Interview with the Vampire 2×04 is a big episode for Claudia, which puts Delainey Hayles in the spotlight. (Quite literally at times, even.) Whether it’s the vampire’s onstage performance as Lulu, getting closer to Madeleine, butting heads with — and risking retaliation from — Armand, or finally calling Louis out about pulling away from her, there’s a lot to unpack here. So, who better than Hayles to help us out with that?
When we asked what, of all Claudia’s experiences in “I Want You More Than Anything In the World,” was most interesting for her to play, she told us, “I think my favorite thing was — for me, not for Claudia — was the performance. Her big number, it was very fun to do, and I loved the costume. And the song as well is really catchy when you hear it.” But her character has a very different opinion of “My Baby Loves Windows.” As Hayles confirmed for us, “she would hate it.” Which is, of course, because of “the fact that she’s being infantilized.”
Claudia is “desperate to find community.”
Despite hating her role, it takes Claudia hundreds of performances before she finally lets on to the rest of the coven, including the maître, that she’s anything other than thrilled to be here. But we wouldn’t exactly say she’s a vampire who’s known for holding back or bowing to authority either. (See also: her entire relationship with Lestat.) So, what is it about these vampires that makes Claudia take so long to push back?
According to Hayles, “she’s been wanting to find community and a family. And I think in the beginning, she believes she’s found it.” So, she kind of…endures what, for her, is a lot of humiliation because “she thinks, ‘if I push a little harder, I’ll be in. If I just keep going, subject myself to this a little, it’ll be over soon.'” All of this time, she’s “masking” that more outspoken, oftentimes explosive, vampire we know and love, and doing whatever the coven demands “to appease, to fit in.” Because, as Hayles put it, she’s “desperate to find community,”
As far as fitting in goes, there’s one particular vampire Claudia’s really wanted to impress since coming to Paris — Santiago. But…we outside observers can easily see that his kindness toward her is mostly a performance. So, we asked Hayles if Claudia has any doubts at all about that friendship act he’s putting on. “She’s definitely in awe of him,” Hayles admitted. “But she’s not…I got asked previously if she was naïve. I hate giving her that word. Because I don’t think she is. But I think she does get wrapped up in Santiago’s charm a bit. To her detriment.”
But, no matter how much she wants a family, and despite her adoration for Santiago, Claudia can only handle so much. And by the time we get to Interview with the Vampire 2×04, it’s like “she can only go so much longer.” After all, “she’s still the same fiery vampire that we know. And you can only suppress a flame so much.”
Moments of relief
Before we discuss the part of Interview with the Vampire 2×04 where the flame that is Claudia fully ignites, let’s remember this episode isn’t just about Claudia “subjecting herself to things that she doesn’t want to do in order to fit in.” She also manages to steal some time for herself, both to bond with her new friend and to write in her journal. And those diary scenes may seem insignificant with everything else going on, but they’re really not.
Hayles is “very happy that she gets those moments” in the diary scenes. “Because her communication with Louis is not the strongest. And Louis is her person. He’s the only one she has.” It’s not that Louis isn’t “open to listening her…but he just…he thinks he knows her. And that’s enough. But he doesn’t. So, I think those diary moments are very important for her. Because we catch a glimpse of how she’s feeling.”
Louis may be Claudia’s person, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t still looking for more. Enter Madeleine. Hayles described those scenes as “a deep exhale for Claudia and…a surprise exhale. Madeleine takes her to a place where she can be herself without having to appease all these other people — or vampires — around her.” But why can she be herself with this human she just met? “When you look at Claudia’s life, she’s not had many women in her life,” which makes her “very trusting towards women. Because all she’s known is Louis and Lestat, and she’s looked at their relationship. She knows what she doesn’t like.”
But what is it about this woman, specifically? “They both see that they’ve been through something. And they don’t know what it is exactly, but they see it in each other’s eyes.”
“Me and you. You and me.”
…and back to the pain.
When Claudia can’t hold back anymore, Louis finds himself on the receiving end of her pure, burning rage. We asked Delainey Hayles why it’s finally that moment where she lets go. “I think it’s because she thinks Louis understood the assignment,” Hayles told us, “she’s made it pretty clear what they’ve come to do. She’s kept her end of the bargain.” So, when she learns that Armand knows about Lestat, the only way she thinks he could know is because of Louis. As in, “he’s done it again…That’s why it’s pure — it’s pure anger in that room.”
So, yes. Claudia lets loose in Interview with the Vampire 2×04. As in, she absolutely lets Louis have it. But, pay attention to what Hayles pointed out to us here: “what’s interesting, I think, is that Claudia never invades Louis’ space in that argument. And I kind of take that as you know, when a child watches parents argue, and then you later in life learn that you might argue the same as them, she’s learned from the start in Louis’ relationship what she doesn’t like. In that argument, there is still like a spatial element to it, where she keeps her space. Even though she is, you know, seething.”
So, safe to say, we won’t have to watch Claudia repeat last season‘s big WTF…grateful for that. But what’s coming next? To find out, you’ll have to watch Delainey Hayles as Claudia in new episodes of Interview with the Vampire, Sundays on AMC and AMC+.
