AMC Network is currently working on a TV adaptation of the popular novel and movie, Interview With the Vampire. As casting information is slowly being released to the public, it seems the studio has picked up a newer actor, Sam Reid, to play their leading vampire, Lestat De Lioncourt. Filling the shoes once worn by Tom Cruise may be a difficult task, but it seems AMC believes Reid is capable of doing so.

As filming continues and more actors are revealed, many are wondering who Sam Reid is. For such a popular book that has already had a successful movie adaptation, casting a new or lesser-known actor for the iconic lead in this series seems risky. His contract has already been signed, though, so all that’s left to do is wait and see how well he plays the role while learning more about what led him into this position.

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Road to Acting

Sam Reid is a 34-year-old Australian actor from New South Wales. His older brother, Rupert Reid, is also an actor, so the career choice runs in the family. In 2010, Sam graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art as the star student of his class. Even before then, his acting career began in 2007 where he played a small role in one episode of All Saints, an Australian medical drama.

What really began to kick off Reid’s career was when he was given an opportunity to audition for Anonymous in his last semester. Anonymous is a period drama using a fictionalized life of Edward De Vere, whom the movie suggests was the actual writer of all of Shakespeare’s great works. As his first time acting in a feature film (one directed by the massive Roland Emmerich, no less), he wasn’t sure what to expect out of the audition, if anything at all. However, he was offered the role of the Earl of Essex not long after. This supporting role is was the real catalyst which launched his career into what it is today.

Filmography

     Fox Searchlight Pictures

In addition to Anonymous, there are a few other movies Sam Reid is known for, including Belle, a British period drama. Though the name may lead you to believe the movie is a retelling of the classic ‘Beauty and the Beast’ fairytale (or the excellent new anime), it is actually inspired by the painting of Dido Elizabeth Belle and her cousin at Kenwood House. Little is actually known of Dido’s life, so the plot is entirely fictional. It centers on Dido and her relationship with an aspiring lawyer in a time of legal significance. Reid portrays the love interest, John Davinier, a pretty significant role in the movie. He plays the part well, partially focused on his aspirations and trying to get someone to study under as a lawyer, while also interested in Dido and the information she has about the case. Seeing him torn between both his career and his love really brings the character to life.

Another movie Reid is known for is ‘71. This war movie is about a new recruit to the British army, Gary Hook, during the early years of the troubles, or the Northern Ireland conflict. Hook is sent into a volatile area where both sides of the conflict live side by side. When protests split the group up, he gets lost and beaten, struggling to recover and find his way back. Reid plays Second Lieutenant Armitage, who is inexperienced and was the one to deploy Hook’s platoon into the mess to begin with. It’s clear just from his acting that the Lieutenant is inexperienced; Reid manages to convey the character’s insecurities and overcompensation without much needing to be said. Though it’s not a big role in the movie, it’s still an important one that fits Reid well.

This all led to Reid’s consistent work on Australian television, appearing in some popular series from the country like The Hunting and The Newsreader, along with the British television show Prime Suspect 1973. The actor may be largely unknown and just now making his shift to American (and global) audiences, but he is by no means a beginner, and his dramatic acting chops and prolific output in smaller parts has led him to dominate the cast of AMC’s highly-anticipated new show.

     ABC

Interview With The Vampire

What does this all mean for the future? Well, AMC acquired the rights to Anne Rice’s works mid-2020, and they plan to premiere it on the AMC Network as well as their streaming service, AMC+, in 2022. Filming began in December, so the series is well underway in the development aspect. As for Sam Reid, he seems to usually fall into two different categories when working on feature films—he’s either a military figure or a posh member of the upper-class. This sets him up well for the upcoming show, as that kind of high-class, almost elitist character is exactly what people think of with Anne Rice’s vampires, along with Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise’s depiction of them in Interview With the Vampire.

The eight-episode series has cast a few other new actors as well, including Kalyne Coleman, who will play Grace de Pointe du Lac, and Bailey Bass, who will play Claudia. However, they are including some more well-known actors as well, like Jacob Anderson as Louis de Pointe du Lac, known for his role in Game of Thrones. Though they are moving away from the source material in filming, it looks like things are positive for this new adaptation, and vampire fans should look forward to its premiere.