The 1994 interview with the vampire features a number of stars to tell Louis’ story. But why is the movie dedicated to River Phoenix if it’s not there?
Here’s why 1994 Interview with the vampire is dedicated to River Phoenix, although the late actor is absent from the film. The star-studded gothic drama follows Louis de Pointe du Lac (Brad Pitt), a young man who died in the 1790s and was turned into a vampire. He was a wealthy, painful plantation owner in Louisiana, Spain who simply did the daily movements because of the recent losses of his wife and young child.
A self-centered vampire named Lestat (Tom Cruise) offered him a different kind of existence, one in which he would receive his “dark gift” and be free from normal human pain and trifles. In the present, Louis tells journalist Daniel Molloy (Christian Slater) in a hotel room in San Francisco the groundbreaking moments of his time as an immortal. Despite the story of suffering and additional loss that Louis records for Molloy in the course of Interview with the Vampire, the author does not seem to fully grasp the grim reality of being a bloodsucking member of the undead. Towards the end of the film, he is so intrigued that he even asks a then angry Louis to turn him into one too.
In addition to Slater, Pitt and Cruise, the film also shows the very young Kirsten Dunst and Antonio Banderas. However, considering he’s not in it, it’s a bit confusing that at the end of the credits the project is dedicated to the late actor River Phoenix. After all, he wasn’t an actor. But the reason for the addiction is tragic: Phoenix was supposed to play Molloy before his premature, fatal drug overdose in 1993. He would have been a good fit as he had already shown his acting skills in high profile films like Stand By Me, My Own Private Idaho and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. But his death thwarted those casting plans just before the film was due to begin filming. A 1993 article by Entertainment Weekly states: “Within days of its October 31 collapse outside Johnny Depp’s Viper Room on Sunset Boulevard, agents were on the phone with the producers of Interview With the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles suggesting customers who might take Phoenix’s role as an interviewer in the Tom Cruise film. ” Of course, Christian Slater grabbed the role.
Slater does a solid job in the small part. In his few scenes he gives what the little viewers of Molloy see his very personal touch. Especially in his film classics like Heathers and Pump Up the Volume, he brings a characteristic voice, cadence and a mischievous demeanor to the roles. And he put Molloy in the same mood in Interview with the Vampire. Additionally, he was kind enough to donate his salary from the movie to Phoenix’s favorite charities, saying in a Yahoo! Interview that it helped him to calm down his guilty feelings about River’s role:
“It was embarrassing. It was uncomfortable. It was difficult. How to replace someone who died this way and whom I admire very much. I thought we would stay in this business forever and compete for the same roles.” and doing all these things and instead this tragedy happened. So it was very, very sad. I tried to deal with it as best I could. It didn’t feel right to take money for it, so I donated the money, money to charities and things he was involved in. That took away the difficulty of doing it. It felt like it was more honorable to him. I felt better about it. “
Still, it’s hard not to imagine what River Phoenix could have done in the role. At the time, River Phoenix was one of Hollywood’s anointed young stars who pledged to be an A-lister and a lock to one or more future Academy Awards for decades, adding a vulnerability and a darker side to this work. Surely, after playing teenage hustler Mikey Waters in My Own Private Idaho, Phoenix would have had some of that rawness in the Gothic obscurity of. brought Interview with the vampire.
About the author
Lindsey DeRoche
(125 articles published)
Lindsey DeRoche is a TV and film feature writer for Screen Rant. She received a BA in English with a major in writing from Plymouth State University in 2018. She has been passionate about reading, writing, television, and movies since her early years.
More from Lindsey DeRoche
Comments are closed.