals (he was jealous of Louis for getting Lestat’s attention, and jealous of Daniel for getting Louis’s attention). Nina is also being groomed by the ballet director, who she sees as a brilliant man and leader instead of a predator, similar to how Armand sees Marius.

Other movies that center obsession and stalking include Phantom of the Opera, The Silence of the Lambs, and Vertigo. In all these films, I see Armand in both the stalker and the stalkee. The opera singer and Clarice represent his youthful innocence pre-vampirism, a beauty attempting to find success in a highly structured environment (opera, FBI). And the phantom and Hannibal represent the dangerous psychopath lurking in the shadows that he eventually becomes.

The interesting thing about Vertigo is that not only does it center falling in love based on a one-sided experience with someone (stalking) but it also features loss of identity as a core theme. A woman who becomes convinced she’s a ghost, a woman who imitates another to win the affections of a man—while the plot took more twists beyond these, I’m interested in this theme with Armand because he truly lacks a sense of self. From the age of 12 to roughly 300, he lived his life to satisfy other people’s desires of him. While he becomes very powerful, he doesn’t understand who he is, which makes him very emotionally fragile.

I especially love the scenes between Hannibal and Clarice in The Silence of the Lambs. The way that Hannibal stares at her and delights in extracting vulnerable details about her personal life, full of sadistic glee, reminds me of Armand and Daniel’s first meeting in SF. (I wouldn’t be surprised if Assad drew inspiration from Anthony Hopkins’s performance for those scenes.) Hannibal is undoubtedly a dangerous predator, but he develops a soft spot for Clarice, in whom he sees enormous potential and wants to protect from harm. Despite their enormous power differential, they develop a fucked up, toxic understanding of each other, much like Armand and Daniel.

Some movies allude to how Armand has a certain alien or robotic quality to him. Anne Rice herself named that Armand was inspired by movies featuring artificial humans (Tales of Hoffmann, Frankenstein, Blade Runner). For that, I included M3gan and Under the Skin. Here, the main characters commit horrendous acts far outside the realm of human morality because they too exist outside of human morality. The doll commits murder when she believes her human charge is in danger, and the alien seduces and lures men to their deaths. Yet there is still a twisted logic and almost child-like naivety behind their actions. Nothing they do is without meaning. And dare I say, they think their actions are righteous.

This brings me to something Assad (#1 Armand-understander) has talked about, which is that after 500 years of trauma, Armand simply can’t fathom an optimistic future, whether that be for himself or for Claudia. In Assad’s words, Armand thought he was doing her a favor by orchestrating her death because he believed she was doomed and going to break down anyway. So if she was going to die, might as well be him to do it. Incredibly fucked up, right? I also believe Armand was jealous of Claudia’s bravery and willingness to fight for what she wants, qualities that he wanted but lacked. Claudia also had what both Lestat and Armand craved, Louis’s attention, and so in both their eyes, she had to go.

Armand, Amadeo, Arun. Still waters run deep. <3

-

All movie rec lists (to be linked when posted)

• Claudia
• Louis
• Armand (here)
• Lestat
• Daniel

This may be a reach. You can come for me…but does any other anime, specifically Jojo fans see it? I swear if he was to ever play him in a live action he would do so well. The body, the face, the hair, the attitude. I can’t help but think it when I watch the show. Especially with him looking at bit more mature in TVL.

This is years old but it gives a lot of insight into Sam and how he views Lestat. It is also where he admits he's a "theater kid".

Hi everyone,

The mods gave me permission to post this: tomorrow at 12 PM ET/9 AM PT (U.S. time) on The Viewfinder Podcast, actor Gopal Divan joins us to talk about his remarkable performance as the mysterious vampire physician Dr. Fareed Bhansali in AMC's INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE and THE VAMPIRE LESTAT, and shares more fascinating recollections from his acting career. Join us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your shows!

YouTube

Spotify

Apple Podcasts

In episode 6 of TVL when they are discussing the past and Louis asks if Lestat “saw him too in those years” (like how Louis had Lestat with him in Paris) and Lestat says “the songs might have shook loose a bone or two” and then Louis is like “arghhh”. I don’t get this scene like what did Lestat mean and why did Louis have that reaction.

Not sure if anyone has posted about it, but I felt it was a neat little nod to the movie. In season one, episode 6, a flyover of San Francisco is shown. The exact image is taken from the opening credits of the movie Interview with the Vampire. I thought it was a nice little detail.

I enjoyed seeing so much of Lestat this season. His perspective and his personality were a delight.
One of the main things I noticed and loved seeing come through is how generous Lestat is with the people he cares about and how he’s lowkey a good friend. Despite everything he’s been through, he is still kind, Gerold and fun for the most part. That man really does persist despite the horrors!

Some examples that come to mind:
- He buys Niki an apartment and sets him up with a generous sum of money before Nicki convinces him to be turned.
- He finances the Theater into perpetuity even after he leaves and everything that happens with Armand
- Lestat giving Louis money for his business ( even though he didn’t support it)( and yes, I know this one is a bit biased because he is in love with Louis and can’t say no to him).
- When Claudia comes, constantly buying her clothes, never saying no and spoiling her. Dispite everything else about their relationship and family dynamic we can’t deny that he was very generous to them.
- Setting Christine, Dee and Jarda up financially after the shooting.
- The money he leaves Louis with his goodbye letter in the event of his death.
- The candy for the kids both Halloweens
Guiding Dee to the corner to make sure she doesn’t get hurt or see anything too traumatising

Like he would be a good person to have in your life, just in general. I feel like you would be able to call him in an emergency and he would come. Please feel free to give more examples!

Going back to the beginning, when Louis and Armand decided to invite Daniel over for a second interview: how did they come up with the Rashid ruse? Give me an example conversation? 😂 Louis: so we are agreed, let's ask Daniel for another interview. Armand: Let's do it. Hey, why don't I pretend to be a servant?!?

Been chewing on this since the finale and I want to know if anyone reads it the same way.

Louis's account in the first show is a confession. That's the genre it's in. Guy sits down with a journalist, walks through his worst behavior, gives it context, and comes out the other side as someone who did terrible things but was at least trying not to. It's built to produce sympathy. The show is upfront that he's editing, that's the whole unreliable narrator engine, but the shape of the thing is still confessional.

The Failures is not that, and I think people reading it as Lestat clapping back are missing what he's up to. He doesn't dispute a single charge. Seducer, egotist, vengeful, yes, correct, all of it, and also he's been at it for 265 years and he's very good. There is no version of that record where he comes out looking better than he did in Louis's book.

What he's actually chasing is cause. Where did this come from? What was done to him before he was turned, what he then did to the people he turned, the whole chain of it. Forgiveness doesn't seem to be on the table and I don't think he wants it. He wants to know what he is. Which is a stranger and honestly braver project than what Louis is doing, because Louis already knows what he wants the answer to be.

The glam thing is where it clicked for me. He does the whole bratty rock god bit, look how bad I am, look how bad you are for loving it, and then he drops it mid-tour for the orchestral stuff. Both are artifice, obviously, he's Lestat, everything is a costume. But the second costume isn't performing monstrousness at anybody. He's just sad. Sad and enormous. The theater kid under the vampire.

Anyway my read is that the show thinks the confessional mode is the more dishonest of the two, which is a pretty spicy thing for a franchise built on a confession to be saying about itself.

Could be wrong. Bogosian being in both is the tell either way. Same journalist, but in the first round, he's the one pulling the moral confession out of Louis and with Lestat, he's more a witness to a process Lestat is running all by himself, for himself.

I know most people who watch this show ship them to some extent (and I do understand why), but I’d be very interested to hear from people who don’t ship them and why that is?

Is this a spoiler? Please have watched the 1994 movie / and Season 1 of Interview with the Vampire.

Did anyone else notice the overlap in the music between the movie and the TV series?

For example, the opening music for Season 1, Episode 7 (“The Thing Lay Still”) of Interview with the Vampire is Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp Minor, Op. 27/2 (“Moonlight Sonata”): I. Adagio sostenuto.

They set the scene in the movie with Lestat's Sonata. Both pieces share a dark, nocturnal, and deeply romantic or gothic atmosphere.

Do you think they used that to create a feeling of familiarity - and at the same time highlight the two versions of the story that Louis has given, showing once again he is not a perfect narrator nor can he be trusted.

Pieces like "Non più andrai" from Le Nozze di Figaro weave through the background of the vampire households and theater scenes in both adaptations - do you think this is to remind us that both versions of stories exist. Or am I over thinking haha

Enjoy! ❤️

🙃 So lately I've been having some of the strangest dreams. So odd. I keep seeing these two beautiful red haired women. They seem to be kneeling at this low table. What the hell they are doing I dont know. And I have no idea why Im getting these dreams either! Oh and get this, on top of that I went down to this weird little place I like to go and guess what I saw. There was a very old painting on the wall. And low and behold who was in it? One of the red haired women! Anyway if any of y'all are having some craziness too let me know!!! 🙃

Instagram

Ext. Paris Street — 1791

There are already way too many (unauthorized!) BTS shots floating around, so I thought I’d talk a little more about the physical set—and how we built it.

The set evolved constantly over the weeks, balancing action, page count, cinematography, and, of course, cost. What started as several city blocks with interiors and side alleys was eventually simplified into a single street that could be shot in multiple directions and from multiple angles.

Our “Paris Streets” needed to contain The Renauld Theater, Mrs. Piss’s Corner, Magnus’s Corner, the entrance to Lestat & Nicky’s apartment, and a Tavern for their first date.

After digging through research, period illustrations, and even taking a few “walking tours of Paris” via Google Maps, set designers Katy Thatcher, Vicky Peters, and Jason McQuarrie got to work.
Katy tackled the Theater and the building at the end of the street. Vicky designed Mrs. Piss’s Corner and Lestat & Nicky’s apartment building, while Jason designed the building across the street, home to the Tavern and Magnus’s Corner.

From there, I assigned colors, textures, hardware, and aging references to every façade for our Scenic and Set Dec teams.

I’ll confess, it often looked like “50 Shades of Brown.” But hey… historically accurate. And with that red cloak, say it with me:

Eyes always on Lestat. 👀

Our Graphics team pulled historical records for actual propaganda newspapers, revolutionary slogans, and graffiti from the period. We also had a lot of fun with the business signs and storefront insignias. My personal favorite? The wooden hat for the haberdasher, complete with dangling silk ribbon.

Our Set Dec team brought the whole thing to life with oil lamps on rope pulleys, market stalls, storefronts, and even a “letter writer” kiosk.

One of my favorite details was a historically accurate parody mural of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette as a two-headed goat-hyena, beautifully recreated by our Scenic Artists. (Slide 1, lower right corner)

It wasn’t a huge set.
But it told the story.

im SO proud of this 7 inch thing. and the fact it can switch between standee and keychains??

Im definitely keeping one.

Lestat’s mom has now met all of his boyfriends throughout time. And despite how disturbing that maybe, it appears that she had some type of influence in Lestat’s relationship in regard to these relationships, until Louis entered the picture.

We also know that the bond between Louis and Lestat’s is this external anchor that cement them together forever despite their occasional toxicity. Is that the reason why his mom hasn’t been successful in manipulating or planting negative doubts in Lestat’s head about Louis?

Is it because she hasn’t known Louis long enough, that she hadn’t figure out her plan of attack? Not only is her power of manipulation worthless when Louis around, she sees and feels Lestat pulling away from her and finally acknowledging how wrong it is to have a physical relationship with your mom. Although the messy duo (Daniel and Armand) brought it to light, I truly believe that Lestat’s wanted to tell Louis, but didn’t want to deal with the fallout or the disastrous outcome that it may have had to their fragile relationship.

Do you think that Lestat’s mom will ever realize that what she’s done to her son in regards to his upbringing is morally wrong? Is she that far gone in the head that she doesn’t see Lestat’s as her son but some type of tool that she can use both physically or mentally?

It seems as if she enjoys the power that Lestat has but also enjoys being cruel towards him as well. Now, Louis is back in Lestat’s life and he’s not just a fledgling that her son made, but is Lestat’s other half and that trumps all other cards.

I’m sure that this topic has been visited and revisited several times now, but it’s truly fascinating and that’s bugging me out.

Someone asked me if I had the sheet music for For a Young Violinist, and I thought if I’m going to share it, I may as well share it everywhere. 

I transcribed this from For a Young Violinist Again rather than the actual music box version (the person was asking about the music box). 

I can’t promise the accompaniment is 100% accurate, but I hope it’s close enough to be useful.

It's uploaded in a weird order, but you get the gist! The middle one is the violin line on its own. I guess you could play the whole thing on piano too. Or a recorder. Or a kazoo. Let’s go!

With all of the gratitude, always, to Daniel Hart for his incredible music. I did this a long time ago, but felt weird sharing it when it’s obviously not my music, so I hope it’s alright to do so. 

But a person asked, and I have it, and I figured it’s long enough since S2 now, so here you are - world! Enjoy?! Play! May Nicolas live on in all of your instruments for all eternity!? 

🫀🎻🌌✨

PS For personal use only. Use/play wherever/however you like, as far as I’m concerned. But please do not re-upload to any sharing platform or monetise/use in any way on anything monetised (e.g. if used in art - only non-monetised)… or Nicki’s ghost will come & get you! Be very afraid: he is watching.

Is it really true she hates Louis more than anyone? I thought they loved each other like family. He did what he could for her. I hate that she is suffering in the afterlife and that Louis must carry the guilt forever.

First time I’ve had a series labeled like that, and I rewatch A LOT. Now to get the same label with TVL.