The wait is over, we finally know who will take on the role of Akasha, The Great Mother and Queen of the Damned, in “The Vampire Lestat”. “The Woman King” and “Bruised” actress Sheila Atim will don fangs as the ancient and terrifyingly powerful mother of vampires in the series, which serves as the next installment of AMC’s stunning “Interview With the Vampire” adaptation.
Atim is a BAFTA-nominated actress whose previous credits also include “Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness,” “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt,” “The Underground Railroad,” the 2022 adaptation of “Pinocchio,” and Bryan Fuller’s upcoming “Dust Bunny.” She also won the Cannes Trophée Chopard, which rewards and encourages emerging talents from around the world, in 2022.
Although you probably know Akasha from Aaliyah’s indelible portrayal of the character in the 2002 film adaptation “Queen of the Damned,” you may also remember that Akasha was named at the end of season 2, when Lestat asserted his power to Armand by declaring, “I have the blood of Akasha in me.” This made viewers wonder if we might see the fan-favorite character appear as soon as next season. Sure enough, AMC announced that Atim would take on the role during “The Vampire Lestat” NYCC panel on Friday.
They also debuted new footage and announced several other names joining the cast: “Schitt’s Creek” star Noah Reid as Larry, Ryan Kattner (who also serves as music supervisor on the series) as Salamander, Seamus Patterson as Alex and Sarah Swire as TC, who appears to be an abbreviation of Lestat’s band member, Tough Cookie, as she is called in the book.
They join previously announced cast members Jennifer Ehle as Gabriella, Ella Ballentine as Baby Jenks, Jeanine Serralles as Christine Claire, Christopher Heyerdahl as Marius and Damien Atkins as Magnus.
“The Vampire Lestat” will air on AMC in 2026.
