Interview with the Vampire cast and character guide: Who plays whom in the AMC gothic horror show

Interview with the Vampire is not your everyday vampire story because it's a full-blown gothic saga packed with love, betrayal, blood-soaked drama, and a whole lot of same-sex plotline. So if you're someone who enjoys a good story with proper queer representation, then this is a vampire story that is absolutely catering to your 'vampire queer love' need/trope.

AMC's adaptation based on Anne Rice's iconic novel has revisited the story in exciting ways, giving us a haunting and sleek adaptation that feels extremely classic yet it also somehow feels fresh. And of course, the real magic comes from the cast members who bring these immortal characters to life on screen.

So who plays whom in Interview with the Vampire? Well, to start things off, Jacob Anderson is Louis, Sam Reid is Lestat, and the rest of the cast equally fill the screen with unforgettable performances that have now made this show a fan favorite, especially among queer audiences.

However, if you're a little lost in the sea of names, don't worry because this character guide walks you through the main characters, what their stories are about, and the actors bringing these characters to life.

Let's sink our teeth into it.

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Interview with the Vampire cast and character guide

Sam Reid plays the character of Lestat de Lioncourt

Every good vampire story needs a charismatic, dreadfully hot vampire at its center (*cough cough* Damon Salvatore from TVD, we're looking at you), and Lestat is exactly that for Interview with the Vampire. Played with delicious arrogance by Sam Reid, Lestat is a French aristocrat who sweeps into New Orleans like a storm.

He's wealthy, stylish, and absolutely magnetic, but under all of his charm lurks cruelty. Lestat turns Louis into a vampire not out of kindness but out of hunger for companionship on his own terms. Unlike Louis, he has zero guilt about killing humans and he even offs an opera singer mid-performance for hitting the wrong note.

Sam Reid nails this play on beauty and menace, making Lestat feel seductive and also terrifying all at the same time. Even after Louis and Claudia conspire against him, Lestat slowly creeps and begins to haunt every single corner of their story.

His return in season two is not just a twist but a reminder that Lestat is impossible to banish. Reid's version of Lestat has quickly become the centerpiece of AMC's Interview with the Vampire, and it's impossible to take your eyes off him.

Sam Reid is also known for The Newsreader and Lambs of God.

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Jacob Anderson plays the character of Louis de Pointe du Lac

Louis is the heart of the story, though his heart is a very complicated one. Jacob Anderson plays Louis with the kind of softness that hides the layers and layers of inner conflict that make up the character. It is important to note that in the AMC adaptation of the story, Louis isn't a plantation owner like he is in Anne Rice's books but he is a rich Black businessman in early 20th-century New Orleans.

This change to his character from book to screen brings on new struggles for him. He's successful but also Black and enters a world of racism. The racism here surrounds him, and he carries guilt over the work he does to keep his family afloat.

Now, it is Lestat who changes everything for Louis in Interview with the Vampire. Their relationship is passionate, toxic, and consuming all at once. When Lestat turns Louis into a vampire, he holds out against fully taking on this new eternal life that has been forced upon him.

He refuses to kill and is the kind of character who is constantly tortured by guilt, especially after his family is shattered by tragedy. Anderson plays Louis with such complexity. As a character, he's also a bit too proud and vulnerable and unreliable as a narrator.

His modern-day interviews with Daniel Molloy show a man who is still at war with his past, making Louis one of the most layered and complex characters in Interview with the Vampire.

Jacob Anderson is also known for Game of Thrones and Broadchurch.

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Bailey Bass & Delainey Hayles play the character of Claudia

Few characters in Interview with the Vampire are as heartbreaking as Claudia. She's introduced as a teenage girl on the brink of death, whom Louis begs Lestat to save. Turned into a vampire, she becomes their surrogate daughter but immortality is cruel, isn't it?

Claudia's body is frozen in adolescence, even as her mind matures. She longs for independence, for love, and for control of her own fate. In season one, Bailey Bass captures Claudia's fiery spirit, but when Bass left the series, Delainey Hayles stepped in.

Hayles' Claudia is just as strong, and maybe even sharper, as she struggles against the constant condescension of the Théâtre des Vampires in Europe.

Her frustration increases when she's forced to play a child in their performances, which a reflection of her eternal prison. Claudia may be young, but she's one of the deadliest vampires in the story and also one of the most tragic ones.

Bailey Bass is also known for Avatar: The Way of Water.

Delainey Hayles is also known for Too Close and Something In The Closet.

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Eric Bogosian plays the character of Daniel Molloy

Daniel Molly puts the "interview" in Interview with the Vampire. Now, Eric Bogosian's character is the journalist who sits across from Louis decades after their first meeting. Eric Bogosian brings determination and edge to Daniel, now older, bitter, and living with Parkinson's disease. He's not just there to listen but hes there to challenge Louis, pokes holes in his stories, and push him further for the truth.

Their conversations are intense but at times they're also funny. Daniel is someone who has lived a messy life. He's had a life that's full of addiction and broken relationships, and the way he lives his life in a way shapes how he looks at Louis' story.

Bogosian keeps Daniel from being a passive listener, turning him into an active character in Interview with the Vampire. In season two, he urges Louis to talk more about the past while teasing the dangers of exposing vampire secrets to the world.

Eric Bogosian is also known for Talk Radio and Reptile.

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Assad Zaman plays the character of Armand

With Interview with the Vampire, Armand is a character who sneaks up on you slowly like an evil snake. At first, he's just "Rashid," Louis' soft, mysterious assistant. But that calmness of his on the outside only hides the centuries of power and deception.

Assad Zaman plays him with such stillness that when the truth comes out that Rashid is actually Armand, leader of the Théâtre des Vampires, it feels like a revelation. Armand is not just Louis' companion but also his lover and protector, though his loyalties are never simple.

As head of the Théâtre, he wields immense influence, and his choices shape the fates of Louis, Claudia, and Daniel alike. Zaman's performance is understated but magnetic, and his chemistry with Anderson makes the Louis/Armand relationship feel both tender and unsettling.

Fans already know Armand is an important character in Anne Rice's books, and the show has only just begun to scratch the surface of his complicated story.

Assad Zaman is also known for Apple Tree Yard and Hotel Portofino.

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Ben Daniels plays the character of Santiago

If Armand is the calculating leader, then Santiago is the greatest showman of the Théâtre des Vampires in Interview with the Vampire. Played by Ben Daniels, Santiago is someone who loves spectacle and show. He's the star performer, impressing the humans while he's on stage but also feeding on them when he's behind the curtain.

But under all of that flair and jazz, he's deeply suspicious. Santiago doesn't buy Louis and Claudia's stories about their past, and the mistrust he has eventually leads to consequences that aren't nice.

Daniels gives Santiago a charming energy that makes him impossible to ignore, whether he's taunting Claudia or organizing the theatrical performances that define the Théâtre.

He's not as important of a character as Lestat or Louis, but his role in season two shows just how dangerous arrogance can be when it is paired with power.

Ben Daniels is also known for The Exorcist (TV adaptation) and The State Within.

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Damon Daunno as Bruce

In Interview with the Vampire, Claudia's journey to independence takes a dark turn when she ends up meeting Bruce, a vampire who seems like he could be an ally at first but we now realize that he's nothing but her tormentor. Played by Damon Daunno, Bruce is one of the most eerie characters in the series, not because he's powerful but because his cruelty is intimate.

What Claudia suffers at his hands is something Louis cannot even bring himself to say out loud.

Daunno's performance may not take up much screen time, but it does end up leaving a scar. In a show full of grand romances and bloody theatrics, Bruce represents the raw horror of what it means to be vulnerable, even as a vampire.

Damon Daunno is also known for The Hating Game and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

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What to expect in Season 3 of Interview with the Vampire or...The Vampire Lestat?

Now for the fun part: the future. AMC has confirmed that season three won't just continue Interview with the Vampire as we know it but it will have a title change to The Vampire Lestat. This shift is huge.

Instead of Louis' perspective, the story will follow Lestat himself as he reclaims the narrative. Fans of Anne Rice know this comes straight from her second book, The Vampire Lestat, where the dashing antihero becomes, of all things, a rock star. Yes, you read that right. A rock star.

Sam Reid's Lestat is set to step into the spotlight in a way that will shake up everything we've seen so far. Returning cast members Jacob Anderson, Delainey Hayles, Eric Bogosian, and Assad Zaman will continue their roles in the immortal universe.

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AMC's Interview with the Vampire is successful because of its fearless cast and the complex characters they play. From Reid's charming Lestat to Anderson's tortured Louis and Hayles' Claudia, every performance feels equally important to this gothic queer vampire story.

Interview with the Vampire doesn't just retell Anne Rice's story but it revamps it for a new era while admiring its gothic roots. With season three ready to shift the focus to Lestat's rock-star journey, the show is only getting more ambitious. If you've been hooked so far, the best is still to come.

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