“When it came to casting the role of the Vampire Lestat in the much anticipated screen adaptation of Anne Rice’s best seller Interview with the Vampire, River Phoenix was the author’s first choice. She felt that Phoenix, with his mysteriously haunted yet fragile quality was perfect to play the Vampire and fought for him to get the part. It was the first big-budget Hollywood movie for Irish Neil Jordan. Jordan was at the mercy of the studio, who wanted proven box-office star Tom Cruise for the starring role. They agreed to give Phoenix the lesser role of Malloy, the narrator, as a consolation prize. Rice was furious when Cruise was cast and went public to complain about his being the wrong choice”
– Lost in Hollywood: The Fast Times and Short Life of River Phoenix (1995)
OMG A+++ I love the first few notes, I love the lyrics, perf. Dude I think you’ve given me a new fave band!
Totes Dan pining after Armand. TOTES.
[Verse 1] For if we ain’t got the time I tell ya baby I don’t think we’re doing fine We just haven’t got a clue I keep my love I want my blood inside of you
[Chorus] Do you think I’m cute? Well it’s too late to check And I don’t care You got your tongue against my neck Do you like my style? Have you seen my shoes? Cause they’ve been ripped to shit From walking the world for you
One of the great things about fiction is that we can revisit how we feel about characters at different points in our lives. I know I felt differently about Claudia as I got older. I think I had an idea of what she felt when I first read IWTV, but as an adult I can better understand how devastating it must have been for her, and how frustrating for her ‘parents’ who were unable to help guide her in any significant way re: the fact that she would never physically age ;A;
With Daniel, I admit he’s not one of the characters I engaged with as much as others, so I can’t really speak specifically to your comments about him. You may change your opinion again as you get older, too. I always liked that he seemed to fly by the seat of his pants, and was ballsy enough to just keep asking for what he wanted, knowing Armand wouldn’t give it to him. That even in his darkest moments, he demonstrated an inquisitive nature, and was obviously capable of giving/receiving love. That’s inspiring, at least to me.
He’s one of the first VC characters (Jesse is another one) who we get to spend significant time with in canon as a mortal, and get an idea about what it’s like to get involved with vampires; it can’t be easy to just sit down and be quiet when you have one of these supernatural beings fixated on you!
Hey anon! I’m sorry that this took so long, but I’m very passionate about my boy Daniel
Favorite thing about them: Daniel is the most real out of the entire cast of characters in the series, to me. He is the one with the most real thoughts, the most real concerns, the most real emotions, and the most real motivations. It makes him the most down-to-earth being out of the entire coven, yes, even with his flaws. The other vampires have motivations to either suppress internal conflicts (David, Gabrielle, Louis), or to live up to expectations of who they think they should be (Armand, Marius, LESTAT especially). Daniel, at his core, is honest, for better or for worse, and that makes him very compelling in a literary series where both of the central narrators have their authenticity questioned by fans.
Least favorite thing about them: More like, my least favorite thing Anne did to him which was to complete push the easily most interesting character and the most narratively USEFUL character to the side. Daniel, not Louis or Lestat, is the audience’s window to the vampire world. He’s the one that is eased into his transition and our experience of that transition is open for our comprehension needs (which also is the reason why his “insanity” later makes NO sense). David cannot be argued the same as he is not as invested in the vampire world as Daniel was, and his transition was sudden and “unwanted.” It is also because of Daniel’s honesty that we can trust his vision into this world the most. And none of this was utilized.
“there is a very black and white viewpoint on him, especially when it comes to his mental illness, his addictive habits, and his queerness. i don’t think daniel leans feminine or masculine in his queer expression. i don’t think the fans have to 100% sympathize with daniel’s substance addiction, and refuse to condemn it or look at it objectively, in order to have compassion for him as a character and for his struggles that lead to said addiction. i don’t think daniel needs to be painted so tragically–he has a degree of ownership in his decisions and recognizes and even loves the weight of them, but these decisions should be considered open-mindedly by us as well. daniel is not evil, but daniel loves the dark, and we should not forget this.“
Honestly, anyone in winter fashion is so immediately endearing. I love using pictures as desktops and phone backgrounds so image manips or fanart of this kind of theme would be excellent.
Well I hope this makes a good wallpaper! We’ve got the gang in winter gear circa post-QTOD, having a romp in the snow in Paris (or wherever!)… who’s responsible for crashing the boy’s sled is up for debate okay fine it’s Lestat, but to be fair, Daniel was probably messing with his concentration… Gabrielle is a much safer sled-driver, hence Louis rides with her ;D
They’re not sledding in daylight, there’s just really powerful lighting on the mountain. REALLY powerful.
What an interesting ship that could have been, too. Daniel could have brought out Louis’ sense of humor, which he DOES have. Daniel basically did ask Louis to turn him and got majorly rejected. Louis was only interested in a kayak for one at that time, or to draw Lestat out from wherever he was by painting him as a horrible monster to provoke him into breaking out a can of whoop-ass or correct the record, or both.
I-want-my-IWTV 