Imagine Brad Pitt walking away from Interview with the Vampire, the film that helped cement his superstar status. Wild, right? But back in 1994, Pitt almost did just that. Feeling “miserable” during production, he was ready to bail—until a hefty $40 million price tag to exit kept him locked in.
The gothic adaptation of Anne Rice’s bestseller is now a cult classic, with Pitt playing the brooding Louis de Pointe du Lac opposite Tom Cruise’s flamboyant Lestat de Lioncourt. But as much as fans loved his performance, Pitt wasn’t exactly basking in the vampire vibes on set. “Six months in the f***ing dark,” he called it, describing his time as Louis as “the bitch role.” Ouch.
So, what was the deal? According to Pitt, he envisioned Louis as a more active and layered character. Instead, the script handed to him—just two weeks before filming—put him in a passive, tormented position. The movie’s director, Neil Jordan, backed this up in a recent interview with Variety. He said that Louis’ pain mirrored what Pitt felt during those endless, gloomy night shoots.
“Louis suffers, and so did Brad,” Jordan explained. “The character spends 300 years being punished. Brad had to carry that heaviness, and it affected him deeply. If the physical toll of working nocturnal hours wasn’t bad enough, the emotional weight of Louis’ journey added to Pitt’s misery. His character loses his family, unwillingly becomes a vampire, and navigates heartbreak—especially when Claudia, played by a young Kirsten Dunst, meets a fiery end.
Jordan admitted he didn’t lighten the mood on set, saying Pitt had to “endure the entire production.” The tipping point? Pitt reportedly approached producers about quitting. But when told it’d cost him $40 million to walk away, he reluctantly stayed. Talk about a golden cage. “I had no choice,” Pitt once said.
Despite his struggles, Brad Pitt delivered a performance that added depth to Louis’ tortured existence. While he felt overshadowed by Cruise—calling the movie more of a “Tom Cruise vehicle”—the film turned out to be both a critical and box-office success. Interview with the Vampire may not rank among Pitt’s favorite projects, but it paved the way for some of his best work.
The following year, he headlined Se7en and 12 Monkeys, launching himself firmly into Hollywood’s elite. Today, Interview with the Vampire remains a fan-favorite, even as AMC’s TV adaptation breathes new life into the franchise. While Pitt’s memories of playing Louis might not be all sunshine (pun intended), it’s a role fans still hold close to their hearts.
So, next time you see Brad Pitt brooding as Louis, remember: it almost didn’t happen. But thanks to a hefty payout clause and a bit of perseverance, Interview with the Vampire became the classic we know today.
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