Anne Rice's 'Interview With the Vampire' Season 2 Brings a Bloody Good Time: Everything to Know
Jacob Anderson as Louis De Point Du Lac and Delainey Hayles as Claudia in 'Interview With the Vampire' Season 2
Spooky season isn't for another five months, but sexy bloodsuckers are always on time. Anne Rice's Interview With the Vampire Season 2 is coming, and it's bringing some blockbuster developments with it.
Star Jacob Anderson was careful to avoid spoilers, but told Entertainment Weekly that the second season will follow the second half of the book while also expanding upon themes within it that weren't explored fully in the source material.
"I'd say it's faithful to the spirit and actually the literal plot," he said. "I love the first book, but the second half is not quite as dense as the first half, so the writers this season have definitely expanded on ideas that are hinted at or suggested in the second part of the book."
Find out what else to expect from Interview With the Vampire Season 2, including cast, release date and the answer to the burning question: Does Lestat come back?
And, obviously: Beware of Interview With the Vampire Season 1 spoilers ahead!
Related: Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know About Anne Rice's Vampires
What happened at the end of Interview With the Vampire Season 1?
Alfonso Bresciani/AMC
Season 1 ended with Louis and Claudia plotting to kill Lestat, but Louis not being able to commit fully to slaying the vampire who made him—and who, for better or worse (usually worse), he loved. While Louis did, indeed, slit Lestat's throat after Claudia poisoned blood that Lestat drank, Louis also deliberately left his body in an area with easy access to rats so that he'd survive. (Daniel Molloy called it!)
Louis and Claudia then left New Orleans, as they had begun attracting too much attention to their behavior and agelessness.
It was also revealed in the finale that Rashid was actually Armand, a 514-year-old vampire and Louis' new romantic partner.
"The theme of Season 2 is this idea of memory is a monster, and how memory and guilt can follow you around," Anderson told EW. "When we meet Claudia and Louis in Season 2, they're dealing with the psychological and literal repercussions of what they did together. With Louis, you definitely get a sense there was some hesitance on his part—he didn't really go through with it, he pulled back from the decision at the last minute, because he is very in love with this fellow monster. That creates tension between the two of them, Louis and Claudia, that they weren't exactly on the same page, so for those two to be together now in an unfamiliar territory creates a lot of drama."
Related: What to Know About Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches
When does Interview With the Vampire Season 2 come back?
Larry Horricks/AMC
Interview With the Vampire Season 2 premieres on AMC on Sunday, May 12, at 9 p.m. ET. You can also watch on IFC, BBC America and Sundance channels.
Related: How to Read Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches Books In Order
Who is in the Interview With the Vampire Season 2 cast?
Jacob Anderson as Louis De Pointe Du Lac
Larry Horricks/AMC
Jacob Anderson reprises his role as Louis De Pointe Du Lac for Season 2, which he said had a lot of "really challenging and really shocking" elements.
"I've learned a lot of things about Louis and myself," he told EW. "Another big theme in the show is that of endurance and resilience, and because of what Louis is experiencing this season, I've definitely learned that my own mind is more resilient than I thought it was. It's more robust. I can withstand more madness than I thought I could. It's been really fulfilling and challenging and fun."
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Delainey Hayles as Claudia
Larry Horricks/AMC
Delainey Hayles takes over as Claudia after Bailey Boss exited post-Season 1. Hayles told EW that she didn't know which role she was auditioning for when she initially read for the part, and that within three days she packed up and went to Prague to film.
At Anderson's urging, she made Claudia her own by honing in on the loneliness Claudia feels as not just a vampire, but also an eternal tween.
Larry Horricks/AMC
"You have this woman trapped in a child's body, nobody understands her circumstance, she doesn't even understand it herself," she said. "So that's what I wanted to focus on, and the rage behind it."
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Assad Zaman as Armand
Larry Horricks/AMC
Assad Zaman starred in Season 1 as Louis' human familiar, Rashid. It was revealed in the Season 1 finale that he's actually Armand, a 514-year-old vampire and the love of Louis' life.
Zaman told TV Insider that Armand is a "complicated" person, neither a hero nor a villain, and that his and Louis' relationship is a lot sweeter and generally more adorable than Louis' toxic romance with Lestat.
Larry Horricks/AMC
"There's a lot of soft affection with Armand and Louis. I only say that because—I don't know if rightly or not—I'm comparing it to the affection that Louis and Lestat have, and I think that's different," he explained. "I think this is more tender. People would see a tenderness."
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Sam Reid as Lestat De Lioncourt
Larry Horricks/AMC
Yes, he's back! Sam Reid returns as the incomparably charismatic (and let's be honest, impossibly handsome) vampire Lestat De Lioncourt for Season 2.
"We have a lot of fun making the show, but Lestat is his own complicated little monster," Reid told Entertainment Weekly. "It's fun to think about the way he would approach things and how he would see certain things because he's definitely got his own way of looking at the world."
Reid added he's particularly excited for Théâtre des Vampires—a core part of the books—and to see Lestat "learn some hard lessons."
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Eric Bogosian as Daniel Molloy
Larry Horricks/AMC
Eric Bogosian, who you may also recognize from Law & Order and a memorable proto-Bernie Sanders in Succession, is back as journalist Daniel Molloy. In Season 2, we'll see more of his own backstory and history with Armand.
“When you realize by the end what [Armand's] been doing, he's fantastic. I love it," Bogosian told TV Insider. He added that Season 2 will have flashbacks to Molloy's past and his struggle with drug addiction, noting, "That's some wild s—t. San Francisco 1973 is a whole other realm."
Related: Eric Bogosian Presents 100 Monologues
Luke Brandon Field as young Daniel Molloy
AMC
Luke Brandon Field plays Daniel Molloy in 1973.
David Costabile as Leonard
Theo Wargo/Getty Images
Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul alum David Costabile returns to AMC to guest star as Leonard, a media personality who has a run-in with Daniel Molloy, in Interview With the Vampire Season 2.
Ben Daniels as Santiago
Larry Horricks/AMC
Santiago, the leader of the Théâtre des Vampires, is played by Ben Daniels.
Suzanne Andrade as Celeste
Larry Horricks/AMC
Suzanne Andrade plays Celeste, a member of a Parisian vampire coven and a close confidante of Santiago, in Season 2.
Andrew Van Wilpe as Romaine
Larry Horricks/AMC
Andrew Van Wilpe, seen here at left, plays Romaine in Season 2.
Blake Ritson as Morgan Ward
Larry Horricks/AMC
The Gilded Age star Blake Ritson plays Morgan Ward, a Parisian who meets Louis during his travels, in Interview With the Vampire Season 2. Ward is a character in the books as well, though it's unclear if the show will deviate from his original storyline in the source material.
Roxane Duran as Madeleine
Larry Horricks/AMC
Roxane Duran has a recurring role in Season 2 as Madeleine, a dollmaker.
Bally Gill as Rashid
Dave Benett/Getty Images
Yep, that's right—there's another Rashid in Season 2, and this time he's considered the "real" Rashid, played by Bally Gill. We'll see what that means for Armand.
Is Interview With the Vampire Season 2 on streaming?
Larry Horricks/AMC
Indeed! You'll be able to stream Interview With the Vampire Season 2 on AMC+ and Shudder. If you have a cable subscription or AMC as an add-on to a streaming service, you'll also be able to watch on AMC.com.
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Will Lestat return in Season 2?
Larry Horricks/AMC
Ya boy is back! The Season 1 finale revealed that Louis couldn't go through with fully killing Lestat, and Lestat returns for Season 2, in part as a fixture in Louis' memory that haunts him throughout his travels and romance with Armand.
Larry Horricks/AMC
Reid told EW of his return, "We play a lot with memory in the show, and we see Lestat more potentially as a haunting, whether that's a real threat or it's a psychological threat, and how Louis processes that relationship and the way that he's dealing with the repercussions of murdering your, albeit probably rightly so, lover, maker, and mentor. Those who have read the books or even seen the film know that there is a journey yet to discover, but I don't want to give too much about that away yet."
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Why did they recast Claudia?
AMC
The original star who played Claudia in Season 1 of Anne Rice's Interview With the Vampire is Bailey Bass. Bass was unable to return for the second season, but told The Wrap in a statement, "Playing Claudia has been a dream role and an incredible ride. I wish Delainey the best of luck in taking over. I cannot wait to watch."
