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Characters in Interview with the Vampire, the new hit series from AMC, may appear suave and elegant on the outside, but these undead beings struggle with the complications of immortality, as revealed by the legendary Anne Rice in The Vampire Chronicles series several years ago.
Claudia is perhaps the most tragic figure from Interview with the Vampire, an adult stuck in a child's body, a cursed being who longs to experience life to the fullest. With her bloodlust and insatiable appetite, she is indeed a complicated character, and yet, Bailey Bass takes on this challenging role as if she was born for it.
We at SK POP spoke to the Interview with the Vampire actress about Kirsten Dunst's original portrayal of Claudia and the glorious burden of immortality. Read on for more.
Bailey Bass was a fan of the loud and unapologetic Kirsten Dunst in Interview with the Vampire (1994)
While the rest of the main cast did not base their performance on Neil Jordan's 1994 film, Bass watched it to embody the character of Claudia:
"As someone who wasn’t as familiar with the novel and the movie when I was auditioning, when I got my second call back…watching the movie was the fastest way I could be familiar. And it made me fall in love with Claudia again."
The unabashedness of Kirsten Dunst's performance intensified Bailey's desire to sink her teeth into the AMC rendition of Interview with the Vampire:
"I was already excited to get it far along in the audition process but to know that…seeing Kirsten Dunst’s performance and seeing how loud and unapologetic Claudia was made me even more excited to play her."
But, Anne Rice's universe is far more than just bloodthirst and period costumes. It delves into the philosophy of good and evil, and how immortality affects one and all. While her companions from the show mentioned their own thoughts on it in a previous interview, Bailey said that she would walk into the sun. For those in the dark (no pun intended), this is how vampires meet their end.
"I would just walk into the sun. I mean to be honest…to be never…maybe it’s just because I’m so young and I haven’t experienced a lot. I think life is precious because we don’t get to live forever. There’s such a limited amount of time. And that’s why it’s so wonderful."
The Interview with the Vampire actor went on to state how she'd want a companion if she were blessed (read: cursed) with the burden of immortality. But, what if there are disagreements? What would it be like to stay with someone who doesn't like you for all eternity?
"I’d probably want to turn someone to have like a spouse. But then like Jacob is saying – what if they don’t like you? And then it’s like you’re stuck together. That’s just miserable."
In this new adaptation of Interview with the Vampire, we have a new Claudia, and she's doing an exceptional job playing the iconic character. One wonders if, in twenty years, her performance will be considered the gold standard.
Catch Bailey Bass in Interview with the Vampire, in the tail-end of the first season every Sunday on AMC!
