“He was much more into the classical music, which I think is so accurate for the character.”

The Vampire Lestat star Sam Reid says original plan was for Lestat to be a conductor (exclusive)

"He was much more into the classical music, which I think is so accurate for the character."

By Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at **, where she’s worked for more than 12 years covering television.

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May 12, 2026 12:30 p.m. ET

Sam Reid as Lestat de Lioncourt on 'The Vampire Lestat'. Credit:

Sophie Giraud/AMC

- When *The Vampire Lestat *star* *Sam Reid landed the role of Lestat, he was told to start learning the piano to prepare for Lestat's future as an orchestra conductor.

- "I was like, ‘I really think he's got to be a singer,'" Reid says.

- The new season will dig into Lestat's life as a musician on tour.

Long before Lestat de Lioncourt ever picked up an electric guitar, there was a chance his future was going to be a bit more... classical.

When speaking with ** for our latest digital cover story on *The Vampire Lestat*, star Sam Reid revealed that he didn't sing in his audition — in part because Lestat was not necessarily going to be a singer. "Rolin originally had envisioned that Lestat would be an orchestra conductor,” he says of series showrunner Rolin Jones. “When I was doing season 1, he was like, ‘Start learning the piano, and you should start studying conducting, because that's where we're going with the character.’ He was much more into the classical music, which I think is so accurate for the character. But I think it's very important that he has this shift."

Speaking of that shift, Reid and series composer Daniel Hart were hoping Lestat would go the more rock & roll route. "I was like, ‘I really think he's got to be a singer.’ That's what [series composer] Daniel Hart had always envisioned too," Reid continues. "Then I think Rolin, I don't know when it happened for him, but it definitely clicked at a certain point. He went full in.”

Sam Reid exclusively for EW.

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Perhaps his change of heart had a little something to do with what being a rock star in 2025 could mean for the 265-year-old vamp. “We thought, ‘What's the worst thing we could do to Lestat to put him through the ringer?’ Force him to be a rockstar in 2025 when no one gives a s--- about rock & roll,” Jones says.

The third season of the AMC drama will follow Lestat on tour, as new vampire (and forever journalist) Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) makes a documentary about him. As Lestat puts it, the documentary is a "rewrite" of Daniel's book, *Interview With the Vampire*, which was told from Louis' (Jacob Anderson) perspective. Because let's just say Lestat isn't thrilled with his portrayal in the novel.

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"He's got to be pissed," Reid says. "He does actually have to be annoyed about it. It would be weird if he's not."

Through that documentary — and, of course, his music — the season will unpack Lestat's story. “If season 3 is sort of attacking the ID of Lestat, we disassemble a lot of stuff that's inside him," Jones says. "That’s what’s exciting about the structure of it: It starts out with all the armor upfront, and then we just start smashing away. It definitely is the biggest swing of the three years, there’s no doubt.”

The chaos begins when *The Vampire Lestat* premieres June 7 on AMC.

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Drama”