“The transformation, for me, was quite a key beat in this guy’s journey.”

Why *The Vampire Lestat *star Sam Reid was ‘pissed’ when he read episode 3

"The transformation, for me, was quite a key beat in this guy's journey."

By Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at **, where she’s worked for more than 12 years covering television.

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June 21, 2026 10:00 p.m. ET

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Sam Reid in episode 3 of 'The Vampire Lestat'. Credit:

Sophie Giraud/AMC

- Sam Reid was not happy when he first read the third episode of *The Vampire Lestat*.

- The star wasn't sure about the handling of Lestat's vampire transition.

- As Reid says, "Then I read it, and I was like, 'F--- you, man. Are you serious?"

**This article contains spoilers from episode 3 of* The Vampire Lestat*, "Toronto."**

Even Sam Reid was surprised by some of the choices in *The Vampire Lestat*.

When the star first read the season's third episode — which features the story of Lestat's (Reid) transition — he wasn't too happy. As showrunner Rolin Jones puts it, the series gave the sequence an "80s music video" treatment playing Magnus's (Damien Atkins) obsession for laughs as Lestat sings the song "Your Biggest Fan."

"Sam's talked about this moment where he threw the script across the room and then took a walk," Jones tells * *before adding, "He hadn't finished the episode yet."

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Reid is quick to agree about his reaction to the pivotal moment for his character. "I was pissed about script three," the actor says. "The transformation, for me, was quite a key beat in this guy's journey. They were going to do it with this ridiculous song. I was like, 'Whoa, that's a really crazy Taylor Swift take on a very abusive transformation. Is that what this is?' Then I read it, and I was like, 'F--- you, man. Are you serious? How am I supposed to do this? How are we going to do this?'"

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"The Vampire Lestat" episode 3.

Sophie Giraud/AMC

But, as Jones had noted, he hadn't yet finished the episode, which does ultimately take the moment seriously as Lestat, haunted by Magnus, recalls the brutality of the traumatic experience to the point that he crashes his car to get away from it. "Then obviously, you get to the end and it's a much better payoff," Reid admits. "I was just blown away, really."

Once again, a bold swing has paid off for the vampire drama.

*The Vampire Lestat *releases new episodes on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC.

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Source: “EW Drama”