Who do you think is the better Lestat???
I know that you see Lestat in "Queen of the damned" as the storyteller and in "Interview with the Vampire" of Louis view!
I like Stuart Townsend more I love his acting...
What do you think???
Tom Cruise, he fit the description in the books dead on.
And his acting is far better than Stuart Townsends. Just my opinion tho.
I think that opinion is shared by the majority of Lestat fans! Tom was way better than Stuart. he looked the part (which is not everything but its a stat) and he captured the true nature of Lestat. Lestat is not the crule vampire made out in QOTD movie. For a start he only kills the evil doer and in QOTD he drinks from groupies. Ok so this is not Stuarts fault, blame the directors for that.
shareI'd say Stuart Townsend was way way WAY better than Tom Cruise was. Staurt had the accent and everything, and you could acctually believe he was the character, and it didn't even looked like he was acting. With Tome Cruise as Lestat, he didn't have an accent, he didn't look the part, and his actign wasn't great. I vote Stuart all the way!
shareStuart may have put on the accent but he was no where near as good as Tom Cruise. He didnt NEED the accent to be convincing. To me Stuart's performance had nowhere near the intensity that Tom's had. As a vampire Lestat has a presence and sexuality to him that I just didnt feel in this film. Ive seen Stuart Townsend in other roles and thought he was good but I absoloutely hated him in this.
The verdict - TOM CRUISE!!!
I don't really think Stuart Townsend is as goodlooking as Tom cruise, but in QOTD he had this sexuality vibe around him that I just couldn't ignore. Especially with Jesse ofcourse. I also caught his desire to be a mortal again. I think he did an excellent job.
My pick : Stuart Townsend
I vote Stuart Townsend...
WHY?
1. Stuart Townsend already has an accent, no need to fake it.
2. Tom Cruise was like 40 by the time this rolled around.
3. Stuart Townsend and Aaliyah have awesome onscreen chemistry.
4. Tom Cruise was kind of like a loon in Interview with A Vampire when he was dancing with Claudia's mother's corpse.
5. I'm not very fond of Tom Cruise..he's gone crazy :S
My verdict: STUART TOWNSEND
"4. Tom Cruise was kind of like a loon in Interview with A Vampire when he was dancing with Claudia's mother's corpse."
Lestat is suppose to be a loon. That is one of the major things Stuart Townsend lacked as Lestat. He had no sick, twisted humor whatsoever which is one of Lestat's main characteristic traits in the books. Actually, Stuart just plainly had no humor at all. Just the whole "Look at me, I'm so sexy."
Tom Cruise on the other hand, nailed his performance as Lestat.
"I'm Gentleman Death in silk and lace, come to put out the candles. The canker in the rose." Lestat
In my opinion Stuart Townsend had a great performance as a vampire. He was sexy, cruel and sinister. But that's all. He wasn't Lestat at all - simply a vampire.
But Tom Cruise played Lestat perfectly. He could nail and show Lestat's entity. He wasn't just a vampire: he was the vampire Lestat.
Perfectly described. Stuart Townsend was good as a normal run-of-the-mill sexy vampire, but he was NOT Lestat!
Tom Cruise, contrary to popular expectations, nailed the role of Lestat.
Anyone who thinks Stuart Townsend was the better Lestat is clearly under the age of 17. Tom Cruise may be a nutcase atm but there is no doubt that he is the better lestat.
"Its something you'll get used to, a mental mind *beep* could be nice."
I HATED Tom Cruise as Lestat, could not stand him, and this was when the Interview With a Vampire came out and I was like 10 when it did. I HATED his performance, in my opinion Stuart Townsend EMBODIED Lestat he was my complete image of him, and EXACTLY how I pictured Lestat after reading the books. It REALLY is a shame they had had that HORRID HORRID AWFUL Tom Cruise play him in Interview With a Vampire, If Stuart could have done that, the movie would have been a million times better.
shareHow can you picture Lestat with dark hair and dark eyes and with the personality of "Oh look how sexy I am!"?
Thats not lestat at all...
My greatest sin has always been that I have a wonderful time being myself -Lestat
actually the writer of the Vampire Chronicles preferred Stuart Townsends portrayal to Tom Cruises so bang goes your theory, p,s i thought both performances were ok but i am leaning towards Townsends as Cruise really did not look the part, mind you Tom does play crazy very well as lets face it its kind of a prerequisite before joining scientology
i got rid of my teeth at a young age coz im straight teeth are for gay people - Master Shake
Actually Anne Rice hated the idea of Tom Cruise being Lestat, but once she had seen the movie she ate her words. She has said that herself.
"The return of The Think White Duke, throwing darts in lovers eyes."
Could you post a link to your claim about Anne Rice, because a google is certainly not turning up the Author being anything like complementary to Cruise.
For mine Cruise was wooden and ruined the movie. QOTD ... oh dear, why did they bother.
www.scaryminds.com - horror's last colonial outpost.
Its on the special features of Interview with the Vampire, Interview with Anne Rice.
"Knowledge comes with death's release."
Where in the world are you getting your information? Anne Rice HATED Queen of the Damned and and she apparently thought Stuart was an idiot or something along those lines... i dont remember what she called him but really...
My greatest sin has always been that I have a wonderful time being myself -Lestat
I googled her comments on the movie followed a few links to inteviews, wikipedia.
I dont know where your getting your info from pal butim sorry i cannot get behind Tom Cruises performance, the accent just sounds prissy and lame they would have been better getting an actor who can act or just given Pitt the main role
i got rid of my teeth at a young age coz im straight teeth are for gay people - Master Shake
"On actors who have played Lestat, I do not go into detail about why I do not like one of these because I do not want to dwell on negative things. Also movies are a collaborative art form, and what an actor does with a role has to do with the script ...and the director as much as his own talent. But don't expect long detailed negative answers from me. I see no reason to hurt the feelings of people by criticizing them." -Anne Rice
Might I mention she was referring to TOWNSEND!
My greatest sin has always been that I have a wonderful time being myself -Lestat
WRONG! I am 26, and I think Tom Cruise as Lestat was the WORST Casting mistake for a movie in history...
1.Tom Cruise is ugly, the man is not attractive in the least, he should have had that giant shnoz fixed years ago. Whereas Lestat is supposed to be beautiful which Stuart Townsend is.
2.When I read the Anne Rice novels, I had a very specific view of Lestat, and Tom Cruise failed where Stuart Townsend NAILED IT.
3.While the movie was nowhere near true to the book, the movie made it interesting. I found it was more engaging than the books, while Anne Rice is a genius and most definitely a talented writer, her books can be a bit slow at times.
My vote: Stuart Townsend by a WIDE margin.
That's fair enough, everyone is different. If you like Stuart Townsend more than so be it. But I personally do not think he is a very good actor. Tom crusie might be a crazy mofo but that does not mean the guy does not have talent. Im not a hardcore Cruise fan, he has made some stinkers. Im more of a music buff than movie buff these days. But there are people who prefer Tom Cruise and staing WRONG! at the start of your post does not mean one or the other is right. I was just stating an interview I saw with Anne Rice saying she was happy with Cruise.
"Knowledge comes with death's release."
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NO. Townsend was HIDEOUS in this movie. Cruise was also hideous as Lestat, but Townsend was even worse. It was so unbelievable that women would be all over him.
share1. Stuart Townsend already has an accent, no need to fake it.
Fake accents run amok in Theatre they are not a bad thing as long as the are convincing and Cruise's was convincing
2. Tom Cruise was like 40 by the time this rolled around.
True but he still looks pretty darn young.
3. Stuart Townsend and Aaliyah have awesome onscreen chemistry
Yes but Cruise may have as well we will never know
4. Tom Cruise was kind of like a loon in Interview with A Vampire when he was dancing with Claudia's mother's corpse.
That scene with Lestat and the corpse came straight from the book Interview With The Vampire. And Cruise played it wonderfully.
5. I'm not very fond of Tom Cruise..he's gone crazy :S
I'm not very fond of him either (nor of Brad Pitt) but I absolutely LOVED both men in IWTV and they actually seemed kind of hot....grrr girl grrr no likey Pitty and Cruiseie bad girl...oh well
http://www.darknovagames.com/index.php?action=recruit&clanid=11
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What accent for christ sake?!?!?! Lestat is a french vampire, not some Dracula or something...ne just doesn't need that Transilvanian accent even though he has no french either but this is not important at all...
shareI believe they both performed excellently, however, in their own respectable movies.
Taking nothing away from either of them, I don't believe Townsend's Lestat would have worked in Interview With the Vampire nor do I beleieve Cruise's would have worked properly in Queen of the Damned.
One must base their decision on more than the individual. Consider Cruise opposite Aaliyah, or, Townsend opposite Pitt and this is where it begins to be less likely that had they been reversed, or, sinply the same in both films (e.g.; Cruise or Townsend) it simply wouldn't have worked.
Interview was a better finished product due simply to the time, effort, and consideration involved where-as QOTD suffered from Warner Bros. rush to utilize the Lestat license having sat on it for seven years and prior to it's transfer back to Anne Rice thereby condensing the last 2 Rice novels into one film naming it the latter of the 2, hasty (rather faulty) casting, and, poor scripting.
Both films, extraordinarily different, both entirely watchable, both Cruise and Townsend delivered excellent performances.
Chau,
Diego
I can agree with everything you said above. that said I would like to say, HAD this movie been made to go with the books Tom would definatly be the better choice for lastat.
queen of the damned is good untill you look at how many things were changed from the book. if they had made the books (TVL and QOTD) into movies they would have been much more entertaining and leave you with something to think about at the end of both.
as it was queen of the damned wasnt horrible, but it could have been much more than it ended up being. Im not sure how it works but if I were anne rice I would be trying to get another studio to make these movies at least somewhat like the books. Im sure it wouldnt be THAT hard, I think they changed at least 60% of her original idea.
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i think they are both good actors. that aside which is better? thats like saying which joker in batman is better. there two totally different acting styles and there ment to be so.
in interview with a vampire it was from louis' point of view of lestat which tom cruise acted to the T
in queen of the damned it was lestats portrayal of himself. he was supposed to be arrogant. and very into himself. so yes he was wonderful as well.
as far as looks well tom cruise had the blonde hair blue/gray eyes so he resembled him better. but he was supposed to be sexy too and in my imo tom cruise is not sexy stuart townsend is wayy sexier to me. but thats opinion
so with all that being said they tie. plain and simple. if queen of the damned would have been a good movie and he would have dyed his hair well stuart would have won in my book. so the people that made the movie gimped him.
| ... Staurt had the accent and everything, ... |
Yes, he sure had AN accent, but I'd say he was rather trying on an accent a la Transylvania than a 18th century French one.
Tom Cruise's acting was great btw.
Seems the main reason that those who prefer Townsend over Cruise is based on looks only. IWAV is at least watchable while QOTD is just plain horrid. It's like an extended music video, all imagery and style with no substance or depth. While I'm no Cruise fan (he's become wacko) his performances in Born on the 4th, Rain Man, Collateral were solid. Until Townsend has a breakthrough film that can show he can carry a film, he'll always be just another pretty face a la Brad Pitt. Head in the Clouds: Theron makes him look like an amateur. About Adam: Okay performance but when you're cast with Kate Hudson, how can you not come out ahead. Shooting Fish: Actually, pretty good peformance. League of X Gentleman: Just plain awful. There are so many pretty faces out there (men & women) and until some of them rely on their acting, they'll always be....just another pretty face. Don't feel too bad. I watch a lot of Milla Jovovich and Kate Beckinsale movies and not for their limited acting abilities. They can't be compared to Naomi Watts or Charlize Theron the same way Townsend can't be compared to Cruise.
shareStuart is better, just because i'd rather see him jump up and down on opera's couch than Tom anyday.
shareTom Cruise was god awful, as he is in almost all of his movies. His performance was *beep* ridiculous, he seemed totally gay, and was'nt believeable at all. I think Stuart Townsend nailed the look, the attitude, and he can actually act. Tom Cruise gets work because the name he made for himself and just rests on his laurels. Townsend always delivers a full on performance, no matter what hes in (Trapped with Kevin Bacon). And to the person who said QOTD made Lestat out to be a bad guy, must have his movies reversed. He was a douchebag in Interview With The Vampire and killed whom ever he pleased. In QOTD you see he's conflicted and misunderstood. Townsend was great, Cruise was a *beep* joke. as always!!!
shareEvilive1029... What the Hell are you talking about?
He IS gay. Sort of. He goes both ways, as do pretty much all the other vampires... If you have read any of the books, which I very much doubt, you shoud know this. It is made perfectly clear in The Tale Of The Body theif that he wishes to 'take a woman into his bed, and then a man'. And he relentlessly tries to seduce David Talbot whilst he occupies a human body.
As for people's arguments about Townsend being prettier... Well... Lestat was suppossed to be beautiful. And Townsend does look better than Mr Cruise.
But as for who plays the role best, I guess it's Cruise.
However.. I read the books first, and laughed out loud (in disbelief rather than amusment) at IWTV because of the scene in which Lestat hisses then jumps on Louis and bites him.. It's terrible...
But I still think thst Cruise managed to portray Lestat best, especially since the film is to be taken from Louis' point of view.
Yes, I totally agree. and as specaslew4 says, lestat is totally crazy. in a good way. townsend, unfortunatly, did not make the cut for me (an anne rice fan)or for any of my friends (non anne rice worshippers, may they be shunned)
I think Tom Cruise plays the better Lestat on all counts. Plus, it's pretty much the funniest thing ever to think of tom cruise as a vampire.
My final verdict: Tom Cruise
and if you pay attention they swap skin tones... Its funny lol
Ive watched that movie so many times!!
My greatest sin has always been that I have a wonderful time being myself -Lestat
Actually, Lestat really only killed evil doers... He views prostitutes as evil doers as well, I believe.
You obviously havent read the books very carefully if you think Stuart Townsend looks like Lestat!
My greatest sin has always been that I have a wonderful time being myself -Lestat
Lestat is supposed to be a brat... No more, no less... Townsend thought he was portraying Dracula...
Guess what? I got a fever. And the only prescription... is more cowbell!
i agree. i rackon stuart townsend fits better onto the character. He's young, the accents believable and with slightly supernatural seemig effect,he's dark, yet he has emttions. not like tom cruise who made a mockery out of the movie.He was alway laughing that buffon! and stuart townsend also suits the time, because in todays age we are ito more rock music if not goth rock.i loved the soundtrack with marylin manson, korn, the guy from disturbed and the violin on the beach song.
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agree with the one who posted they were both good with respect to the movies they were in (cruise on IwaV, townsend on QotD). Cruise did well as Lestat, but him with the rockstar attitude and all just wont fit, whereas Townsend depicted the character well. I would like to see Townsend as Lestat in IwaV however (if he could nail it)..hehe
would you like to see my mask?
Tom Cruise in clearly the better Lestat. Not that Stuart Townsend didn't do well in the role. I like both movies but IWTV in one of my all time favorites and I can't really say that about QOTD.
You know the enemy of my enemy is often considered my friend.
- Joxer
Cruise played a pretty good rockstar in Rock.of.Ages.
shareHave you READ the book?
My greatest sin has always been that I have a wonderful time being myself -Lestat
I agree, but QOTD is full of fatal errors like this drinking from innocents. I have to say though that i couldn't imagine Tom Cruise playing a rock star could you? I agree that Tom does capture the essence of Lestat, but I really couldnt see him with long blonde hair and leather pants, can you?
sharewell, we've already seen him with long blond hair and it siuts him just fine but neither do i can imagine him with leather pants and rocking the stage...
shareI dont think Lestat did drink from any innocents in QOTD. The first guy was like a drug dealer or something and the groupies in the beginning actually say they've done worse things. I'm not sure about the chick in the park tho.
Anyway, I think both Townsend and Cruise did excellent acting. Tom Cruise was perfect in Interview and I think Stuart Townsend did great in QOTD.
That's a good point bastestprincess, I tried useing that rationale to apply to the killing he did in Interview as well, the book and novel, and I think it works except for when Louis said Lestat and Claudia would kill off whole families...anyhow the film directory on the dvd kind of blows the theory out too, they said the idea of making Lestat a killer of 'evil doers' only was too tricky to portray and would have been contentious issue they didn't want to deal with....
shareOne word: YES!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlkqteEyVBc&feature=youtube_gdata_ player
Queen of the Damned is my favourite movie and Stuart Townesend's portrail of Lestat is more appealing than that of Tom Cruise's. Yes in QOTD he drinks from groupies but correct me if I'm wrong (which no doubt someone would do) Lestat, whilst trying to get Louis to feed from humans rather than rats does in fact kill one woman and then bite the breast of another, leave her to bleed and then trap her in a coffin before eventually killing her???? Lestat in QOTD has to eat, hence the groupies, won't change Jess into a vampire because he doesn't want to condemn her to a world of eternal darkness and the death of others for food until the end where he knows she is ready and he helps in the ending of Akasha who has no respect for anyone, human or vampire alike and is intent on feeding on anyone who is near her. Our perceptions of cruelty somewhat differs. For the above alone without that fact that although Tom Cruise has been acting for YEARS, time doesn't always make things better Stuart Townesends Lestat is definately better.
shareIf you need further clarification, then I suggest you check out my post dated
Wed. Jan.18 2006.
"Have you said your good-byes to the light" -Lestat de Lioncourt
Thank you for your 'clarification' it really was appreciated, however, it appeares that through opinions posted there was a deviation of the original question of which was which actor played the best Lestat - in the films I presume as the person who started this topic of conversation talked about liking Staurt Townsend's acting, rather than asking for in depth details regarding whether or not they were played close enough to the characters percived in the book. The whole point to any fictional book is that you the reader gets the chance to imagine what each character looks like, so no matter who plays which part, in which movie, there will always be at least one person that doesn't agree with the way in which that character was portraid by the actor. No one is able to make any film exactly like the book, as it is down to the individual's own perceptions of the character and even director's have that right. Besides that - if they followed the book to the letter how long would the movie be?
Once again - clarification noted and appreciated.
You're welcome. I wasn't meaning to be rude or anything and I respect that
others have their own opinions. I was trying to clarify the fact that Tom Cruise's
Lestat wasn't supposed to be cold,heartless,and evil in IWTV. He may have seemed
that way, but that's just from Louis's point of view. He didn't really understand
where Lestat was coming from then. Lestat was just going with his vampiric nature
on to survive you must drink living blood, while Louis was trying to fight it
every step of the way and was ignoring something he really couldn't ignore. Lestat
= Optimist who makes the best of what he's got, while Louis = Pessimist who dwells
on regrets and past actions too much instead of moving forward.
"Have you said your good-byes to the light" -Lestat de Lioncourt
Lestat believes that prostitutes are evil doers I believe... Correct me if im wrong...
My greatest sin has always been that I have a wonderful time being myself -Lestat
I like Stuart Townsed because i just can't picture Tom Cruise as a vampire...he doesn't look good as one in my opinion
"ecky ecky ecky ecky p'kang! zroop! foybin zowzim"
Interview was MUCH more faithful to the book.
But as for who was better suited for the part of Lestat I'd say Stuart.
He was more believeable as a vampire.
Keep in mind this is acknowledging that except for the title and char. names the book qotd and movie are two entirely seperate things.
Perhaps I like qotd movie so much b/c i LOVE anne rice but i didn't paticularly like that book from the chronicles.. My favourite will always be 'the vampire lestat'
I think WB would have done alot better to make a seperate TVL movie a few years back and THEN follow up with a TRUE sequel to that, and make an entire rice movie trilogy.
perhaps they would be much closer to the books then.
yes im rambling on here. but I think stuart did a better job than cruise.
thank you! from what we read in 'The Vampire Lestat' which was also my favourite of the series, Stuart was more of what Anne Rice potrayed Lestat to be. I think if they where to make 'The Vampire Lestat' as a follow up it would be a little more complicated due all the diary type entries, but Stuart would be the perfect role.
sharewow. almost none of the Lestat fans i know - myself included - liked Tom Cruise playing him...really not the best choice. even thinking about it makes me shudder. Brad Pitt as Louis, however, did a very good job. i will concede that Tom Cruise did better portraying Lestat on the screen than i thought he would, but i was still nonplussed at the casting decision. Kirsten Dunst was superb as Claudia.
i won't even go into Queen of the Damned as i found it to be a utter piece of *beep* as a movie adaptation of the two Anne Rice books it attempted to follow, AND as a stand alone vampire flick. Stuart Townsend is a pretty decent actor, thankfully this hasn't set his career back any, heh.
I do love Stuart, but I'd have to go with Tom.
shareRight on Zemutt.
shareI think that tom vruise was a brilliant vampire, and yes did fit the presciption for lestat in the books, but in my opinion stuart townsend pulled off the role fantasticaly. He was sexy and smootha dn looked beautiful as a vampyre.....
(who thought he looked like keira knightly)
x
I totally agree... The only "but" with Tom Cruise maybe would be the age of the actor. Lestat is supposed to be (I don't remember well) between 21-23 years old when he "died". Besides that, Cruise's performance is pretty good (especially when he drives that car while you listen to Guns and Roses' Sympathy for the Devil, awesome), along with Pitt's. In this movie I missed so much the character of Louis! The movie is bad, I'm sad to say. I saw one of my favorite books being made a movie just a bit above lame. What's good to say about it? As I read on one review, the effect of Lestat on people is what it was supposed to be. Maharet's character was pretty good. Akasha wasn't thaaaat bad. But I think that's it :( The story in the movie at times barely resembles the book. I felt the same way when I saw The Man in the Iron Mask. That movie and Queen of the Damned has the same story problems. So sad.
shareI would have to agree with you that Stuart Townsend fits Anne Rice's vision of Lestat better except for the Lack of Blonde hair.
Tom's acting was good but for one, even Anne herself was not to hot at first on the idea of Tom playing the part cause she felt he was not the right hight, and didn't look like her vision of Lestat. Now if one was to ask Anne, (aside from the fact that they BOTCHED her book all to hell with that movie) Stuart would almost be the perfect recreation of Lestat. (Give the man some blonde locks though) He even had Lestat's attitude right. I often wonder if Stuart read the books while working on this movie.
He was Hot thought wasn't he???? LOL
I feel that Tom did a good job, however, I really don't think he has presence that I pictured Lestat would have. Stuart is a great actor however, though not the greatest. Brandon Lee would have been better.
shareI dont think any one is ever going to see an actor perfect for Lestat. Lestat the character is interprited in most peoples imaginations as the most amazing person (Vampire) ever. I dont believe any actor can ever live up to him. Tom did a good job though but Sturart.... no comment!
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Lol. Brandon Lee fan too, no?
Yes, Brandon was extremely talented. Shame he was taken away so soon.
Anyway, back to the topic: I'd have to say that QOTD was a pretty movie, though with no actual plot - and shockingly horrid in comparison to the book. It's not the actors' faults though. Vincent Perez was a brilliant vampire, though nothing like Marius from the novels. Stuart Townsend portrayed a very seductive, dark, hurting vampire, capturing aspects of Lestat beautifully, but Tom Cruise's performance in IWTV also portrayed the upper-class, proud and some-what self-centred sides of Lestat that lace the novels. I'm not a fan of Tom Cruise myself, but I was happily suprised by his portrayal of Lestat.
I agree with earlier comments that both actors suited their roles. Tom wouldn't have been able to pull off QOTD as it was written - and it was written fairly poorly - and Stuart Townsend probably wouldn't have been able to fully embrace Lestat in IWTV.
except that after anne saw tom in interview she wrote a 7 page artical about his performance, I doubt very much she would have done that for townsend after seeing this.
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oh god. i absolutely loved Interview with the vampire.. i thought tom was very charismatic and he made me loath and love Lestat at the same time... When I saw Queen of the damned I had not yet read any of the novels and I had absolutely no idea that Stuart was portraying the same vampire that I had come to love since the time I was about 8 years old.... now having read the books I still am partial to Tom's performance of Lestat. I think given the chance (even though by the time QOTD hit production he was a little old) Tom could've done a spectacular job with this movie........
shareI would have to agree. Tom is awesome. He is so flexible in his acting ability.
I know he wanted to do the Second movie with Anne but his contract would not allow him to work on that film sense it wasn't done within the company he has his contract with.
Lets all hope that Anne takes over and makes it all better by writing first a screen play for The Vampire Lestat, then Queen of the Damned.
I do know she is working on a screen play for The Witching Hour to be a mini series. And she is writing it herself. Maybe she has finally learned not to trust others with her stuff.
Although she wrote the screen play for Interview. Which of course you can tell when you watch it cause it is so close to the book. (I know not exactly)
I feel she is one of the BEST vampire authers of all time.
Aparently Ann Rice did offer them a script when she saw what a mess they were making of QOTD but they didnt accept it! Morons!
We'v got the musical now so hopefully that will erase any bad memories of QOTD and they will be faithful to the books!
I really think they should do the Vampire Chronicles as a series as there is way too much in the to get into even a 3 hour film. Maybe they will make something after the musical when the light has been thrown back onto them.
It's no contest: Stuart Townsend. If you read the books fully as I have, the way Stuart portrayed him is right in line with the Brat Prince Vampire. The prologue at the beginning of the movie where Stuart is reading in voice over is hands down Lestat. The way he moved, spoke, acted...everything. Cruise was just too stilted. Brad Pitt was the perfect Louis. I wonder what would have happened had they filmed QOTD verbatim from the book? Cruise just didn't do it for me. He may have been playing Lestat, but he didn't become Lestat like Stuart did. If you've seen the videos on the DVD, Stuart plays it up brilliantly. One cannot judge QOTD purely by what went before in IWTV. I wasn't too impressed with Aaliya as Akasha. Had they cast Patricia Velasquez who played Ancksunamun from "The Mummy" movies, I'd have said that it was perfect casting.
"Sometimes my ruminations are too confusing for someone not inside my head." =Anon
I agree with you all the way about Stuart,prometheus!
Stu's Lestat was much better than Tom's.
Stuart was the best thing about QOTD and Tom was the only thing I didn't like about IWTV.
DIITO!!!
"Sometimes my ruminations are too confusing for someone not inside my head." =Anon
"Stu's Lestat was much better than Tom's"
ARE U ABSOLUTLEY CRAZY???????? i cant express enough with words how ABOUSOLUTLEY MIND BOGGLINGLY PERFECT tom cruise was the part of lestat!
So you must have read some other books as me.....
shareI've never actually read the books, so I guess I come from a more objective moviegoers audience (the less positive way to say it: a dumbed-down viewer! j/k). Anyway, I thought IWTV and QOTD had very different Lestats! I hated how they kept calling Lestat "List-at" (at like cat) instead of Le-stad (ad as in bod, like Townsend's!). Well, Townsend was definitely LeStud! Damn, he was HOT. Anyway, I thought his Lestat may have been a little simpler (not the performance, the writing) probably because the script wasn't written by Rice. I actually thought Cruise's Lestat was more cruel, much more so. The way he talked to Claudia when he was angry w/ her, or the way he would toy w/ his prey (the one scene w/ the two whores, you know, "I believe I quite exhausted your friend!"--Much more intense, in a more complex way. I think QOTD's script lacked that intensity through complexity).
But Cruise didn't quite have the edge Townsend did. It would flash in his eyes now and then, but Townsend was a lot like a snake, especially when *hunting*. Townsend was sexier, especially because he was more basic, more bestial. I love both Lestats, but I must say perhaps because of my age or interests that Townsend was a lot sexier, and more fun to watch.
The one thing I really missed in QOTD was the "taste in aristocrats" or "wrongdoers"--I guess just having worshipping groupies delivered to him lacked the sadistic sport. Then again, especially in the first groupie scene, the way he sort of stalks them is great--very reminiscent of a snake or a spider (maybe it's just the ceiling thing there).
The funny thing here is that men are supposed to be shallow. Hah!
Also, shut the hell up if you don't know how to pronounce his name. American pronounciation doens't work for other languages...
ya *beep* gay wierdo ass
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How I dislike the shallow minds that only want Townsend because he's prettier. The accent wasn't even French. He had to be told by two different characters that Akasha killed her old king. Each time he was surprised. Townsend didn't read the books. His so called 'Lestat' and I use the name loosely here, mocked Marius for wearing red velvet. He killed innocent groupies! Don't let the director tell you good and evil are 'too abstract.' What was so abstract about feeding on murderers who feel no remorse? Lestat of the books would have found being fed innocent groupies by a greedy mortal to be vulgar. In fact a man who would bring innocent girls to their deaths in exchange for money would be Lestat's ideal victim. Townsend's Lestat, as according to the movie's creators, doesn't believe in good and evil. This is a contradiction against Lestat. Anyone who read the books knows, that if in nothing else, Lestat believes in the value of goodness, which is why he won't feed on it.
Anne Rice, herself, said that Townsend was cold and humourless and not her Lestat, yet she took out pages in veriety to praise Tom Cruise. Tom Cruise put layers of angst to the character. The way he looked out at the street after Luois fled out into the rain, you could tell he was worried for him. The pleading gaze as he says 'Do we forgive each other then?' Townsend was cold and humourless. This is the wrong board to confirm such a thing but it's a fact. Tom Cruise actually read The Vampire Lestat, he even kept the bouts of laughter and frenetic hand gestures. The anger and heroism in how he rescued Louis from the fire. Tom Cruise looked like him, he even had the right accent. I'm not sure what Townsend was playing. Dracula in a leather coat maybe, but not Lestat.
Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask and he'll tell you the truth.
Definately Tom!! He is perfect for Lestat. His whole attitude and everything. I thought Stuart didn't get the character right, and i dont think he's a good actor. but thats only my opinion.
shareFunny you say Stuart didn't get the character right, since Anne Rice thought he did. It's just too bad Stuart couldn't have played Lestat in "Interview." I think there would have been a better dynamic between Brad and Stuart. Cruise got nothing right. He overacted every step of the way and when I read the books now, all I visualize is Stuart Townsend.
"Sometimes my ruminations are too confusing for someone not inside my head." -Anon
= you
"I'm Gentleman Death in silk and lace, come to put out the candles. The canker in the rose." Lestat
Agreed. Patricia Velasquez is goregous. She would have made a great Akasha. But I thought Aaliyah did an adequate job. Few of her lines were a bit off, but she was okay.
sharei do believe that Tom Cruise was a better Lestat, but i couldnt help thinking of him in Top Gun. So i quess that threw me off a bit. But overall he did portray Lestat better in IWTV but in QOTD i think Townsend did a better job than Cruise could have. Townsend got more into the part and played into the "Brat Prince" roll. And he's also got a sexiness to him that Cruise doesnt.
And lets not forget that in both movies, Anne Rice's books were absolutely slaughtered. Especially QOTD, from the fact that they tried to combine 2 in 1.
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I completely agree with kimi kat. Tom fit the book's description of Lestat, and his way to both woo and infuriate you. However, Tom was given the chance to play Lestat in QotD. He declined the role...so if you're wishing Tom was in the movie, blame him and not the directors.
Both were good movies, but I wish Tom had been Lestat in QotD.
I think it should make a difference that Anne Rice said Tom Cruise played Lestat exactly as she envisioned him. But even besides that, are you serious? Stuart Townsend is cool, but this entire movie can't be compared to Interview.
shareWow, defensive--especially Azma. I know IWTV is an infinitely better movie. QOTD was really corny and lame, but I still thought Townsend was interesting. I'm about halfway through "The Vampire Lestat" and I think that Townsend, especially physically, was more like the Lestat I envision, though in the QOTD movie he was a little too simple. But especially the way he spoke in his little beginning monologue about how times had changed seemed very fitting for the first 10 pgs of the book (TVL).
I haven't read IWTV, but from the way Lestat talks about Louis' representation of him, I guess Cruise is more fitting for Louis' point of view. But in many scenes he just seems a little too cruel for the Lestat in TVL. He was still great though.
Being a fan from the 1980's, I personally disliked Tom Cruise as Lestat. He wasn't European nor androgenous enough. I actually thought Stewart got the quintessence of Lestat mystique. I thought he made a much better Lestat even though both directors slaughtered Anne Rice's books. But then, that's Hollywood for ya. I usually stick with independent flicks. Better stories, better plots, hungry fresh actors.
WORDS OF WISDOM - Never vomit in a wicker trashcan.
... That alone tells me Hollywood (and especially Jordan) got it right in that instance...
Four minutes ahead of schedule. Damn, I'm good...
Umm, howlin_wolf or whatever, 'androgenous' means: 1: relating to or exhibiting both female and male sex organs but with a predominantly female appearance 2: of or related to androgenesis. So are you just trying to sound all educated by throwing in a big word? Oh and that sentence with the word 'mystique' in it could've been worded better O_o
// 'The hands? The cutting off of the hands?' //
... and I never used that term; nor any sentence with the word 'mystique' in it, either... so methinks you must be referring to someone else...
I could never take a chance, on losing love to find romance.
Townsend... his Lestat was credible, he had a core and not only a surface... IMHO, of course
shareI hear ya Janilani--My thing is just variety. Hollywood muck can be fluffy and fun sometimes, but you have to have an interesting diet of film. There are so many reasons why indies are so much better. The old hollywood mantra is that 'the problem w/ film as a business is that it's an art, and the problem with film as an art is that it's a business.' When push comes to shove, in the indie world, it's the art that prevails--not the business. That's the essence of indie... but I digress.
What does IMHO mean?
*It's a shame about raisins*
sorry to use acronyms... IMHO: in my humble opinion
*what is the shame about raisins?*
I guess this is off topic, but have u ever seen "Benny and Joon"? One of my favorite movies. It has some great dialogue, and one is this conversation about Raisins... Raisins are just humiliated grapes! And it's sick how advertisements exploit dancing raisins to sell their products... etc. You should see it tho, it's the cutest movie. You too Janilani, if u haven't, cuz it has a very indie feel. It's just quirky, endearing, well-written, and definitely not hollywood dreck. Johnny Depp has the coolest performance, and his character is just great, very original.
shareStuart Townsend's portrayal of Lestat was completely off the mark. i got the feeling he hadn't read the books. The Lestat in QOTD was a shallow, hollow shell of the Lestat in Interview or the books. He didn't possess the depth that Lestat had. Lestat is a tortured soul- he hates being a vampire as much as Louis does, but he's come to the conclusion that he is what he is and he can either hate it or embrace it. You didn't get that from Stuart's performance. Besides, you honestly cannot compare Stuart's talent to Tom's. Stuart simply cannot compare. Tom is truly gifted, and portrays every character with deft skill and the ability to truly allow one to see the many layers to the character. Stuart is simply mediocre, he doesn't have the charisma and star-power that Cruise has. He won't last as Tom has, nor will his performances, they're easily forgotten. Anne Rice loved Tom's portrayal of Lestat. I don't think she was impressed by anything in QOTD. The movie was a terrible.
“That innocence, that sweet naïve ignorance...that is humanity.”
his acting in IWTV completely changed my opinion of tom cruise. i've always hated (and still hate) stuff like "mission impossible" and "top gun", and based on these films i didn't like tom much. before i watched IWTV i was like "why HIM?!" but afterwards i was totally... "enthralled" o.O or to put it differently: i was surprised to see tom actually ACTING and not grinning throughout an entire movie. stuart townsend's performance in QOTD, on the other hand, didn't impress me at all. to be honest, i don't even remember much of it. so i must confess tom's my favourite here.
shareMy opinion: I think that Stuart is a better actor, I think that he had the attitude that Lestat really would have, and I think he was terrific, and way better than Tom, the only thing is that Tom had the blonde hair that was in the books, and Stuart didn't. I honestly think the Brown hair was better. Also, things don't have to be exactly like in the books.
OVERALL, MY PICK!: STUART TOWNSEND!
All hail:
QueenAkasha
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hey i thought stuart townsend did an excelent job in the movie qotd in the end of the movie my mind was convinced that stuart was actually a vampire which may sound silly to some but realistic to me. the whole attitude thing through out the movie was incredible.. one minute he would seem so nice and others his attitude would completley change the whole story around making you think twice befor aproaching him. i havn't read the books but watched the movie closley 26 times in one day and noticed every word that was said by townsend and in my own oppinion he convinced me that lestats is a vampire with an attitude in the interview with the vampire i didn't feel the connection which i felt in qotd im not just saying that because i thought stuart was a better actor its becasue i like qotd better.. people are going on about stuart apperance in the movie qotd sure he may of not had blonde hair and blue eyes but i found his appearnce was much better the interview with the vampire becasue it was more realistic and you could see where the angle of the movie was coming from.. thats all vote stuart ppl..
shareoff topic: thank you for directing my attention to it - I have seen Benny and Joon, but that scene escaped me.
shareFor me that's actually a difficult question. Both films had their faults (although IWTV was much better). In Interview, Tom Cruise's Lestat didn't have the accent, that's what reeeally bugged me. Although, he portrayed Lestat as the evil monster (is that too harsh? sorry if it is lol) he was before he changed and decided only to feed on evil doers very well. QOTD sucked. They totally butchered the book and turned it into one long rock video (although, saying that, the thing I loved about the movie was the music teehee). I do believe however that Stuart's Lestat was very accurate, much closer to 'The Brat Prince' that he is in the books. Especially his monologue at the start, that was very true to the character. Also, he had an accent, when I first heard it I thought 'yessss!', then went on to think 'ooh how sexy is that??'... anyway lol. I didn't like the fact that in the film he fed on groupies, and not just evil doers. Then he went on to kill an innocent woman (she wasn't even a groupie! she wasn't begging for it), I know it was to prove a point to Jessie, but wouldn't you think that Lestat would've told her that he survives on evil doers blood, and that if she became a vampire, she could do the same? Ahh ignore me, my train of thought is a runaway people...
It's almost like a double sided sword IMHO. I can't choose... I'll have em both hehe! I'd let them bite me anytime (ooh, two at once, hehehe...)
Hannibal: "Where're you going? This is supposed to be a rescue!"
Blade: "I forgot my sword..." - Blade: Trinity trailer
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|Even Keanu Reeves could have acted better than Tom Cruise in that part.|
Now that's a harsh comment on which I must totally disagree!
They both played Lestat on a different but magnificent way!
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Clouds roll by, and I roll with them...
This is completly off topic but it is a shame about raisins. They're just humiliated grapes u know.
STUART! So much better, sexier, BY FAR, and tom just ticked me off in the whole movie, I wanted him to die, over and over, and over. Sorry, but he just butchered Lestat, even with the blonde hair and appearance matching the book, Stuart was much better looking, my God, I can watch him in that movie ALL day.
share... the true LeStat appeared in the first movie...
Four minutes ahead of schedule. Damn, I'm good...
at first when i started to read this message board i was like im not going to have to comment it will be obvious that tom cruise was 10 times better but now i see people actually enjoyed stuarts preformance. maybe i need to watch just to see his performance seeing as queen was such a piece of crap and interview was one of the better vampire movies that has ever graced the screen. i just thought tom cruise played into the part very well he seemed wicked when he needed to be and funny as well. like when louie burns down the house and they have to go sleep in a cemetary and le stat thinks it is just horribley disgusting. he still has some brat in him but he is just so damn cool. so it is apparent that tom cruise played a much better le stat.
"THERE'S STILL LIFE IN THE OLD LADY YET"- LE STAT
I liked Stuart Townsend, i thought he pulled off the role well. I didn't see anything wrong with his performance, and if I were Jesse i would want to be a vampire to live forever with him too!
shareWhat about neither. Stuart Townsend looks nothing like lestat. Tom cruise is good as Lestat almost brings a slight comedy elment to the role but he is half the height of lestat .
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