Neil Jordan revisits Tom Cruise’s controversial casting in Interview with the Vampire

Neil Jordan has revisited the controversy over Tom Cruise’s casting as Lestat de Lioncourt in Interview with the Vampire. The filmmaker said author Anne Rice’s objections made the production more difficult.

Jordan said Cruise treated the criticism as a challenge. The actor wanted to play the flamboyant monster and prove the doubters wrong. Rice initially opposed the choice but later publicly praised Cruise’s performance after seeing the film.

Cruise casting created production tension

Rice had worked on the adaptation of her novel for years and had imagined Rutger Hauer, Julian Sands, Daniel Day-Lewis, John Malkovich and Tom Hanks among possible Lestats. She also suggested swapping Cruise and Brad Pitt, who played Louis de Pointe du Lac.

Jordan described Rice’s opposition as an “absolute distraction” for the director, actor and production. He said he did not believe the criticism directly shaped Cruise’s performance, adding that the actor simply chose what he found interesting.

Six months of night shoots

Pitt also struggled with the production. The film was shot for six months at night in New Orleans, Paris and New York, while the actor endured extensive makeup, contact lenses and scenes in which he was suspended upside down.

Pitt asked producer David Geffen how much it would cost to leave the film during production. The answer was $40 million. Jordan linked Pitt’s unease to the night schedule and Louis’ submissive position opposite the dominant Lestat.

Jordan’s sequel remained unmade

After the film earned more than four times its $50 million to $60 million production budget across theatrical and home-video releases, Warner Bros. hired Jordan to write The Vampire Lestat. The sequel was never made because Cruise was not interested in sequels or reprising the role at the time.

Jordan’s script focused mainly on Lestat’s 18th-century origins rather than his modern rock-star identity. AMC began adapting Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles for television in 2022; its third season develops The Vampire Lestat and combines his origins with a modern storyline.