Decades before we had “vegan” vampires like the Cullens in the Twilight movie series, there was Louis de Pointe du Lac. The Interview with the Vampire is one of Hollywood’s epic horror movies that remains a must-watch on any movie list. The film was an adaptation of the 1976 novel, Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice.
The film was an all-round success being critically acclaimed and a box office success. The movie grossed $223.7 million on a $60 million budget. The movie’s plot follows its title, a reporter interviewing a vampire. The vampire narrates his two-century experience living as a vampire.
Looking back 28 years later, the movie had some of today’s top stars in its cast. As a brief recap of the movie’s plot, here is its top cast.
Louis de Pointe du Lac (Brad Pitt)
Credit: Interview with the Vampire
Brad Pitt delivers the role of Anne Rice’s character Louis de Pointe du Lac. Louis is the movie’s main protagonist and tells its story as a narration to a reporter, Daniel Molly. Louis begins his interview by going back in time to 1791 when he was human and a wealthy plantation owner.
He talks about how Lestat de Lioncourt turned him into a vampire and how he survived on a “vegan” diet of only feeding on animal blood. His encounter with the plague and meeting Claudia. Louis also talks about his encounter in 1870 Paris, meeting Santiago and Armand.
Although Louis hoped the interview would help bring him closure, he’s furious to discover Molly is interested in being turned into a vampire.
Lestat de Lioncourt (Tom Cruise)
Credit: Interview with the Vampire
Tom Cruise plays Lestat, an old age vampire that has lived for centuries. When he sees Louis wandering the waterfront, he decides to feed on him. When Lestat senses Louis has no zeal to live, he offers him an opportunity to become a vampire.
Although Louis regrets becoming a vampire, Lestat believes he can keep Louis closer to him if he finds something worthwhile to make Louis stay. After feeding on a little girl whose mother is killed by the New Orleans plague, Lestat chooses to turn her into a vampire and have him and Louis raise her as a daughter.
With Claudia’s inability to physically mature, her anger towards Lestat for turning her sees her try to kill him by slitting his throat. However, Lestat survives and encounters Louis again in 1988. When Louis refuses to turn Molly and chases him out of his house, Lestat attacks him and offers him an opportunity to become a vampire.
Claudia (Kirsten Dunst)
Credit: Interview with the Vampire
12-year-old Kirsten Dunst played the character of Claudia. Claudia is a young girl who’s supposed to be mourning her dead mother but gets attacked by Lestat. Lestat turns her into a vampire, which is against the tradition of not turning young children.
When Claudia discovers she can never grow older than when she was turned, she poisons and unsuccessfully tries to kill Lestat by slitting his throat. Claudia is killed, alongside her new protector, in 1870 Paris. They are killed by exposure to sunlight, turning them into ash.
Armand (Antonio Banderas)
Credit: Interview with the Vampire
Armand is one of two vampires that Louis and Claudia encounter in Paris. Armand owns a coven named Théâtre des Vampires. The vampires in his coven perform horror shows for the humans in Paris, who are none the wiser.
Although Armand does nothing to stop the vampires from killing Claudia and her new protector, Madeleine, he rescues Louis from his coffin prison.
Santiago (Stephen Rea)
Credit: Interview with the Vampire
Stephen Rea plays Santiago, the other vampire Louis and Claudia meet in Paris. Santiago is a mind reader. He used his ability to read Louis’ mind to know Louis and Claudia killed Lestat. This doesn’t go well with the vampires in Paris. They imprison Louis in a coffin and kill Claudia and Madeleine by burning them to ash under sunlight.
Daniel Molloy (Christian Slater)
Credit: Interview with the Vampire
Daniel Molloy is the reporter interviewing Louis. Molly gets excited by Louis’ interview and pleads with the vampire to turn him. After he’s sent out, he listens to the interview in his car. After being attacked by Lestat, Lestat offers him an opportunity to be turned into a vampire.
Yvette (Thandiwe Newton)
Credit: Interview with the Vampire
Although a minor role, it is one of Thandiwe Newton’s first roles in film. In the movie, she’s credited with the name Thandie Newton and plays the character of Yvette. Yvette was one of Louis’ servants at his plantation when he was human.
After becoming a vampire, Louis abandons his duty as Master. A concerned Yvette comes to check on her master and gets killed in the process.
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