The wait is over, we finally know who will tackle 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 the fangs as the ancient, terrifyingly powerful mother of vampires in the series, which offers the next installment in 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 took home the Cannes Trophée Chopard, which acknowledges and encourages up-and-coming talents from around the world, in 2022.
While you most likely know Akasha from Aaliyah’s indelible interpretation of the character in the 2002 “Queen of the Damned” film adaptation, you also may recall Akasha was name-dropped at the end of Season 2, when Lestat asserted his power to Armand by stating, “I have the blood of Akasha in me.” That had viewers wondering if we might see the fan-favorite character pop up as early as the next season. Sure enough, AMC announced Atim will take on the role during “The Vampire Lestat’s” NYCC panel on Friday.
They also debuted new footage and announced several more names joining the cast: “Schitt’s Creek” star Noah Reid as Larry, Ryan Kattner (who is also a music supervisor on the series) as Salamander, Seamus Patterson as Alex and Sarah Swire as TC, which seems to be an abbreviation for Lestat’s bandmate Tough Cookie, as she’s 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 premiere on AMC in 2026.
