Interview with the Vampire remains a timeless vampire classic, thanks to Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise’s phenomenal acting. Released at a time when franchises seldom gained popularity, Interview with the Vampire went on to earn much praise and acclamation.
An adaptation of Anne Rice’s bloody book franchise, the movie became known for its elaborate set, distinctive fashion, and peculiar makeup. As much as the movie gained attention, Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise had a hard time enduring the hellish filming process.
Interview with the Vampire‘s Nightmare Makeup Process Had Brad Pitt And Tom Cruise Hang Upside Down
Interview with the Vampire had Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise go through a literal nightmare for them to become Vampires. To achieve a real-life vampire look, all actors had to hang upside down for over half an hour or sometimes even more for their makeup. The reasoning behind this was that as long as they hung upside down, all the blood would rush down, protruding the veins. This allowed the makeup artists to trace their veins and highlight them even more for a more glorified horrifying look.
The Head of Makeup of the movie once remarked about the entire makeup process and the outcome,
“There was a different sensibility with Interview with the Vampire. We were creating a vampire of substance that would mingle among people at night, but look worldly.”
The strange and peculiar makeup process had cast members whining in pain as they had to spend hours every day hanging upside down. What was worse was that they had to shoot during the night hours. While this wasn’t a deal-breaker in the summers, however in the winters, it was a literal disaster. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the lead star Brad Pitt complained,
“Six months in the f***ing dark. We got to London, and London was f***ing dark. London was dead of winter. We’re shooting in Pinewood (Studios), which is an old institution – all the James Bond films. There are no windows in there. It hasn’t been refabbed in decades. You leave for work in the dark – you go into this cauldron, this mausoleum – and then you come out and it’s dark. I’m telling you, one day it broke me. It was like, ‘Life’s too short for this quality of life’.”
Nonetheless, Brad Pitt’s above reaction is enough to explain how excruciating the entire process was that he, along with his co-actors, was ‘more than done’ with the shoot.
Brad Pitt Almost Quit His $223M Vampire Movie With Tom Cruise
Eventually, Pitt got so tired of this continuous process that in the desolate November of 1994, he decided to quit the movie, once and for all. So, he contacted the head of the studio and his friend, David Geffen, to ask how much it would cost him to quit the movie and catch the next flight home. In an answer that left Pitt flabbergasted, Geffen told him that he would have to pay a sum of $40M if he wanted to step away from his commitment, which also included the lawsuit that would follow if he quit. And as expected, it was more than enough to make the darling star stay and continue the shoot.
However, while it was a nightmare for Brad Pitt, things were not the same for Tom Cruise. The Mission Impossible actor was actually ecstatic when he found out that Interview with the Vampire‘s shoot was considerably effortless as compared to the hype the shoot got.
Irrespective of the agonizing shooting process, the movie was a box-office success made with a budget of $60M at that time, with top ratings from critics and fans alike. For what it’s worth, the cast’s hard work certainly paid off!
You can stream Interview with the Vampire on Amazon Instant Video.
Source: The Independent
