In The Vampire Lestat episode three, we got to meet the vampire who made Lestat. Some parts campy, some parts monstrous, all parts incredibly acted by Damien Atkins, Magnus brought a new level of intensity to the story. And Lestat’s song about his maker, “Your Biggest Fans,” is widely regarded as one of the best The Vampire Lestat songs of all. In the wake of Magnus’ harrowing appearance on The Vampire Lestat, Nerdist spoke to Damien Atkins about bringing the love-sick vampire to life, his designs for Lestat, and whether or not he has any agency as a ghost. You can check out our full interview with Magnus below.
Nerdist: In The Vampire Lestat song,”Your Biggest Fan,” we get Lestat’s interpretation of what he believes Magnus felt when he turned him into a vampire. How much of that do you think is accurate to Magnus himself?
That’s such a great question because I actually think it’s very accurate. I think for Lestat to have written this song, it’s like an act of rebellion, but it’s also actually it made me feel seen. I think it’s actually kind of a weirdly compassionate thing for Lestat to have done.
And even though Magnus is a monster, particularly to Lestat, it’s just another excellent example of how the show is just a very mature show that can have both those things at the same time, right? You are a monster to me, and I also have some insight into your heart, right?
Yeah, that’s beautiful. So Magnus is quite antagonistic to Lestat when he appears to haunt him in the present day. Lestat tells him, “You’ve got your song, go away,” and he kind of just laughs. What do you think kind of Magnus’s apparition wants from his fledgling or vice versa?
Damien Atkins: That’s fascinating. I mean, because the question is, does Lestat summon him or does he have his own free will, right? I mean, I have to sort of play it like I’m doing it, but it’s a show about perspectives. So the question was, what does he want?
Well, Sam [Reid] would know best why he thinks he summons me, but it feels like it has something to do with exorcising me. I saw an interview that Sam did where he was talking about Lestat as an optimist, someone who is a fighter who wants to push through things, and get over things, and improve things. And so yeah, maybe you summon the original abuser to kind of punish or forgive or get past them. I think Magnus has his own reasons for haunting Lestat, and, for me, I chose him for a reason. It’s a pretty dark ethos and philosophy, and I think there is some impatience, some disapproval that he hasn’t lived up to what I know he can live up to. I think the story kind of proves me right. I think he’s the chosen one, and I keep saying, “Why aren’t you doing what you know you can do?
I think that’s probably where I’m coming from a little bit, where Magnus is coming from. Whether it’s fair, no. Is it healthy? Absolutely not.
Why do you feel is the reason that you mentioned? Why did Magnus choose Lestat?
Damien Atkins: There is something about, in the book, that he’s been through dozens of blonde men. It’s… like this weird… don’t know if Rice is consciously referencing a sort of Aryan philosophy or something. I don’t know. But there seems to be a combination of what Magnus would consider beautiful, but also brave. I mean, I say “Brave Little Wolf Killer.” So I think it has to be something about that bravery and charisma.
I think this is the guy we need. This is the guy who’s going to kick off the revolution. But this is Damien’s interpretation.
You think Magnus is thinking about a revolution when he turns Lestat?
Damien Atkins: Yeah. I mean, in the end, that was what was in my head. I wasn’t in Anne Rice’s head, and I don’t know if Rolin and Hannah would… I don’t know if that’s their intention. And in the end, that’s more important. Their intention is key, they are the drivers, but that was something I could play. That was a reason to be demanding of this of him, to go, “It’s not just about you.”
Like a vampire revolution?
Damien Atkins: Yeah, that was what was in my head.
In Anne Rice’s books, Magnus actually comes back as a real ghost down the line. Do you think that this Magnus in The Vampire Lestat series was just a figment of Lestat’s imagination or could he be a real ghost?
Damien Atkins: I think he could be a real ghost. We’ll have to wait. Yeah. Yeah. It’s that kind of universe, right? Both things are potent, right? Yeah. Because it’s so real inside his head, but yeah, it’s a crazy universe.
It definitely is. Magnus notoriously throws himself into the fire after making Lestat his air. Why do you think he just made him and then decided to die?
Damien Atkins: Oh yeah, that’s such a great question. It’s because it’s a bit of a mystery in the book, right? I mean, what I get from the book is that he’s tired, that he entered this life late, and he wants to leave a legacy, but he wants to do it right. Like he’s done years of work to find the right person. Maybe he wants to find that pure love moment, which does happen in the book. Lestat talks very tenderly about sort of holding him after he sort of sucked all of his blood out, that he feels real love for this ugly, sick old man.
So maybe what Magnus wants is to feel that, and then peace out before it gets ruined.
The fans are quite interested in knowing where Magnus got his fan art portrait of Lestat. What do you think?
Damien Atkins: Oh, that’s so great. I think I drew it myself. I think there’s a lot of discarded, terrible versions of it.
One perfect drawing.
Damien Atkins: Yeah. I took my time.
Magnus is what I might call campy, but also terrifying all at once. How did you kind of find that balance between being really scary and dark but also somewhat comedic?
Damien Atkins: For me, it’s all in the same kind of tapestry of behaviors. Magnus is love-sick for Lestat, right? And human beings, when they are love-sick, can be pathetic, can be very sweet, can be ridiculous, can be scary. And a lot of people are campy in the privacy of their room or in front of the mirror with a brush, doing a lip sync. I think it is actually just a part of the spectrum of human experience. I don’t know. When you put a big love in your heart, you will act out in lots of different ways. That’s what I was thinking. So it all felt quite natural.
Like, “Of course, now I do a video.” You know what I mean? “Of course. Now I’m standing here with a thing of flowers crying, of course.” And you love somebody or you’re infatuated, let’s say, you are insane. That’s why they call it love-sick. We take that word for granted, but it’s sickening. It’s not necessarily a good feeling. It’s sickening. Your body has a reaction.
The Vampire Lestat airs on AMC and AMC+, Sundays at 9 pm ET/PT and midnight, respectively. You can snag The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice to read, if you’d like to know a little bit more about what’s going on.
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