Interview with the Vampire on the TOWL Red Carpet: A Tale

Gather ’round, vampire friends. It’s time for a bedtime story about the time two cast members from Interview with the Vampire showed up on the red carpet at The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live premiere. 

It was a cold and rainy night in Los Angeles. The press was gathered along the red carpet at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood, some shaking off the droplets of rain that clung to their clothes as they waited to come inside. Photographers huddled toward the start of the carpet, ready to capture celebrities and guests as they started their walk, while journalists waited toward the end of the carpet preparing to speak with them.

I was near the end of the line, tucked between other journalists. I was only a few feet from AMC’s social media team, who would be speaking with everyone once they reached the end of the carpet. 

Soon the low buzz in the room was eclipsed by the sound of clicks and the flash of cameras as the first influencers and celebrities came down the line. I had a good sense of who would be appearing thanks to the head sheet — a paper given to press with headshots of everyone expected to walk the carpet along with their names and connection to the event. According to the head sheet, members of the AMC Family would be in attendance including cast members from The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, Parish…and Interview with the Vampire, specifically Assad Zaman (Armand/Rashid) and Luke Brandon Field (Young Daniel Molloy).

Fresh off their appearance at the Television Critics Association winter press tour to promote Interview with the Vampire season 2, Assad and Luke were there to support their fellow AMC family members. 

Naturally, I was excited. The whole event was exciting, and I was thrilled to be there in support of The Ones Who Live, but knowing that IWTV cast members were there, too, was icing on the cake. 

As TOWL’s Terry O’Quinn inched down the carpet, I spotted Assad over his shoulder. 

It wasn’t long before Assad was even closer, but I noticed he — like other special guests — wasn’t stopping for interviews. He was only taking photos. 

So while everyone was looking down the carpet, I kept my eye on Assad. Remember how I mentioned that the AMC social media team was at the end of the red carpet? Well, I took my eyes off the beginning of the red carpet and turned to see that Assad was at the end of the carpet:

Soon enough, Assad was caught off guard when Luke showed up beside him:

I was able to capture some fun moments between them:

Soon they went on their way and the red carpet action continued. The TOWL screening followed soon thereafter, and then there was the after party at nearby Mother Wolf:

It was still raining when I arrived. Since I’d seen the first episode of The Ones Who Live I decided to skip the screening and head to the after party. It turns out, I wasn’t the only one who left early. Several TWD cast members filed past while I nibbled on vegetarian-friendly snacks.

Suddenly I spotted two people standing at the bar. It was Assad and Luke. I couldn’t tell you why I noticed them. The room wasn’t crowded yet but they stood out for some serendipitous reason. Abandoning my table, I hurried over and snapped a picture of them. I normally don’t do things like that but this was so perfect it was like it was scripted; the only time these two men were on screen together was in Interview with the Vampire season 1 episode 6, and they were at a bar. 

But after surreptitiously snapping the photo, I stopped. It was enough for me, but I knew you, dear readers, would want the photo. You know, the photo. 

So I approached. 

After introducing myself (Assad and I have chatted in a press room before, but this was our first in-person meeting), I told them both that I felt it was my responsibility to tell them how much they mean to the fandom. Not just their characters, but them. I told them how so many of you, dear readers, messaged me about trips to Prague or seeing them out and about, and how much their performances have meant to everyone. 

They were both so very kind and warm, and they appreciate the fans so much. I mentioned a few fans by name and Assad told Luke about how she was in Prague and met him, and Sam Reid, on set. 

Before parting ways, I told them that I’ve been a journalist for a long time and I’ve met countless wonderful fans over the years, but this show is so special to so many people. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting so many of the IWTV family and I felt it was my duty to pass along the gratitude I’ve seen. 

I also admitted that this is probably the most fangirling I’ve ever done in my life….

And so, vampire friends, that’s the story of how I met Assad and Luke at The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live premiere. Stay tuned and be sure to follow along, because I’m expecting big things at WonderCon in March and I’ll be there to cover it!