The first season of AMC's acclaimed adaptation of Anne Rice's Interview With The Vampire concluded over the weekend, and the intense episode's final moments featured a surprising twist.
In the previous episode, Daniel Molloy remembered seeing Louis' "assistant" Rashid when they first met over 40 years earlier before their initial interview, which would, of course, make the still youthful Rashid a vampire.
Then, after Louis recounts how he and Claudia managed to defeat Lestat (crucially, Louis prevents the younger vampire from killing his maker), it comes to light that Rashid is actually "the vampire Armand."
If you've read the novel, you'll know that this marks a significant change to the story, as Louis and Armand had parted ways long before Molloy entered the picture. That said, this show does also serve as a sequel of sorts, since the ageing journalist is actually supposed to be re-interviewing the vampire.
During an interview with SKPop.com (via FearHQ.com), Rashid/Armand actor Assad Zaman revealed when he first realized he was really playing a 500-year-old vampire.
"Halfway through I had a meeting with Rolin. I was all the way through thinking, why is he sitting down to have a meeting about Rashid when he should be thinking about Louis and Lestat and Claudia and Daniel? And then in that meeting, he was like, okay, so we want to do a few more rounds with you, and we wanted to test a few things out because Rashid is Armand, and all the way through this meeting, my hands are like clenching on the seat going, don't lose your sh*t."
As for what season 2 may hold for Armand, if Zaman knows anything, he's keeping it under his hat!
"I think from that, I'm kind of hesitant to say too much more, because I'm in a unique position here. These guys have had a chance to sort of flower their characters and go then. I have been Rashid most of the time and I've only kind of been on for this tiny, one beat. And even though he has lived in Rashid in those other scenes in small ways, but it's going to be exciting for me as well, like really surprising to see. See where it goes. And I don't know. I really don't know. So, sorry."
What did you guys make of the first season of Interview With The Vampire and the big finale twist?