In the past three decades, Hollywood has seen many different actors portraying their own versions of a vampire. Actor Tom Cruise captivated the audience with his portrayal of Lestat de Lioncourt in the 1994 movie, Interview with the Vampire, and in the 2000s, actor Robert Pattinson once again popularised the genre with his portrayal of a telepathic vampire, Edward Cullen, in the Twilight franchise.
Although both actors gave their best performances, they are often compared as they both had a different approach to the portrayal of a vampire. The director of Interview with the Vampire (1994), Neil Jordan, once explained why he decided to cast Tom Cruise for the role even though the actor was known for his work in action movies.
Why was Tom Cruise cast for the role of a vampire?
Roughly three decades later, the director of Interview with the Vampire (1994), Neil Jordan, revealed why he chose actor Tom Cruise for the role of Lestat de Lioncourt in the movie. In a recent interview with Slash Film, the director said,
“I also saw, I suppose, that Tom’s life – because he was the biggest star in the world at the time – he has to retreat to the shadows because he can’t expose himself too much. I saw kind of a parallel between the life of a vampire and the life of a very, very big star, let’s put it that way. Everybody said [Tom] was miscast, he proved them wrong, didn’t he?”
Tom Cruise wasn’t the initial choice for the role. The casting directors first approached actors, Daniel Day-Lewis and Johnny Depp, however, they rejected and then they had to cast Cruise. Not just Cruise, but actor Brad Pitt also portrayed a vampire named Louis de Pointe du Lac in the movie.
Robert Pattinson portrayed a vampire in the Twilight franchise
In the 2000s, actor Robert Pattinson gave the audience his version of a vampire, Edward Cullen, in the Twilight franchise. While it didn’t receive positive reactions from the critics, it was certainly exciting to see a new take on the portrayal of a vampire.
The first choice for the role of Edward Cullen was actually actor Henry Cavill, however, by the time production began, Cavill was 25 years old and looked very grown for a role of a 17-year-old. Pattinson only attended the casting American agent persuaded him. After getting the role, Pattinson was quite dedicated as he didn’t talk to anyone to try and feel as isolated as his character.
Who played a better vampire?
It all comes down to this, who portrayed the best vampire? The answer is not as easy as it may seem. Over the years, we have seen multiple iterations of the specific character portrayed by various Hollywood stars and as cinema evolves, we will continue to see even more changes in the versions.
As for Tom Cruise and Robert Pattinson, they both gave remarkable performances that made them well-known faces in the entertainment industry. While Cruise doesn’t have any regrets, Pattinson has often stated that he hates it when people associate him with that role.