Queen of the Damned
base on the Anne Rice novel of the same name , 2002’sQueen of the Damnedstars Stuart Townsend as the iconic lamia Lestat de Lioncourt , but how was he range ? The plastic film center around Lestat , who becomes the lead vocaliser of a rock ‘n’ roll banding after they awaken him from decade of slumber with their music . He also arouse Akasha ( make for by the previous Aaliyah in her concluding film role ) , the first lamia , who wants to make him her male monarch . Meanwhile , Marguerite Moreau labialise out theQueen of the Damnedcastas Talamasca researcher Jesse Reeves , who falls for with Lestat .
Despite the popularity of Rice ’s novels and Aaliyah ’s maven mightiness at the clock time , Queen of the Damnedwas a box berth dud , grossing just over $ 45 million against a $ 35 million budget ( viaBox Office Mojo ) . Rice herself disavow the picture show , publically sharing her opinion that she felt the filmmakers " mutilated " her work ( viaGiant Freakin ' Robot ) . However , she praised Townsend , shout out him " dead sorcerous " and enunciate " He had Lestat ’s excellent speaking voice and his feline grace . " ( viaThe A.V. Club ) . WhileQueen of the Damnedmight not have been the smash Townsend hopped for , his journeying to the role of Lestat is a gripping one .
Queen Of The Damned Director Matthew Rymer Saw Stuart Townsend In A Play
Francis Everett Townsend won the role of Lestat afterQueen of the Damneddirector Matthew Rymer saw him act opposite Helen Mirren in Tennessee Williams ' three - number frolic , Orpheus Descending . In the play , Rymer say that Townsend was " just riveting . And more importantly , he had this result on adult female . It was quite palpable . That ’s something you ca n’t really manufacture . " ( viaVulture ) Given that Lestat ’s charisma and sex appealingness are so important to theQueen of the Damnedmovie ’s plot of land , it was these characteristic that Rymer saw in Townsend that won the role player the role .
However , despite both Rice and Rymer blab Townsend ’s extolment , he was ultimately overshadowed byQueen of the Damned ’s negatively charged reviews , as pundits criticized the film ’s tortuous plot and cheesy accents . And as wizardly and absorbing as Townsend ’s Lestat may have been , the famous vampire was already made iconic on the silver screen by the much more set up Tom Cruise in 1994’sInterview with the Vampire . Between Cruise and Sam Reid , who bet Lestat in AMC ’s acclaimed 2022Interview with the VampireTV series , Townsend ’s Lestat may at long last be forgotten .
Many Hollywood Actors (Including Tom Cruise) Were Considered To Play Lestat
Before Townsend was cast as Lestat inQueen of the Damned , it seem that producer were combing through Hollywood ’s A - leaning in search of the stark actor for the part . agree to producerJorge Saralegui , they " failed to get Tom Cruise to reprise the theatrical role " , and they did n’t have much luck with late up - and - comer either . Wes Bentley , Josh Hartnett , Ryan Reynolds , and Heath Ledger were all take under consideration , though none could make it work due to scheduling conflicts or exhaustion .
Each actor would have turn in a wildly different Lestat . come offAmerican Beauty , Wes Bentley would have deliver the intensity level take for the role ; Hartnett ’s work as the Iago public figure inO , a modernOthelloreboot , prove he had the necessary villainousness ; Reynolds may have taken Lestat in a whacky focal point , but there ’s no denying his onscreen personal appeal ; and had Ledger taken the office , consultation might have seen the complex darkness he famously delivered as the Joker inThe Dark Knightyears later . But while neither Townsend ’s performance norQueen of the Damneditself may be remembered , the actor made Lestat his own .
