Although not entirely absent, Sam Reid’s Vampire Lestat has been a minimized presence in season two of Interview with the Vampire. As fans of Anne Rice’s novel know, the character of Lestat largely disappears for the second half of the novel. This is after the attempted murder of Lestat by his progeny Louis and Claudia in season one. But Sam Reid is such a vibrant presence, the creators wanted to keep him around for season two, which covers the back half of the book. So he appeared peppered throughout season two as the manifestation of the guilty conscience of Louis (Jacob Anderson). But in episode six of season two, “Like the Light By Which God Made the World Before He Made Light” Lestat finally shows up in the flesh. And it restores a pivotal moment from Rice’s novel that the 1994 movie cut out.
At the end of episode six, the coven at the Théâtre des Vampires has all the evidence they need that Louis and Claudia (Delainey Hayles) attempted to murder Lestat, not just their maker, but the owner and founder of the Théâtre des Vampires itself. That is a violation of the vampire coven’s highest “Great Laws.” Now that they know the truth, Santiago (Ben Daniels) holds a trial for the accused in a special matinee performance. (Why matinee? Remember what sunlight does to the undead). And yes, Louis’ lover Armand (Assad Zaman), leader of the coven, is complicit in this. The star witness is Lestat himself, giving testimony as to his attempted murder by his American fledglings. This is how Lestat appears in the flesh at last in Interview with the Vampire’s second season.
Although the series often deviates from the novel, this is one instance where it restored an important part of the book which the 1994 film deleted. In Rice’s novel, Lestat reappearing at the Paris coven’s trial for Louis and Claudia was a key moment. They believed Lestat dead, and when he reappears, it confirms to the coven that Louis and Claudia broke their sacred laws. And thus, needed punishment. Neil Jordan actually did film a version of Lestat’s reappearance in Paris for the movie. Yet for unknown reasons, he deleted it from the final film. However, images of Tom Cruise’s Lestat in burnt makeup from that scene have surfaced over the years online. We’re glad they finally adapted this important moment for Lestat’s character arc for the AMC series.