Actor Justin Kirk Talks The Vampire Lestat, Talamasca, and More [Exclusive]

Talamasca agent Raglan James cannot be put into a box, even a mystery to the man portraying him by request, and with Justin Kirk having a legion of excellent character types in his retinue, it is no surprise that the Anne Rice character has been fun for the audience and sparked many theories and intrigue about the role.

It seems fated that Kirk would work in AMC's Anne Rice world, and it all comes from an incredible play on Kirk’s resume, These Paper Bullets!  A Beatles play inspired by Much Ado About Nothing with songs written by Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong.

While Raglan James only appears in The Tale of the Body Thief, we see much more of him thanks to Rolin Jones and the writers, something that might not have been possible in a movie format like how Anne Rice’s books were first translated.

(Image Courtesy of AMC Network Entertainment LLC)

A TV show gives a lot more time and life to an adaptation than a movie does, more time to tell the story and get to know the characters. It is still quite rare for a show to do that, but Interview does.

Justin Kirk:  It’s an exciting time in our world. When I was a kid, the idea of a TV show being better than a movie was unheard of. Now it’s a very real thing. It always had the advantage of giving more life, but it wasn’t allowed to do the things that movies were allowed to do back then, when just network television. I can’t take credit for the writing; I’m just the actor.

You can, from a performance perspective, and Raglan has been given that time.

Justin Kirk: Interview With A Vampire  I feel I can talk about it because I’m not a regular on that show, so I can talk about how much I love it and how I admire what they’re doing. I’ve known [showrunner] Rolin Jones for many years, and with Interview, and the guys as his actors, and the support that he gets from AMC is really cool. I hope there’s more. I think there will be more. Rolin would love more, as would everybody.

Many fans are still upset about Talamasca’s cancellation.

Justin Kirk: I enjoyed that show. Shows have to find their way into what it’s going to be. I don’t know what the plans are for the Anne Rice Universe, but it’s been fun, and if it goes on for a little longer, I’ll have more to do with bodies and switching and all that stuff.

I want to talk about Raglan James in the auction scene and people’s reactions online. It is still one of the most discussed scenes because of Raglan. Many think this scene happens during the infamous Body Swap book.

Justin: What I can tell you about that is we tried different stuff. I left that day not knowing what they were going to use. There were different voices like Rolin, Craig Zisk (director), so I can imagine what is being speculated [laughs] and that was on our minds. Sometimes. We tried stuff where I tried a little more of something, a little bit less, and on they went.

I’m not sure if you know how much impact your casting had on IWTV before it was announced because it was revealed online, and I won’t say how because I’m not sure if I’m allowed.

Justin Kirk: I know how! It was rumoured because my brother went on Reddit; he was just excited and being a nice brother. I had to call him, and he was mortified, but later I went back and told him it was great. It stirred things up, suggested things. From what I remember, there was speculation that I was playing a different character to the extent that once I was on, people didn't believe it.

There were a few big theories that you were other characters.

Justin Kirk: Maybe, it could still happen. I hope they came around that I’m Raglan James [Laughs].

Everyone loves Raglan; he’s chaotic.

Justin Kirk: He’s super fun, and we still don’t know what the Hell is going on. More than any other character I’ve played, I’ve made choices and had thoughts on what he looks like and sounds like, but after that I turn up and let the universe take us where it goes. He’s fun, and there’s humour. It’s crazy how much more they lean into the humour this season in The Vampire Lestat. Like with the Magnus music video was so good. The makeup, the teeth, just fantastic. I admire how they’re just going for it and saying how this season is going to be totally different. I’m sure a lot of people are going to be pissed and what are you going to do? On you go.

If Body Thief happens, then you might get your own music video too.

Justin Kirk: We did have my old band playing in a scene. In all of the diner scenes, the background music is music from an actor in the show’s past. I don’t know what the other ones are, but I remember Rolin saying this was what they wanted to do.

Yours was Cynthia’s Sorority.

Justin Kirk: Cynthia’s Sorority is a song that I had done with a band before Dimestore Darlings, and we recorded it in a different-sounding version. When Rolin said he wanted to use it, I had to reach out to [Dallas Roberts], whom I wrote it with when we were twenty years old. I reached out to clear the song for use, and it caused a little reunion. Rock and Roll brought people together, and the rest of the Darlings were very excited.

Speaking of Dimestore Darlings, this season is all about how Lestat channels his life in his performances, and some actors have playlists for their characters. Are there any songs that you think match Raglan James this season for the future? Damage [Dimestore Darlings] has the right chaotic energy for him.

Justin Kirk: That’s a great idea. I’ll point it out to Rolin. That’s a great one. I’ll take that one. Something chaotic and hectic, maybe, like Shiftless when Idle by The Replacements.

 
There’s a lot of team-ups in the show and the books, and it’s intriguing about Real Rashid (Bally Gil). What’s going on with them?

Justin Kirk: I love Bally, and we're both extensive publishers of Daniel’s book. That is literally all I know; I’m going to let everyone fill that in. I would love nothing more than to work with Bally more.

They’re even wearing matching glasses now.

Justin Kirk: The first appearance of Raglan, the glasses were round and weird-looking, but these latest versions are more suave, so I made sure it was those ones in the last appearance I did by reaching out to the costumes, but they told me they had the ones I used before and had them set over.

Sophie Giraud/AMC

The glasses are important. One thing in Talamasca, there was a scene where Helen [Elizabeth McGovern] looks like Raglan. I found that scene quite reminiscent of Mulholland Drive, that iconic mirror scene. There were quite a few Lynch-esque things in Talamasca.

Justin Kirk: I know the look you’re talking about, and you’re right that it did.  I’m a TM [Transcendental Meditation] person. I do it twice a day, and most times I have to go up to an AD at lunch to ask for a spot, and I get to Talamasca, and the first day we have a big rehearsal day, and all the actors are there, and we are all in holding, and it turns out four of us do TM. It was a very powerful and beautiful thing.

With a certain other Talamasca agent revealed as dead [David Talbot], a huge character in the book, it seems there’s more space for Raglan James to take up that opportunity.

Justin Kirk: I remember David from The Body Thief book, and I did hear that Rolin decided that the character had died and would not be seen, as I say to Louis.

As a David Talbot hater, I was relieved you weren’t him.

Justin Kirk: Jacob [Anderson] said the same thing. Is he a bad guy?

There are worse characters, morally, in the book. I just didn’t care for him and preferred the more complex characters like Raglan and some of the supposed villains.

Justin Kirk:  This is a thing that is frustrating to me now, that people expect all characters to be good people and it’s that it doesn't make for good storytelling if everyone is a nice person or doesn’t do bad things. It would be nice if, maybe, AMC picks up both seasons [Queen of the Damned and Body Thief] at the same time so we can shoot them at the same time. I don’t want to wait forever for Body Thief, and I’m hobbling around.

There’s some speculation that Raglan will be around longer than his book counterpart, that he’ll be taking over David Talbot’s book role, and seemingly, Daniel’s in the show as the chronicler of the vampires. With so many changes to the books already, there’s even some thoughts that Raglan could swap with other characters like Daniel [Eric Bogosian].

Justin Kirk: [laughs] Well, as we’ve said before, there’s lots of speculation. I would keep it from you if I knew, but I know nothing. I barely know what we’re doing when they’re doing.

They want to keep Raglan an enigma to you as well.

Justin Kirk: They do! Also, I’ve done jobs as an actor where there’s, like, a story is yet to come, and there’s backstory. I’m not a guy who needs to know everything. I want to know what I need to play the scene. Intention, etc, sometimes there are some things. I don’t need to know something as well.

It works great for his character, even when he was in Talamasca.

Justin Kirk: Everyone running that was great, and I love Nicholas Denton, I think I read something where Mark Johnson [executive producer] was speculating other possible shows for the character in the universe, so who knows.

You’ve been in Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat and Talamasca. I know a lot of people would love to see Raglan in Mayfair Witches.

Justin Kirk: I guess they’ll have to stay tuned. There’s a whole season of Mayfair Witches in the can that hasn’t been released. I could see a world where Raglan James was around. I guess we’ll have to stay tuned.

Michael Yarish /Paramount+

Aside from Interview with the Vampire, you’ve got other great works out right now, like some spots on Ghosts and, right now, Criminal Minds.

Justin Kirk: I’m in the creep era of my career; I’m the big bad on Criminal Minds this season too, and my mother watched the first episode and said it might be the most insidious guy I’ve played.

It’s a good compliment.

Justin Kirk: It’s funny because I just did a movie and independent movie in New York where I play a creep and it rubbed me the wrong way where I read the script and said its great but I don’t want to play this guy, it gave me the sceevies in a way that playing a neo-Nazi president or a serial killer was fine but then I came around to it

What changed your mind?

Justin Kirk: I thought if I could figure out a way to do it then that goes a long way, and my agent and manager were on the fence about it, so I did it. That was the deal I made with myself. The writer/director was a year above me in Circle in the Square, and there Kathleen Chalfant and Lili Taylor were in it, and there’s other cool people involved who I wanted to work with.

And maybe we see you again in The Burbs? Your character is supposedly dead, but we never saw a body.

Justin Kirk: I can’t tell you how many times a producer said that to me at the premiere, and it's true. I was the creepy neighbour, and they need a new creepy neighbour. The general gist of the show is they’re doing season 2 right now, what am I going to do? Be in the wine club? You know what, now that I’m saying it. I guess I could be another weirdo in the gang. I don’t know if Gary is coming back.

Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, and Talamasca are available to stream on AMC.

Interviewed by Leigh Doyle
for Midgard Times