Tom Cruise has been a Hollywood icon for decades, but Interview with the Vampire remains one of those rare films where he truly vanishes into a role. His portrayal of Lestat—charming, witty, cruel, and often frightening—made the initial backlash against his casting seem almost laughable once audiences saw the final product. Yet even director Neil Jordan wasn't immediately sold on the idea.
In an exclusive interview with Collider, Jordan recalled how the studio pushed him to meet Cruise after numerous actors were considered for Lestat. Jordan already respected Cruise's work, but it was meeting him in person that revealed something deeper. Speaking during a Collider Rewind interview for the film's 4K restoration, Jordan shared:
“The studio asked me to meet Tom. I always loved him as an actor. I always liked him as an actor, and there were all sorts of names being mentioned for this. I thought, ‘Tom Cruise? Oh my God. Okay, fine.’ So I drove out to meet Tom, who lived in Brentwood at the time or something like that. Utterly charming guy. But there’s something going on there. Do you understand what I mean? There’s something behind that grin. There’s something behind the beautiful physique, and I don’t know what it is.”
Jordan initially linked Cruise's massive fame to Lestat's shadowy existence. By their second meeting, however, the director had uncovered something else beneath the actor's polished exterior. “At the time, he was the biggest star in the world, so he had to keep himself in the shadows a bit,” Jordan explained. “He didn’t have to protect himself from sunlight, but he had to protect himself from the glare of others, let’s put it that way. There was that aspect of being such a big star that struck me as suiting the part. I met him once, and we talked a bit, and then I met him a second time. That second time, I could see this other thing underneath the charm. It was intriguing and slightly terrifying, too. I thought, ‘Okay, let’s go for this. Let’s see what happens if I cast Tom as Lestat.’ And he gave a great, great performance.”
Neil Jordan Says Tom Cruise Gives Everything to a Performance
Jordan believes part of what makes Cruise such a compelling actor is his willingness to place enormous trust in his directors. He pointed to Cruise's work with Paul Thomas Anderson on Magnolia as an example of what can happen when the actor is allowed to explore a completely different side of himself. “I think he’s a very interesting actor because I think he puts an enormous amount of trust in the director. I can see why the work he did with Paul Thomas Anderson, how he would have loved playing that role,” Jordan said.
“I think he’s the kind of actor who sees there are multiple possibilities of yourself and seems to love different bits, which is why I’m really interested to see what he does in Digger,” the director told Collider. “It’s why I loved what he did in that strange movie with Robert Downey Jr. where he played a version of Harvey Weinstein [Tropic Thunder]. I don’t know what the hell he was playing there, but I went, ‘Okay.’” Whatever the role, Jordan says there’s one thing nobody can accuse Cruise of doing: phoning it in. “I don’t think Tom Cruise would ever do anything without throwing himself into it. That’s the one thing you can say about him. He’s 100%, 110% there.”
For fans of the vampire classic, Jordan's reflections offer a fresh perspective on how Cruise's casting came to be—and why it worked so brilliantly. The director's insights also shed light on the actor's unique approach to his craft, which continues to fascinate audiences and filmmakers alike. As for what's next for Cruise, his upcoming project Digger has already sparked early reactions that range from masterpiece to mess, proving that even after all these years, he still knows how to keep people guessing.
Jordan's comments also add to the ongoing conversation about Interview with the Vampire, a film that has only grown in stature over time. The director has previously addressed the ordeal Brad Pitt went through during production, and he's defended the dynamic between Louis and Lestat on screen. With the film now available in stunning 4K, a new generation of viewers can experience the magic—and the menace—that Cruise brought to one of his most unforgettable roles.
