'Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire' | Variety Studio presented by Google TV - video Dailymotion

Variety

Mark Johnson (EP), Rolin Jones (Showrunner/EP) Sam Reid, Delainey Hayles, Assad Zaman step into our video studio at San Diego Comic Con 2024.   Presented by Google TV.

Transcript

00:00The Devil's Minion is like a concentration of who Armand and

00:05Molloy are for the whole sort of series.

00:08So I think that's what's happening.

00:09Yeah, I think everybody's asking for this one very aggressive chapter in the third

00:13book of this thing.

00:14And we're giving them seasons and seasons and seasons of Devil's Minion.

00:17It's coming, it's happening, don't worry about it, all good.

00:20I had the great privilege of being at the Comic-Con panel two years ago when I was

00:25I had the great privilege of being at the Comic-Con panel two years ago when we

00:30first got a glimpse at all things Interview with the Vampire.

00:34So I'm curious, what has it been like reflecting on what it was like back then

00:39versus how ravenous this fandom is at this point and how massive of a hit it is?

00:45We were just so terrified that everyone was gonna hate us.

00:51I remember just being backstage before we went onto that panel two years ago and

00:56just, yeah, feeling like the world was ending.

00:59You didn't tell us that.

01:02It was so nervous, I mean, it was just so nerve-wracking.

01:05Cuz obviously, people love the film and they love the book and

01:09they're like, who are these guys?

01:10Right, there's like just 2,000 arms crossed.

01:12Who are you?

01:13How are you gonna screw this up?

01:14Yeah, it was scary, yeah.

01:17But we haven't done our panel yet.

01:19Right, it could be the same people going, you screwed it up.

01:21Yeah, yeah.

01:22About to be.

01:23Yeah, yeah.

01:24You know, I actually had a girl sitting next to me clutching her Anne Rice novels

01:28during it.

01:29She was very excited.

01:30Yeah, like you.

01:31He's clutching.

01:32Oh my God, you were the girl.

01:34Yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:35Yeah, I mean.

01:40So I'm curious for, from a behind the scenes perspective,

01:44I think one of the reasons why this show resonates so much is that it avoids a lot

01:48of the tropes that we've grown accustomed to,

01:50especially with anything more fantastical, anything in the romance genre.

01:55How do you, is that something that you are consciously trying to avoid

01:59as you are working behind the scenes?

02:02Or is that just natural?

02:03I mean, that's definitely your question.

02:06Well, it's lovely for you to say, but I think probably in the writers room,

02:11we do think we're writing tropes.

02:12We're just trying to find the weird back door.

02:15You can't write any scene and think that there isn't somebody writing

02:20the exact same scene somewhere on that very day somewhere in Los Angeles

02:23or New York or London, much less the last 30 or 40 years.

02:28So you're constantly just trying to find, put Anne in the room

02:33and see what would this crazy woman do if she was

02:37taxed with doing the television show.

02:38And it feels familiar, or if anybody can call it out,

02:42you're always just, well, what else can we do?

02:45So that you're delivering original scenes for these people.

02:49I feel like they haven't done, and we're constantly just thinking

02:51about how we're B. Delaney, B. Assad, B. Sam.

02:56Because that's always, in the end, what it is.

02:58A writer comes and delivers and goes, I hope this is good.

03:00Please love me, like that, and then run, run, run, run away.

03:04Let me say, come back here, fix it.

03:07Yeah, a little, as it should, as it should.

03:10Well, speaking of writing these really amazing scenes, Delaney,

03:15you go out with a bang at the end of the most recent season.

03:21Obviously, great material to work with,

03:23but your performance, I mean, incredible.

03:25How did you prepare for that incredible strength

03:29that you had to show during a really difficult scene?

03:33Honestly, I don't actually know.

03:38No, I spoke with Emma a lot.

03:41I met her in her office, and we had pokey bowls together.

03:45We were talking about how I envision it and how she envisioned it,

03:49and we met in the middle.

03:50And then, it's kind of weird, because you have all these plans,

03:53and then you get in the room, and it's like, OK, this is no longer the plan.

03:57And I think that was the plan, to not have a plan,

03:59and see what kind of came out of the scene.

04:03I was bouncing off everyone's energy in the room.

04:06So it was very collaborative, and I think it helped me a lot

04:10find Claudia's pain in that scene.

04:15Now, I do love season two, but we've got to already dive into it.

04:20I'm very excited to see another season of this show.

04:23I'm sure there's not too much that can be shared just yet,

04:27but I understand the next season is going to dive into the Devil's Minion storyline.

04:33Who's feeding you this?

04:35This was on the internet!

04:37Well, those people.

04:37Actually, I believe they said it was you who invented it.

04:40What?

04:41No, no, no, not you.

04:42It's me.

04:43Oh, well, yeah.

04:45Well, they just...

04:46He just made the fledgling thing.

04:49It just started...

04:49Yes, we've been thinking about it for a while,

04:52and we will be progressing it, blah, blah, blah.

04:55But the show is the vampire-less stop.

04:57First and foremost, there are other characters that are going to be...

05:00That's the thing I'm...

05:02That we're most concerned with.

05:04Yes, that will not drop.

05:06There will be story points leading towards the Devil's...

05:09Yeah, I think the whole thing is the Devil's Minion.

05:11The whole thing.

05:12Every interaction you've ever had with him is already part of the Devil's...

05:16I agree.

05:16Wouldn't you agree?

05:17I agree.

05:18I totally agree.

05:19I think it's being incorporated.

05:20Like, the Devil's Minion is like a concentration of who Armand and Molloy are

05:28for the whole sort of series.

05:30So I think that's what's going to happen.

05:31Yeah, I think everybody's asking for this one very aggressive chapter

05:34in the third book of this thing.

05:35And we're giving them seasons and seasons and seasons of Devil's Minion.

05:38It's coming.

05:39It's happening.

05:40Don't worry about it.

05:41All good.

05:45Asad, what are you most excited to get to life from that?

05:49Any particular chapter?

05:55Yeah, there's a little chapter there that people might know.

05:58Could...

06:00No, I am just...

06:01I've always just been just grateful to be on this journey.

06:06And I think the thing that these guys do so brilliantly is that no one is...

06:13No one is really sort of just filling the space just to be there.

06:18And it's so rich.

06:20So whatever happens in the future, I'm just super grateful to be there.

06:26No, something else that we know about the season is we're going to get a little

06:30bit of a musical journey.

06:33So I'm curious, what does that mean?

06:36How far are we pushing what it means to have a musical component to this story?

06:41Full musical episode?

06:43People on stage?

06:45What can you tell me?

06:47Oh, man.

06:47OK.

06:47All right.

06:48I mean, don't say too much.

06:51I won't say too much.

06:53Tell me.

06:54There's a missing person here right now because he's taking care of his

06:58beautiful infant child right now.

07:00But it's Daniel Hart, who's been doing our music for two seasons.

07:05I have no shame saying this.

07:06The best scoring in TV or movies for the last three years.

07:12Extraordinary scores.

07:13And he's about to, all of his 18-year-old dreams are about to come true.

07:17And the guy who used to tour with Bowie is coming back, who used to open for

07:21Bowie, that guy is coming back.

07:23And we're going to write a bunch of songs.

07:26And they're going to be sung by this guy.

07:29Well, so that brings me to you, Sam.

07:31How are you preparing for this epic rock star journey that you're

07:34about to go on?

07:35Drugs.

07:37I'm taking a lot of drugs.

07:39And they're flying me around in a private plane.

07:44And I'm just.

07:44You wish.

07:46I'm just living like a permanent rock star.

07:50And every mini mall karaoke at night that's there, he's just jumping in

07:54and sort of working it out.

07:58Perfect way to prepare.

08:00Now, I don't need to tell all of you how unbelievably

08:04passionate the fan base is online.

08:07I feel like that's how I first heard about this show,

08:10was just these fans are really excited.

08:13So there's always the amazing side.

08:15I know you love your fans.

08:16How do you deal with sometimes the critiques from fans, sometimes

08:20the more toxic side that can come out, especially on Twitter slash X?

08:26I don't see it.

08:28I made that decision on season one.

08:31And it's really helped with my mental health.

08:34I think it's wonderful for everyone to have comments and opinions.

08:41And it's fantastic to be in a show that generates so much reactivity.

08:47I mean, we were just saying this before.

08:49It's really hard to feel engaged by things today.

08:52There's so many traumatic things happening in the world in general.

08:55And so when you feel excited by a television show,

09:00excited enough to be angry, or hurt, or cry with us, or laugh with us,

09:05or be furious, or makes you question things,

09:09or brings up really important conversations that

09:12can reflect in society in a much greater scale,

09:16that is a huge honor that we carry.

09:19And we get to be a part of a show like that.

09:21It's not helpful for us to see it.

09:24It doesn't really do us any favors.

09:26We have to come back and do this show and deliver this show for you

09:30so that you can keep having those really intense conversations.

09:33But we don't need to see it.

09:37You don't sneak a peek at all?

09:39No, I don't.

09:39Not anymore.

09:40I mean, I did in the first season.

09:41And I learned my lesson because I couldn't sleep for six months.

09:46But you have to be able to do your job.

09:50Now, obviously, we're here at Comic-Con this weekend

09:53where we're celebrating all of our favorite things to watch on TV and movies.

09:58So I'm curious for each of you, what is on your watch list right now?

10:01What are you looking forward to watching or watching right now?

10:05That's here at Comic-Con, or just in general?

10:07Anything.

10:08I just finished season four of The Boys.

10:13And that was pretty epic.

10:15So I don't know if they have something going on here at Comic-Con.

10:19Oh, they do.

10:19Oh, they do?

10:20OK, cool.

10:20Well, then I'm excited about that.

10:22I just watched a trailer for something upstairs with you.

10:24What was that called?

10:25Agnes.

10:26Agnes' thing.

10:28Oh, it was Agatha all along.

10:30Yeah.

10:31We watched a silent trailer on a television.

10:33I thought, wow, that's a great cast.

10:34Wow, that show looks cool.

10:36So I don't know.

10:37I haven't seen it with sound on, but that sounds like a good one.

10:43I'm so far behind.

10:44I haven't even seen the most recent season, The Bear,

10:48which I have to catch up on.

10:50But there are a number of things I'm looking

10:51at on the billboards here in San Diego.

10:53I think, oh, I'd like that.

10:55Oh, I should see that.

10:56I've heard good things about that.

10:57So I've got a lot of work to do.

'Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire' | Variety Studio presented by Google TV

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