The Interview With The Vampire Easter Egg Only Die-Hard Novel Fans Will Recognize
When one is a long-lived vampire, one tends to collect friends, enemies, and secrets in equal measure. Suppose that is bound to happen, though, when entropy's slow march has no fangs and is no longer feared. On top of that, when a vampire holds a grudge, they can hold onto it for hundreds of years. Although AMC's "Interview with the Vampire" takes some liberties with Anne Rice's "Vampire Chronicles" series, there is still plenty of Easter eggs for die-hard fans.
Following the life and times of Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson), this brand new series is about a dying reporter interviewing and crafting a novel about Louis' human life, his transformation after being given the "Dark Gift," and his subsequent actions. Of course, we have already seen one iteration of this story with the 1994 film, but this new show, as previously mentioned, changes up the formula a bit. This is most noticeable in how Louis goes from a white plantation owner in the late 1700s to a Creole brothel owner in the early 1900s, but there are still plenty of references to the book series that should absolutely delight long-time fans of the novels. One particular reference in the second episode should stick out like a sore thumb, and it involves an exceptionally long-lived vampire that was once the steward of "Those That Must Be Kept."
A painting in Louis' penthouse references an ancient vampire
Though there is allusion to a previous interview with Louis and Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) that occurred in the 1970s and some shared history between the two, AMC's "Interview with the Vampire" picks up in the modern day, and it sees Molloy whisked away to Louis' penthouse in Dubai, Saudi Arabia. While perusing and observing Louis' decorations before dinner, he points out a specific painting and notes that it is painted by a person named Marius de Romanus, whom he has never heard of. This should immediately cause "Vampire Chronicles" fans to recognize the name, even if Molloy does not.
As a refresher for those without an encyclopedic knowledge of Anne Rice's works, Marius is over 2,000 years old, and he was a Roman noble. As clarified by The Vampire Chronicles Wiki, Marius is one of the friendlier vampires, and he places a tremendous worth on human life. Not only that, but Marius spends his unnatural life in artistic pursuits, which include writing, painting, and music. This isn't the first time the character has popped up either, as Marius actually appears in the movie "Queen of the Damned," which is based on the third book of "The Vampire Chronicles." His most important function in the book and aforementioned movie is that he takes care of "Those Who Must Be Kept," who are the ersatz father and mother of the vampire species, and are named Enkil and Akasha, respectively. Chances are, should "Interview with the Vampire" continue on for many seasons, we will see this character once again, and not just some passing reference, as he is pretty instrumental in future plots.