In the latest addition to Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe, we finally get to dive into the world of the Talamasca, an international spy agency for immortals that we were previously introduced to but never thoroughly explored. Our guide into this new clandestine world is Guy Anatole, played by Australian actor Nicholas Denton, a young man whose connection to the agency runs deeper than even he realizes. We spoke to Denton about taking on this exciting new character, joining the Immortal Universe, and working with fellow actors like Elizabeth McGovern, William Fichtner and Jason Schwartzman to expand the breadth of the universe for fans and newcomers alike. 

Q: How familiar were you with The Anne Rice Universe when you first heard about this project? Were you a fan of the books or our shows beforehand, or did you dive in headfirst pretty fresh? 

Nicholas Denton: I was pretty fresh, to be honest. I'd seen the movie. As I’ve said before, I worked at a video store and that movie would get taken out so often that I was like, "What is this cult movie that everyone is obsessed with?!" And the people that came in to hire it [Ed note: rent it] were exactly like the people that I've met in the last few months at all these awesome comic-cons — these are real genre fans. Side note, I met so many fans of the film when I was in Malaga because I didn’t realize that’s where Antonio Banderas is from! 

So, anyway I watched the film way back when and I watched it again when I got the job, but otherwise I didn't know anything about it! Of course, I knew Sam Reid was doing Interview with the Vampire and Emma Freeman directed a block on Season 2 and she had directed me in a series called Glitch years ago. So, there was an Australian connection so to speak! I definitely knew about the fandom around the Anne Rice Universe, and I was so down for it. I think it's a really cool, beautiful fandom! There’s something to be said about this Universe and about the people that love it — it's very accepting in so many ways. It really invites all kinds of people and subcultures in, and I find that very exciting. Talamasca is branching out to new audiences, I think! 

Q: You’re no stranger to the stage and screen, having worked in TV, in film, and in theater. What was it about Guy that drew you to him? Was part of his appeal that he’s part of this larger beloved ecosystem of characters and intertwining storylines? 

ND: That's a good question. The reason why I really liked the role of Guy, and the reason why I thought the journey would be really exciting, was because I genuinely liked Mark Lafferty and John Lee Hancock when I met them. I thought they were really interesting and very genuine creatives that wanted to make something original while still honoring Anne Rice. They wanted to make something of their own. They didn't want to rewrite anything; they wanted to build. I think original content is hard to come by these days, so to have a little bit of a basis for this world through Anne's work and the Immortal Universe was a blessing. They [the showrunners] had the ability to be like, "Well, we've got a little bit of free rein here. We're going to do our best to honor what already exists, but we're also going to take and be autonomous." So, I was like, "That's cool! What can we do?" And they were like, "We can do a hell of a lot of different things!" 

Guy is the audience’s access to the story. I'd never played a character that was so vulnerable and raw to the emotions that were coming towards him and to the people affecting him. Usually, the characters I play have a little bit of a performative vibe. And be it on stage or be it on screen, they’re a bit Machiavellian. But this character is very, “what you see is what you get.” It's nice to lead with that. Guy doesn’t have to worry about hiding anything. He’s just like, "Wow, that really messed me up." 

Q: This is such a dynamic cast full of mysterious characters that live in that in between space between good and bad — Guy really doesn’t know who to trust! From series regulars Elizabeth [McGovern aka Helen] and Bill [Fichtner aka Jasper] to special guest stars like Jason Schwartzman [aka Burton] and Eric Bogosian [aka Daniel Molloy], what was it like on set? Were you able to balance the darkness of some of these scenes with some fun between takes? I laughed so hard in Ep 1 when Jason pops up behind you and says, "Hey, fella!" 

ND: [Laughs] I loved shooting with Jason so much, it was really fun! I think there's a lot of dark subject matter in the story. There's a lot of stuff about family and grief and some disturbing things, but that scene in particular had some nice levity in it — Burton’s charming! You know, I'm quite serious on set, but with this show everything's just happening to Guy all the time! I found it really enjoyable to be there with all of these incredible performers that I've admired my whole life, just feeling what they're giving back to me and being really prepared so that we can all do a really good job. 

Jason, Elizabeth, and I we were in that room at the Dakota shooting that scene for, I think it was a week and a half, and so at some point oxygen begins to leave you and you start going crazy. And then you've got those screens on the left-hand side, they're rolling like Kardashian videos and stuff that you're trying not to get sucked into. Then you've got Jason coming down the stairs, Burton just doing anything and everything that is so perfect. He would do things that would just have me pissing myself laughing so hard. And then we’d have to literally freeze for those “freeze frame moments.” So, it was really fun and challenging at the same time. 

I think the performances are really terrific from everyone that’s in the show, and I'm quite proud of how we've come together as an ensemble to be completely honest. But I think it’s important to say that that supportive energy came from the higher ups, Mark Johnson, John Lee, Tom Williams, Mark Lafferty —they're good people! And they know how to make TV, and they know how to make you feel safe to go and do your thing. I really admire that because they're not super hands-on, they're a little bit like, “This is your job. Go have fun.” 

Q: The Talamasca monitor all kinds of entities — what they’ve dubbed “Entities of Interest” — from witches and demons to vampires and other terrifying supernatural creatures. If you had your choice and could be any of these creatures for a day, which one would you pick? 

ND: Oh no question, I would be Burton. I’m kind of like him anyway. I spent a lot of time in hotel rooms, so I'm by myself watching a lot of weird TV and just doing random things. I think if it was for a day, the joys that Burton has, he has such a fantastic life, and he's very thoughtful, so I think I would like to be him. 

Yeah, I think that's great. My answer is automatically also a vampire! 

Oh, what about a Warlock? Would you be a Warlock? 

Yes, or a witch! Having just read The Vampire Lestat there are so many interesting characters in there too. 

ND: So, Celine [Buckens], who plays Doris, is reading that at the moment. I had dinner at her house, and she was like, "You have to read that book. It is so insane." Anne Rice was just so cool. She was super punk! 

She really was. Okay, one last question for you as we wrap up. We’re just at the start of Guy’s journey. What can you tease out about the rest of the season as Guy gets more deeply involved in the world of the Talamasca? 

ND: Well, we see that Guy is now on a personal mission, a personal quest — kind of a Talamasca agent gone rogue at this point. And I really like that because it tells you that he’s starting to believe in himself. He's starting to trust what he's feeling and go after it with intent, instead of being told what to do by the ones that have controlled him his entire life. It adds this nice, quite corrupting quality to him that you just go, “hmmm maybe this is indicative of what the Talamasca is about.” It's recruiting people, manipulating people, and putting them to work… with the hopes that they don't form their own sense of self.

Anne Rice's Talamasca: The Secret Order airs on Sundays at 9/8c on AMC. Episodes are available to stream on amc.com (with a cable provider login), and the AMC apps for mobile and devices. You can also watch episodes via AMC+ at amcplus.com or through the new AMC+ app available on iPhone, iPad, Android, Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku plus Samsung and Vizio smart TVs. AMC+ can also be streamed through a variety of providers, including AppleTV, Prime Video Channels, DirectTV, Dish, Roku Channel, Sling, and Xfinity. Sign up for AMC+ now.