71-562: Neil Patrick Jordan (born 25 February 1950) is an Irish film director, screenwriter, novelist and short-story writer. He first achieved recognition for his short story collection, Night in Tunisia , which won the Guardian Fiction Prize in 1979. After a stint working at RTÉ , he made his directorial debut with the 1982 film Angel . His best-known films include the crime thrillers Mona Lisa (1986) and The Crying Game (1992),
142-484: A BA in History. He became involved in student theatre there, where he met Jim Sheridan , who also was later to become an important Irish film director. Of his religious background, Jordan said in a 1999 Salon interview: "I was brought up a Catholic and was quite religious at one stage in my life, when I was young. But it left me with no scars whatever; it just sort of vanished." He said about his current beliefs that "God
213-556: A November record, and placing it in the number one position at the US box office above The Santa Clause , which opened with $ 19.3 million. However, some in the industry disputed the figure and the range of estimates by others were from $ 34 to $ 37 million. At that time, Interview with the Vampire had the fifth-highest three-day opening weekend of all time, behind Jurassic Park , Batman Returns , The Lion King and Batman . Its opening
284-728: A complicated, dark, dangerous movie and get a big budget for it. Vampire movies were traditionally made at the lower end of the scale, on a shoestring, on rudimentary sets. David Geffen is very powerful and he poured money into Interview . I wanted to make it on an epic scale of something like Gone with the Wind . Jordan also cited Francis Ford Coppola 's Dracula as an influence: Up to that point, Francis Ford Coppola with Bram Stoker’s Dracula , he introduced opulence and theatricality. Normally, before that one, I always thought of vampire movies as cheap, cobbled together, brilliant use of minimal resources. Francis made it this epic, didn’t he? So when I
355-460: A darkly captivating roue who's seen it all". The Washington Post ' s Rita Kempley said "Cruise brings a wicked wit to the ghoulish role" of Lestat. The Chicago Sun-Times ' Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars, writing "the movie never makes vampirism look like anything but an endless sadness. That is its greatest strength. Vampires throughout movie history have often chortled as if they'd gotten away with something. But
426-447: A dedication to Phoenix after the end credits. Ten-year-old actress Kirsten Dunst was spotted by talent scouts and was the first girl tested for the role of Claudia. Said producer Stephen Woolley : "We started looking at 6-year-olds, which is about Claudia's age in the book, but the role is too demanding for a 6-year-old. We needed a child with a mind capable of grasping the fine points of the difficult monologues Claudia has, and Kirsten
497-502: A little girl whose mother died in the plague. To entice Louis to stay with him, Lestat turns the dying girl, Claudia , into a vampire. Together, they raise her as a daughter. Louis has a love for Claudia, while Lestat spoils and treats her more as a pupil, training her to become a merciless killer. Thirty years pass, and Claudia matures psychologically but remains a little girl in appearance and continues to be treated as such by Lestat. When she realizes that she will never grow older or become
568-465: A long time to tell them that they should just reverse these roles—have Brad Pitt play Lestat and have Tom Cruise play Louis. Of course, they don't listen to me." Eventually, Rice became satisfied with Cruise's performance after seeing the completed film, saying that "from the moment he appeared, Tom was Lestat for me" and "that Tom did make Lestat work was something I could not see in a crystal ball." She called Cruise to compliment him and admit that she
639-426: A mature woman, she is furious with Lestat and tells Louis that they should leave him. She tricks Lestat into drinking the "dead blood" of twin boys whom she killed by overdose with laudanum , which weakens Lestat, and then she slits his throat. Though Louis is shocked and upset, he helps Claudia dump Lestat's body in a swamp. They spend weeks planning a voyage to Europe to search for other vampires, but Lestat returns on
710-410: A realistic thriller/romance, and Breakfast on Pluto is a much more episodic, stylised, darkly comic biography. Jordan also frequently tells stories about children or young people, such as The Miracle and The Butcher Boy . While his pictures are most often grounded in reality, he occasionally directs more fantastic or dreamlike films, such as The Company of Wolves , High Spirits , Interview with
781-530: A relationship with architect Mary Donohoe. Jordan lives in Dalkey , Dublin. In 1996, Neil Jordan was honoured with receiving the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres . He has received many honorary doctorates, most notably from Trinity College Dublin , University College Dublin , and Queen's University Belfast . In 2009, he signed a petition in support of director Roman Polanski , calling for his release after he
SECTION 10
#1732858209275852-462: A strong, incestuous attraction. Interview with the Vampire , like the Anne Rice book it was based on, focused on the intense, intimate interpersonal relationship of two undead men who murder humans nightly (although the pair never have sex, they are clearly lovers of a sort), accompanied by an equally complex vampire woman who is eternally trapped in the body of a little girl. While Lestat ( Tom Cruise )
923-451: A surfeit of gothic thrills." On Metacritic , the film holds a score of 62 out of 100 based on reviews from 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale. Critics praised the film's production design, cinematography, and special effects, as well as the performances of Cruise and Dunst. Of Cruise, Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote
994-517: A theatrical reboot were scrapped, with Rice announcing she had regained the rights to her novels and intends to create a television series starting with The Vampire Lestat . On June 24, 2021, AMC announced a television adaptation of Interview with the Vampire , giving a series order consisting of seven episodes. The series was created by Rolin Jones , who executive produced alongside Mark Johnson , Alan Taylor , Anne Rice, and Christopher Rice. The novel
1065-424: A vampire and asks Louis to rejoin him, but Louis declines and leaves. Louis concludes his interview with Molloy, prompting Molloy to beseech Louis to make him his new vampire companion. Louis is outraged that Molloy has not understood the tale of suffering he has related and attacks Molloy to scare him into abandoning the idea. Molloy runs to his car and takes off while playing the cassette tapes of Louis' interview. On
1136-466: A vampire. The narrative is framed by a present-day interview, in which Louis tells his story to a San Francisco reporter ( Christian Slater ). The supporting cast features Antonio Banderas and Stephen Rea . The film was released in November 1994 to generally positive reviews and was a commercial success. It received two Oscar nominations for Best Art Direction and Best Original Score . Kirsten Dunst
1207-651: A wealthy plantation owner in 1791 Louisiana . Despondent following the death of his wife and unborn child, he drunkenly wanders the waterfront of New Orleans one night and is attacked by the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt . Lestat senses Louis' dissatisfaction with life and offers to turn him into a vampire. Louis accepts, but quickly comes to regret it. While Lestat revels in the hunt and killing of humans, Louis resists his instinct to kill to Lestat's annoyance, instead drinking animal blood to sustain himself. Eventually, amid an outbreak of plague in New Orleans, Louis feeds on
1278-428: A writing credit. The themes of Catholic guilt which pervade the novel attracted Jordan, who called the story "the most wonderful parable about wallowing in guilt that I'd ever come across. But these things are unconscious, I don't have an agenda." With David Geffen producing, the movie was given a $ 70 million budget, unprecedented for a film in the vampire genre. Jordan stated that: It's not very often you can make
1349-464: Is depicted in an attractive but villainous manner, his partner Louis ( Brad Pitt ) and the child vampire Claudia ( Kirsten Dunst ) are meant to capture the audience's sympathy despite their predatory nature. In the remake of The End of the Affair , two people ( Ralph Fiennes and Julianne Moore ) engage in a love affair that will end as suddenly as it started, with both not wanting its end. In addition to
1420-478: Is the greatest imaginary being of all time. Along with Einstein 's General Theory of Relativity , the invention of God is probably the greatest creation of human thought." Neil Jordan's career began in the late 1970s working for the Irish television channel, RTÉ . Included in his work was writing storylines for the children's fantasy series, Wanderly Wagon . His first collection of short stories, Night in Tunisia ,
1491-604: Is the recipient of numerous accolades for his film work, including an Academy Award , two BAFTA Awards , three IFTA Film & Drama Awards , a Golden Lion and a Silver Bear . In 1996, he was honoured with receiving the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres . Jordan was born in Sligo , the son of Angela (née O'Brien), a painter, and Michael Jordan, a professor. He was educated at St. Paul's College, Raheny . Later, Jordan attended University College Dublin , where he studied Irish history and English literature. He graduated in 1972 with
SECTION 20
#17328582092751562-543: The Golden Gate Bridge , Lestat appears and attacks Molloy, taking control of the car. Revived by Molloy's blood, Lestat offers him the choice that Lestat "never had"—whether or not to become a vampire—and, laughing, continues driving. The rights to Rice's novel were initially purchased by Paramount Pictures in April 1976, shortly before the book was published. However, the script lingered in development hell for years, with
1633-539: The 1980s, he directed films that won him acclaim, including The Company of Wolves and Mona Lisa , both made in England. The Company of Wolves , a dark and sexually-themed reimagining of the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale based on short stories by Angela Carter , became a cult favourite. As a writer/director, Jordan has a highly idiosyncratic body of work, ranging from mainstream hits like Interview with
1704-447: The Devil " was performed by Guns N' Roses . This was the band's last major release before the departure of Slash and Duff McKagan . After the commercial and critical success of Interview with the Vampire , Neil Jordan began development on an adaptation of the novel's sequel, The Vampire Lestat , which ultimately did not materialize. Almost a decade after this film, an adaptation for
1775-513: The Parisian vampires abduct the three of them and punish them for Lestat's murder, imprisoning Louis in an iron coffin to starve to death slowly and trapping Claudia and Madeleine in a chamber, where sunlight burns them to ash. Armand does nothing to prevent this, but the next day he frees Louis. Seeking revenge, Louis returns to the theater at dawn and sets it on fire; killing all the vampires including Santiago. Armand arrives in time to help Louis escape
1846-541: The Théâtre des Vampires, where vampires stage theatrical horror shows for humans. On their way out of the theater, Santiago reads Louis' mind and suspects that Louis and Claudia murdered Lestat. Armand warns Louis to send Claudia away for her own safety, and Louis stays with Armand to learn about the meaning of being a vampire. Claudia demands that Louis turn a human woman, Madeleine, into a vampire to be her new protector and companion, and he reluctantly complies. Shortly thereafter,
1917-499: The United States was $ 105 million, while the worldwide gross was $ 224 million, with an estimated budget of $ 60 million. On Rotten Tomatoes , the film holds an approval rating of 63% based on 63 reviews, with a rating average of 6/10. The site's consensus reads: "Despite lacking some of the book's subtler shadings, and suffering from some clumsy casting, Interview with the Vampire benefits from Neil Jordan's atmospheric direction and
1988-540: The Vampire to commercial failures like We're No Angels to a variety of more personal, low-budget arthouse pictures. He was also the driving force behind the cable TV series The Borgias . Unconventional sexual relationships are a recurring theme in Jordan's work, and he often finds a sympathetic side to characters that audiences would traditionally consider deviant or downright horrifying. His film The Miracle , for instance, follows two characters who struggle to resist
2059-545: The Vampire and In Dreams . The critical success of Jordan's early pictures led him to Hollywood, where he directed High Spirits and We're No Angels ; both were critical and financial disasters. He later returned home to make the more personal The Crying Game , which was nominated for six Academy Awards. Jordan won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film. Its unexpected success led him back to American studio filmmaking, where he directed Interview with
2130-444: The Vampire (film) Interview with the Vampire is a 1994 American gothic horror film directed by Neil Jordan , based on Anne Rice 's 1976 novel of the same name , and starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt . It focuses on Lestat (Cruise) and Louis (Pitt), beginning with Louis's transformation into a vampire by Lestat in 1791. The film chronicles their time together, and their turning of young Claudia ( Kirsten Dunst ) into
2201-496: The Vampire . He also directed the crime drama The Brave One starring Jodie Foster. Neil Gaiman announced during his Today show appearance on 27 January 2009, that Neil Jordan would be directing the film of his Newbery Medal -winning book The Graveyard Book . Jordan also wrote and directed the 2009 Irish-made film Ondine , starring Colin Farrell and Alicja Bachleda-Curuś . He also directed Byzantium , an adaptation of
Neil Jordan - Misplaced Pages Continue
2272-475: The actor "is flabbergastingly right for this role. The vampire Lestat, the most commanding and teasingly malicious of Ms. Rice's creations, brings out in Mr. Cruise a fiery, mature sexual magnetism he has not previously displayed on screen. Except for a few angry outbursts here, there are no signs of the actor's usual boyishness. Instead, adopting a worldly manner and an exquisite otherworldly look, he transforms himself into
2343-526: The burning of the New Orleans set or the burning of Louis' plantation, whereby CGI flames were imposed on a miniature of the house. The most difficult digital effects to illustrate were Louis and Claudia's transformations into vampires, which were technologically very advanced for the time. The scene where Claudia cuts Lestat's throat was achieved by transferring from Tom Cruise bleeding from a prosthetic wound to an animatronic model designed to "wither" as it bled out, enhanced with CGI blood. Winston also sculpted
2414-413: The casting stage, British actor Julian Sands was championed by Anne Rice and fans of the novel to play Lestat , but because Sands was not a well-known name at the time (being only famed for his performance in A Room with a View ), he was rejected and the role was given to Tom Cruise . Because of his star power, Cruise received a record $ 10 million salary and a percentage of the profits. The casting
2485-445: The centuries among Lestat, Louis, the vampire he creates, and their 'daughter,' Claudia, are only lightly felt". Of Pitt's Louis, McCarthy said "there is no depth to his melancholy, no pungency to his sense of loss. He also doesn’t seem to connect in a meaningful way with any of the other actors except, perhaps, to Slater’s interviewer. This is unfortunate because his profound feelings for Claudia, Lestat and Armand are meant to be among
2556-437: The characters' vampire appearances and makeup effects, including a technique for stenciling translucent blue veins on the actors' faces. This required the actors to hang upside down for 30 minutes, so that the blood would rush to their heads and cause their veins to protrude, enabling the makeup artists to trace realistic patterns. Digital effects were used mainly to add small details or to enhance certain physical effects, like
2627-416: The compressed nature of the film adaptation "left out information crucial to understanding the characters' behavior". In Variety , Todd McCarthy wrote while the film "has its share of riveting moments" and bears a "wonderfully evocative mood", what is "missing is a strong sense of emotional exchange and development among the main characters. The intense bonds of love, resentment and hatred that arc through
2698-423: The depths of winter, which sent him into a depression. The script, which he received only two weeks prior to filming, was also a source of disappointment. He unfavorably contrasted the character of Louis which he had admired in the book to that presented in the script: In the book you have this guy asking, 'Who am I?' Which was probably applicable to me at that time: 'Am I good? Am I of the angels? Am I bad? Am I of
2769-439: The devil?' In the book it is a guy going on this search of discovery. And in the meantime, he has this Lestat character that he's entranced by and abhors. ... In the movie, they took the sensational aspects of Lestat and made that the pulse of the film, and those things are very enjoyable and very good, but for me, there was just nothing to do—you just sit and watch. Visual effects were overseen by Stan Winston and his team, while
2840-588: The exterior and lobby of the Opera Garnier were dressed to film Louis and Claudia's arrival at their hotel in Paris. Brad Pitt admitted in a 2011 interview with Entertainment Weekly that he was "miserable" while making the film and even tried to buy himself out of his contract at one point. Pitt called the production "six-months of f---king darkness" because of the almost-exclusive night shoots, filmed mostly in London in
2911-532: The film's soundtrack, got rejected as Pitt was ultimately cast for the role, though a dance-pop version of the song was released on Cher's 2013 album, Closer to the Truth . Originally, River Phoenix was cast for the role of Daniel Molloy (as Anne Rice liked the idea), but he died four weeks before he was due to begin filming. When Christian Slater was cast in his place as Molloy, he donated his entire salary to Phoenix's favorite charitable organizations. The film has
Neil Jordan - Misplaced Pages Continue
2982-567: The filmmakers had "mutilated" her work. During preproduction, Rice had pleaded with the studio not to produce a film of the book just yet since she believed her readers wanted a film based on The Vampire Lestat . Rice offered to write the screenplay herself but was turned down by the studio. In February 2012, a film adaptation of The Tale of the Body Thief , the fourth book in the series, entered development with Brian Grazer and Ron Howard 's film production company, Imagine Entertainment . It
3053-439: The first great vampire movie, Nosferatu (1922), knew better, and so does this one." He opined production designer Dante Ferretti "combines the elegance of The Age of Innocence and the fantastic images of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen into a vampire world of eerie beauty", and called the Paris catacomb sets "one of the great sets of movie history". He also praised the casting of Cruise and added, "Dunst, perhaps with
3124-472: The help of Stan Winston's subtle makeup, is somehow able to convey the notion of great age inside apparent youth." Desson Thomson , also of The Washington Post , was not as enthusiastic about Cruise's performance. He added, "The humor, more subtly embedded in the book, has been brought to the surface as if this were a weekly sitcom called 'Pardon Me but Your Teeth Are in My Neck.'" More critical reviews noted
3195-594: The horror dramas Interview with the Vampire (1994) and Byzantium (2012), the biopic Michael Collins (1996), the black comedy The Butcher Boy (1997), the Graham Greene adaptation The End of the Affair (1999), the transgender-themed dramedy Breakfast on Pluto (2005), and the psychological thriller Greta (2018). Jordan also created the Showtime Network television series The Borgias (2011–2013) and Sky Atlantic's Riviera (2017–2020). He
3266-486: The interiors of Louis, Lestat and Claudia's New Orleans townhouse, Claudia and Louis' Paris hotel suite, the Théâtre des Vampires (built on Pinewood's 007 Stage ), and the catacombs where the Parisian vampires live. Shooting took place in San Francisco, mainly on the Golden Gate Bridge , with the external façade of Louis' hotel located at the intersection of Taylor Street, Market Street , and Golden Gate Avenue. In Paris
3337-536: The length of the film before previewing it, but Geffen wanted to show the longer version in order to "get a feel for what the audience wanted." Eventually about 20 minutes' worth of footage was either cut or re-arranged before the theatrical version was ready. Interview with the Vampire was a box office success. The film opened on November 11, 1994 ( Veterans Day ) and opening weekend grosses amounted to $ 36.4 million, surpassing Home Alone 2: Lost in New York to achieve
3408-430: The movie only 10 minutes in, because of the gore and dark themes. She considered canceling an interview with Tom Cruise promoting the film, stating, "I believe there are forces of light and darkness in the world, and I don't want to be a contributor to the force of darkness". The film was released on VHS and LaserDisc on June 6, 1995, DVD in 1997 and on Blu-ray Disc on October 7, 2008. The film's musical score
3479-451: The newly founded Digital Domain was responsible for creating the digital effects under Visual Effects Supervisor Robert Legato . Director Neil Jordan was initially hesitant to use Stan Winston Studios, because they had gained a reputation for specializing in large-scale animatronics and CGI with Jurassic Park and Terminator 2: Judgment Day ; Interview with the Vampire was going to require mostly makeup effects. Winston designed
3550-582: The night of their departure, having survived on the blood of swamp creatures. Lestat attacks them, but Louis sets him on fire, allowing them to escape to their ship and depart. After traveling around Europe and the Mediterranean but finding no other vampires, Louis and Claudia settle in Paris in September 1870. Louis encounters vampires Santiago and Armand by chance. Armand invites Louis and Claudia to his coven ,
3621-416: The primary driving forces of the story." Critics also pointed out the film loses narrative steam in its third act, though Maslin commented that the film's final scene provides some rejuvenating thrills. Ebert conceded his only criticism of the film was its thin plot, but concluded that the movie is overall "a skillful exercise in macabre imagination". Oprah Winfrey walked out of an advance screening of
SECTION 50
#17328582092753692-462: The rights being sold to Lorimar before finally ending up with Warner Bros . Director Neil Jordan was approached by Warner Bros. to direct after the huge success of his movie The Crying Game (1992). Jordan was intrigued by the script, calling it "really interesting and slightly theatrical", but was especially interested after reading Rice's novel. He agreed to direct on the condition that he be allowed to write his own script, though he did not gain
3763-465: The rights to the entire Vampire Chronicles series. Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci were named as producers, and the deal included the aforementioned screenplay for The Tale of the Body Thief written by Christopher Rice. A new film adaptation of the book was written by Josh Boone and was announced in May 2016, with Boone suggesting actor Jared Leto play the role of Lestat. In November 2016, all plans for
3834-407: The rough model for the charred remains of Claudia and Madeleine, using archival photographs of victims from Hiroshima for inspiration. A rough-cut of Interview with the Vampire was shown to test audiences, who according to producer David Geffen felt "there was a little too much blood and violence." The screenings were held over the objection of Neil Jordan, who was planning on further paring down
3905-479: The show, due to his scripts being reworked by others. He said he had no idea who rewrote these episodes. "They were changed, to my huge surprise and considerable upset. There were various sexual scenes introduced into the story and a lot of very expository dialogue. I objected in the strongest terms possible." Jordan has five children: Anna and Sarah from his marriage to solicitor Vivienne Shields; Dashiel and Daniel from his current marriage to Brenda Rawn, and Ben, from
3976-504: The sunrise, and again offers him a place by his side. Louis rejects Armand and leaves, unable to accept his way of life, knowing Armand had allowed Claudia's murder. As decades pass, Louis never recovers from the loss of Claudia and dejectedly explores the world alone. He returns to New Orleans in 1988 and one night encounters a decayed, weakened Lestat, living as a recluse in an abandoned mansion and surviving on rat blood as Louis once had. Lestat expresses regret for having turned Claudia into
4047-479: The third book in the series, The Queen of the Damned , was produced and distributed once again by Warner Bros. Cruise and Pitt did not reprise their roles as Lestat and Louis. Many characters and important plotlines were written out of the film, which actually combined elements of The Vampire Lestat with The Queen of the Damned . The film was negatively received by critics, and Rice dismissed it completely as she felt
4118-457: The unusual sexuality of Jordan's films, he frequently returns to the Troubles of Northern Ireland . The Crying Game and Breakfast on Pluto both concern a transgender character (played by Jaye Davidson and Cillian Murphy , respectively), both concern The Troubles and both feature frequent Jordan leading man Stephen Rea. The two films, however, are very different, with The Crying Game being
4189-425: The vampire play of the same name starring Saoirse Ronan , Gemma Arterton and Jonny Lee Miller . In 2011, Jordan's next feature was announced as the later aborted sci-fi romance Broken Dream , which was to have featured Ben Kingsley and John Hurt . He directed the thriller Greta (2018), starring Isabelle Huppert and Chloë Grace Moretz . After working on the scripts for Riviera , Jordan has disowned
4260-616: Was a combination of primarily Destrehan Plantation , just west of New Orleans, and Oak Alley Plantation in nearby Vacherie . The depiction of 18th- and early-19th-century New Orleans was achieved with a combination of location shooting in the French Quarter of New Orleans and filming on a purpose-built waterfront set along the Mississippi River . Production then moved to London , where interior sets were constructed at Pinewood Studios . The sets designed by Dante Ferretti included
4331-447: Was additionally nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film. A stand-alone sequel , Queen of the Damned , was released in 2002, with Stuart Townsend and Matthew Newton replacing Cruise and Banderas respectively. In 1994 San Francisco , reporter Daniel Molloy interviews Louis de Pointe du Lac , who claims to be a vampire , to Molloy's initial skepticism. Louis describes his human life as
SECTION 60
#17328582092754402-547: Was arrested in Switzerland in relation to his 1977 charge for drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl . In 2018, he donated his archives to the National Library of Ireland . Jordan's donation included TV and film scripts, production files, notebooks, storyboards and personal correspondence with artists and political figures. Producer only Awards Night in Tunisia (short story collection) Night in Tunisia
4473-509: Was at that time the biggest non-summer opening and the biggest R-rated opening weekend ever, with the latter surpassing Lethal Weapon 3 . The film would hold this record until 1997 when it was surpassed by Air Force One . Moreover, Interview with the Vampire held the record for having the highest opening weekend for a Brad Pitt film until it was taken by Ocean's Eleven in 2001. In subsequent weeks, it struggled against Star Trek Generations and The Santa Clause . Its total gross in
4544-477: Was given the opportunity to make Interview with the Vampire , I thought, "Oh, it would be really great to expand on that epic sense of darkness and to give these characters huge, kind of romantic destinies and longings and feelings." Author Anne Rice adapted her 1976 novel Interview with the Vampire into a screenplay with French actor Alain Delon in mind for the role of Louis . Later on, when Interview entered
4615-439: Was initially criticized by Anne Rice, who said that Cruise was "no more my vampire Lestat than Edward G. Robinson is Rhett Butler ", and the casting was "so bizarre; it's almost impossible to imagine how it's going to work". She recommended a number of other actors including John Malkovich , Peter Weller , Jeremy Irons , and Alexander Godunov . She suggested that Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise switch roles, stating that "I tried for
4686-507: Was published by Dublin 's Irish Writers Co-operative in 1976. It won the Guardian Fiction Prize in 1979. In 1981, when John Boorman was filming Excalibur in Ireland, he recruited Jordan as a "creative associate". A year later, Boorman was executive producer on Jordan's first feature Angel , a tale of a musician caught up in the Troubles played by Stephen Rea who has subsequently appeared in almost all of Jordan's films to date. During
4757-425: Was reported that screenwriter Lee Patterson was going to pen the screenplay. However, Rice's son, Christopher , apparently had drafted a screenplay based on the novel that was met with praise from those involved in the developmental stage. Rice later confirmed that creative differences that were beyond those involved resulted in the dismissal of the project in April 2013. In August 2014, Universal Pictures acquired
4828-608: Was the first actress we saw. She gave a wonderful reading but we thought it was too good to be true, so we saw thousands of other girls. In the end we came back to Kirsten--she's quite extraordinary in the part." Julia Stiles also auditioned for Claudia but Neil Jordan considered her "too old". Filming took place primarily in New Orleans and in London , with limited location shooting done in San Francisco and Paris . Louis' plantation
4899-524: Was the first book by Irish writer Neil Jordan in 1976, containing ten stories and was published by The Irish Writers Co-operative (Co-op Books) in Dublin . The story's title is a jazz standard composed by Dizzy Gillespie . In 1979 it won the Guardian Fiction Prize and was then published by Writers and Readers in the UK and by George Braziller in the US. From Scribd the book is praised: Interview with
4970-504: Was written by Elliot Goldenthal . It received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score , but lost to The Lion King . The score opens with the Catholic hymn Libera Me slightly rewritten to reflect Louis' character. The opening line "Libera me, Domine, de morte æterna" ("Save me, Lord, from eternal death") was changed to "Libera me, Domine, de vita æterna" ("Save me, Lord, from eternal life"). The end credits cover for " Sympathy for
5041-426: Was wrong. Due to Rice's perception of Hollywood's homophobia , at one point she rewrote the part of Louis, changing his sex to female, in order to specifically heterosexualize the character's relationship with Lestat. At the time, Rice felt it was the only way to get the film made, and singer-actress Cher was considered for the part. A song titled "Lovers Forever", which Cher wrote along with Shirley Eikhard for
#274725