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#Post#: 1813--------------------------------------------------
Anne Rice On Creating Lestat
DIR By: Wolfy
Date: November 23, 2012, 1:45 pm
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HTML http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr5HN__jrNY
Sorry for posting this, it might not be of interest, but I was
really drawn in to everything she said about him. It's quite
amazing how some writers can imagine their characters as in
depth like that. She says in this clip how she knew exactly what
Lestat would think of certain places etc.. I truly find that
brilliant. I only wish I was like that with the characters I
created.
#Post#: 1816--------------------------------------------------
Re: Anne Rice On Creating Lestat
DIR By: Maggie Flannery
Date: November 23, 2012, 4:56 pm
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I could seriously hug you for posting this! My mind was blown
when she was describing her connection to Lestat, she's truly
one of the few writers that can bring out their characters like
that. I can only hope to be like that one day but you've got it
going on my dear. I can't tell you how many times that I've read
your stories and you've brought out your characters like that, I
feel that they're right there with me or that I as the reader
have been placed in their shoes. You give them a voice that
resonates and strikes a chord, just like the fabulous Ms. Rice.
:) You've made me want to go back and re read the Interview With
a Vampire series now! :D
#Post#: 1819--------------------------------------------------
Re: Anne Rice On Creating Lestat
DIR By: Wolfy
Date: November 23, 2012, 5:09 pm
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HTML http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lk31irstje1qbw7ws.gif
I'm still rather in awe of her and would very much love to learn
how she so easily knows his thoughts and feelings on certain
things. Thank you soo much for such a lovely compliment! I would
never have thought I had that skill, and still I cannot see it,
but thank you very much! they are the nicest words I've been
given in regard to my writing. You must know that your style
through your stories is the same! your characters automatically
come to life and it's just like watching a movie in my head.
Hehe! I too want to read over the Vampire Chronicles, but when I
was rummaging through all my books a few days ago, I could only
find one of them!! :O
#Post#: 1821--------------------------------------------------
Re: Anne Rice On Creating Lestat
DIR By: Maggie Flannery
Date: November 23, 2012, 5:15 pm
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I know! She's like one of those writers you'd just love to chat
with and kind of pick her brain a bit, forgive the saying, haha.
Aww you're most welcome! Thank you so much! I sometimes think my
writing gets a bit stale or skips in places or lags but I'm so
happy to bring that movie experience to you :D Oh no! That
stinks, it's like "Where is it?! I really really want to read
and now I can't find it?!" I can't tell you how many times
that's happened to me and my mother's called me the book hunting
squirrel, haha. I've given to now cataloging my books both in
paper as well as on the computer. I know that must sound daft
but I find it works, haha. I also keep track of who borrowed
what and how long they've had it. *blushes*
#Post#: 1824--------------------------------------------------
Re: Anne Rice On Creating Lestat
DIR By: Wolfy
Date: November 23, 2012, 5:27 pm
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That's quite alright! haha. I can see her spending hours and
hours sitting down with someone and going over every detail she
could think of about her stories and characters. She seems like
a very genuine, lovely woman. I'd give anything to meet her one
day! I'm the same with my writing. I spend a long time running
over lines in my head and thinking to myself that it just isn't
good enough. As with my Lestat story, it took me half the night
just to write a first line I believed was good enough. In the
end I kinda just gave up being stubborn and pushed through the
first few paragraphs, haha. The book hunting suirrel! thats the
best expression I've ever heard! haha. That's not daft at all :D
I would do the same thing if I didn't keep losing my books. If
they only stayed in one place long enough for me to do that! xD
#Post#: 1864--------------------------------------------------
Re: Anne Rice On Creating Lestat
DIR By: Wolfy
Date: November 24, 2012, 3:42 pm
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This isn't about her creation of Lestat, rather, what she
thought of Tom's portrayal of that character. I stumbled across
an essay of hers and chose this chunk of it to share!
From the moment he appeared Tom was Lestat for me. He has the
immense physical and moral presence; he was defiant and yet
never without conscience; he was beautiful beyond description
yet compelled to do cruel things. The sheer beauty of Tom was
dazzling, but the polish of his acting, his flawless plunge into
the Lestat persona, his ability to speak rather boldly poetic
lines, and speak them with seeming ease and conviction were
exhilarating and uplifting. The guy is great.
I'm no good at modesty. I like to believe Tom's Lestat will be
remembered the way Olivier's Hamlet is remembered. Others may
play the role some day but no one will ever forget Tom's version
of it.
(Let me say here that anyone who thinks I did an "about face" on
Tom just doesn't know the facts. My objections to his casting
were based on familiarity with his work, which I loved. Many
many great actors have been miscast in films and have failed to
make it work. I don't have to mention them here. Why hurt anyone
by mentioning the disaster of his career? But we've seen big
stars stumble over and over when they attempt something beyond
their reach.
That Tom DID make Lestat work was something I could not see in a
crystal ball. It's to his credit that he proved me wrong. But
the general objections to the casting? They were made on solid
ground. Enough on that subject. Tom is a great actor. Tom wants
challenges. Tom has now transcended the label of biggest box
office star in the world. He's better.)
Favorite moments with Tom:
Tom's initial attack on Louis, taking him up into the air,
praised by Caryn James so well in the New York Times. Ah! An
incredibly daring scene. The finest romantic scene in any film,
and here please read the word romance as an old and venerable
word for timeless artistic forms of poetry, novels and film.
Romance is a divine word which has never really been denigrated
by the drugstore novels with the swooning ladies on the cover.
Romance will be with us for all time, If you want to know more
about Romance, put on a video of THE FISHER KING and listen to
Robin Williams describe the deeper meaning of romance to his
newfound girlfriend. It's worth it, believe me.
Back to Tom: other great moments.
Tom's bedside seduction of the dying Louis, in which he offers
Louis the Dark Gift. Once again, Tom gave Lestat the virility
and the androgyny that made both him and the offer irresistible.
He was near blinding. I would have accepted the Dark Gift from
him then and there. Only an actor with complete confidence and
conviction could have done that scene or any of the others.
Tom's angry outburst in the face of Louis' repeated questions.
His stride, his voice both loud and soft, his frustration, his
obvious discomfort, and inner conflict. Once again, Tom took
over the screen, the theatre, the mind of the viewer. Immense
power.
Tom riding his horse through the slaves' fire, and then turning
the horse around so that he could face the suspicious mortals.
That was on a par with Errol Flynn and Rudy Valentino. It was on
a par with the opera greats who have played Mephistopheles. Only
a genuine "star" can make a moment like that, and I'm as
confused as to why...just as much as anyone in Hollywood. Let's
close this one out with one word: Grand! (No, can't stop talking
about it.)
If I had to settle for one picture in this film, it would be
that shot of Lestat on horseback looking back at the suspicious
mortals.
That was and is my hero. That was and is my man. Lestat just
won't be afraid of anybody. He won't stand for it. He hates what
he is as much as Louis, but he cannot do anything but move
forward, attempt to make existence worth it, attempt to create.
He knows the formula for success, and has no patience with the
formula for failure. That's Lestat.
Tom's rage and obvious pain in the scene with the bleeding wench
and the coffin, one scene from the book which I did not include
in my script. it was probably put in by Neil Jordan. If Tom had
not given so much depth to this scene, it might have been
unwatchable. His desperation, his vulnerability, made it work,
and he made himself in it the worthy object of compassion. No
small feat! I found the scene, otherwise, to be disgusting.
The shot of Tom looking through the green shutters, and the
falling rain, knowing that Louis is somewhere out in the night.
This was a gorgeous and eloquent shot. Again, it was the actor
who gave it the depth in all the subtle ways that only he can
do.
Tom's making of Claudia, and here I want to praise the entire
trio...Tom, Kirsten, Brad... The scene is directed delicately
and captures the intimacy, the blasphemy and the undeniable
innocence and blundering of the human who has a supernatural
gift to give and in his pain and confusion, chooses to give it,
come what may. That's a scene for now, for our world of
scientific and medical miracles, as much as any scene in Mary
Shelley's Frankenstein, and Tom pulled it off right to the last
second.
Later, Tom's confusion when after bringing Claudia a doll, he
sees Claudia turn on him. About half of what I wrote for this
scene in the script, or less, made it into the film, and I liked
what I saw very much. I wish they'd gone on with the version of
this scene that is in QUEEN OF THE DAMNED (see Jesse's discovery
of Claudia's diary, and the entry describing what happened), but
alas, what they did was great.
Tom's manner and expression on the dangerous night that Claudia
comes to him and offers him her "reconciling gift." Close in on
those two at the harpsichord. Tom is seated, I believe. Kirsten
is behind him and apparently offers him the acceptance he needs
so desperately. Scenes like this, with Tom, make this film work.
Every humorous scene Tom attempted was a complete success. The
rat and the glass, I adored it. The humor added apparently by
Neil Jordan -- the poodles, the piano teacher hitting the
keyboard, the dressmaker biting the dust...well, I didn't adore
all that, but Tom carried it off with true wit and style. And
yes, its all right to laugh at those parts. We do every time we
go to see the movie.
There are many other great Tom Cruise moments throughout the
film. Many. But these are the ones I cherish now.
The readers calling me desperately want Tom to play THE VAMPIRE
LESTAT. I hope he does. I hope I get to write the script for the
movie. Tom's power, knowledge, skill, magnetism and artistic
integrity are part and parcel of the success of IWTV, and there
is no doubt that Tom would bring power and magic to TVL.
(Let me digress again. For those of you who haven't read TVL, it
is not really a sequel to IWTV. It's a complete full novel on
its own, beginning the Vampire Chronicles. IWTV was the truly
difficult film to make. TVL will take commitment, money and
immense faith as well as talent, but compared to IWTV, it is
much, much easier to film. Lestat is the true hero of TVL. He is
entirely sympathetic. The trick, I think, will be achieving a
texture in that film that includes all of Lestat's
adventures...from the snows of the Auvergne, to the boulevards
of Paris, through the sands of Egypt, and through the visit to
Marius' sanctuary, and on to the twentieth century rock music
stage. The tales of Armand and of Marius all also excursions for
Lestat essentially. I hope Tom makes the journey.)
One point: I am puzzled by what seems to be a discrepancy
between the way Tom played Lestat, and the way my hero, Producer
David Geffen, and others have described Lestat as a character.
Did Tom on his own make this role a little bigger, brighter and
more complex than anyone else realized it could be? I don't
know. David Geffen called Lestat "nasty" when he was interviewed
by Barbara Walters. Nasty? I don't get it. But David Geffen is
my hero for getting this film made. No one else could have done
it. So why quibble about what David said?
There is one problem created by the compelling charm of Tom's
performance, obviously. Since he isn't all that nasty, why does
Louis hate Lestat? How can he? Well, I'll take that problem any
day over a more shallow solution. Tom his the right note. And
Louis was Louis. Nothing could comfort Louis. The film got it.
#Post#: 1867--------------------------------------------------
Re: Anne Rice On Creating Lestat
DIR By: Maggie Flannery
Date: November 24, 2012, 7:38 pm
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I do believe you've made all giddy! I sat here grinning from ear
to ear as I read this :D I think I just want to hunt down Tom
Cruise and Anne Rice and give them both a very very big hug.
"You're a true artist on screen, Mr. Cruise. Not to mention a
hunk." "Ms. Rice, you're a true literary genius and you're both
just so awesome!" *squees* Then I shall come back here and do
the gary happy dance for Wolfy, haha. Wow, forgive me!
#Post#: 1869--------------------------------------------------
Re: Anne Rice On Creating Lestat
DIR By: Wolfy
Date: November 24, 2012, 7:44 pm
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I was feeling all that giddiness myself as I read over this
earlier, haha. I skimmed through her speech about the production
and the director, and went straight to finding out what she
thought of the cast. She has very little to say on the negative
side, regarding the actors anyway. She did however have one or
two things to say about certain scenes that were not similar
enough to those she wrote about in the book, and good on her
too! .. then again, I suppose recreating an identical version of
a book on screen is a very difficult thing to do. From the book
though, and watching the movie, they did a very good job. I love
what you said there about giving them both a great big hug and
then coming back here to dance like Gary! haha xD I haven't
laughed this much in a while. No need to ask for forgiveness as
I understand fully! hehe.
#Post#: 1901--------------------------------------------------
Re: Anne Rice On Creating Lestat
DIR By: Wolfy
Date: November 26, 2012, 7:49 am
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I'm a little upset over this because I respect Anne and her
work, but am not sure I want to discontinue any of my Lestat
stories. The following is something I will always remember when
writing about him of course, but choose only to acknowledge it
and not halt my creativity because of it. Forgive me, I love
this woman to pieces because of her talent, but I'm not sure
about this..
"I do not allow fan fiction. The characters are copyrighted. It
upsets me terribly to even think about fan fiction with my
characters. I advise my readers to write your own original
stories with your own characters. It is absolutely essential
that you respect my wishes."
#Post#: 1902--------------------------------------------------
Re: Anne Rice On Creating Lestat
DIR By: Maggie Flannery
Date: November 26, 2012, 8:02 am
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:o Holy Moly! Hmm, perhaps you could conveniently change their
names? I mean that's just a little more then upsetting! You've
done a wonderful wonderful job with this. :( Perhaps you could
use Lestat as a likeness for your Lestatesque character? I've
done a little digging and found a link for you just in case :)
HTML http://www.20000-names.com/male_french_names.htm
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