The Vampire Lestat’s new format change from OG interview with The Vampire Series detailed by the creator

Warning: SPOILERS ahead for The Vampire Lestat episode 2!Vampire Lestat turns out to be a very different beast than its predecessor.

Series creator Rolin Jones has unpacked the show’s major new format change compared to the first two seasons of Interview with the vampire. While what is technical Interview with the vampire season 3 continues the story of the previous iterations of the gothic drama, it goes in a whole new direction by focusing on Lestat and how he shares his history as a vampire by becoming a rock star. This includes a more boisterous presentation and voiceover narration from the vampire himself.

In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Tatiana Hullender for Vampire LestatJones explained why Lestat’s story is presented so differently in contrast to previous seasons of Interview with the vampire. The series creator unpacked how Lestat’s voice in Anne Rice’s original novel inspired the use of voiceover in his season, specifically how Lestat recorded his band’s history through his audio recordings. By presenting the show this way, it offered a different feel while staying true to the new protagonist’s character.

See what Jones had to say below:

Rolin Jones: A lot of it was because of our first take when we first wrote the beginning of it. We did an experiment and we wanted to say, “What if we don’t do it with a voiceover?” And I think we found out pretty early on that we were struggling. We did extra work to try to get to the things that were inside.

One night I just went home and started re-reading the book again and I fell in love with Lestat’s voice all over again. I thought, “Okay, well, he’s a different person. He sounds a lot different. He’d have a different way of approaching it.” But how do we do it? I didn’t want him to write another novel; it didn’t seem to fit the Lestat we had built.

As I was coming up with this art project and thinking about where he was, which I think was a particularly lonely place, this idea of (Samuel Beckett play) Krapp’s last tapes really landed for all of us. We said, “Okay, let’s put him with a microphone and let him go ahead and see what comes out.” It became a really easy way to shape how information was delivered and how to shape an arc that seems like it’s all contrived in the beginning and then just starts to come crashing down.

We always had the comfort of going back to Lestat in this particular moment with his microphone and his reel-to-reel, and for all the playwrights in the room, it gave us a sense of comfort.

Interview with the vampire season 2 ended Louis’ core story following Daniel Malloy and Talamasca’s publication of the in-universe book of the same name. Due to its follow-up season taking place from Lestat’s point of view, it made sense for the show to completely change its identity. While plot points from previous seasons remain important, as the book is what influences Lestat’s rock tour in the first place, Vampire Lestat is flashy and jumps around more in the timeline, all anchored by a very free form narrative from the vampire singer himself.

Sam Reid as Lestat on stage with a guitar in The Vampire Lestat

Vampire Lestat reviews has praised this change in direction, which many say suits Lestat due to his own lively personality. The so-called interview in this case is footage taken from his personal collection, titled The mistakeswhich makes it a very different experience than when Daniel interviewed Louis one-on-one. There’s a free-flowing nature to Lestat’s narrative that allows the show to jump across different time periods, all while maintaining a centralization around his achievements in the present day.

This change has also allowed for a deeper look into Lestat’s psyche, not only the way he sees the world, but also the way he sees himself. There are parts of him that he knows are taboo to the wider world, such as his relationship with his mother, but also parts of him that are more human, such as his ego and his trauma. It all comes out in his narrative, as do his interactions with others Interview with the vampire sign all the more potent in the process.

With five episodes left Vampire Lestatthe same approach to the vampire’s treatment of his life, his history and everything he shares with the world will continue to be fully displayed through his unique narrative. The show promises to continue this newfound presentation for the rest of the season while still maintaining its place in the majors Interview with the vampire the world and the immortal universe.