In Anne Rice’s The Vampire Lestat, Lestat de Lioncourt has reinvented himself as The Vampire Lestat, a rock musician keen on telling his side of the story. While on tour and being haunted by the “muses” from his past, his band’s popularity grows and so does Lestat’s influence over vampires and humans alike. We sat down with Sheila Atim to discuss all things Akasha, from embracing the mystery of the character and embodying the Queen, to the real-world fragrance that would ground her in future iterations. 

Akasha is one of Anne Rice’s most iconic creations and when casting was announced fans absolutely lost their minds. How immersed were you in the world of Anne Rice before joining the cast? Had you read the books, seen the films or perhaps just watched some of Seasons 1 and 2? Did you know what you were getting yourself into? 

I hadn't read the books. I had seen some of the show. I had seen the various adaptations in films before, years back, very fuzzy in my memory. There's something about the title Interview with the Vampire that I feel is just very iconic in itself. I think the thing that I've been really heartened by the most is the love, the fervor, and the passion that people have for this character — that, I wasn't as aware of! I was doing something boring like washing up when the casting was announced, and some of my friends texted me in capital letters like, "YOU ARE PLAYING AKASHA!" For them it was a character that they absolutely love and feel really passionate about. So that's been really, really lovely! Everyone's been really supportive as well. So, I haven't felt daunted or worried. I've just felt excited to get into it! 

Akasha is such an interesting character and we’re really just getting an introduction to her this season. The more I think about it, the more I realize that Lestat’s two mothers Gabriella and Akasha share a lot of similarities. They are impenetrable. They are mysterious. They are unpredictable. How did these elements shape your performance? How do you get to know and become an entity that is unknowable? 

As you mentioned, Akasha just gets her introduction in this moment. I think it helps that she's super old as well, that she's an ancient being. There's always something mystical about that. That gives me both the license to leave those questions and those gaps unanswered for mystery’s sake, but also to fill them in with whatever my imagination conjures or whatever research sparks in me. So, I kept it at quite a light touch as I tend to as an actor. I really like to use the text and the clues that are in the text because I think they tell you so much, not just about the character, but about the overall vision of the piece and how you can bring your character into that specific world. 

I think with regards to Lestat specifically, it's useful to have these figures in his life, particularly these women in his life who are impenetrable because he's so forward with all his emotions. Everything is on his sleeve. He doesn't really mince his words. You're quite aware of how he feels even when he's trying to hide something in that moment. Then you see these two looming figures in the back of his life who are now coming to the forefront, and you go, "I get it now. I get why you’re the way you are.” It helps having these juxtaposing forces behind him to bring even more depth to his... I don't even know what to call it. Chaos isn't quite the right word, but something in that realm. 

I was thinking chaos too. That feels right. I was expecting part of your answer to be “Rolin,” to help fill in the blanks a little bit too, because I feel like he's just done such a good job at marinating over that source text and pulling out the things that would resonate the most. 

Yeah! [Laughs] I think the whole show is thanks to his inner workings. There's a reason why this show is really loved by people who are fans of the source of material and also people who are totally fresh. That’s not an easy thing to accomplish! It's a huge undertaking when you've got people who are incredibly passionate and protective over something. So, to be able to adapt it and change things and have people on board with that and meet you halfway is really, really special, and it's a real testament to Rolin and the whole team. I think you have to really know and understand something in order to change it, in order to dig deeper into it and expand it, and I think Rolin's done that really well. So yeah, of course, him too! And Hannah! It’s such a special, special team. So talented. Incredible. Hannah wrote my speech and it's just so magnificent, and in very much the same way she threads all of these pieces of Akasha's story together over the four pages. A lot of the speech is largely mysterious, but everyone’s coming away with a very strong impression of what it's about ultimately and how it feels to hear it. 

This season feels very theatrical in a way unlike previous seasons — there’s true theater kid energy peppered throughout, and it adds a new sense of dynamics that feels fresh. You have a very strong theater background and have tackled so much heavy source material before. Anne Rice’s work is dense! How has your stage work impacted your work in television? Do you feel a direct connection between the lessons you learned there and what you brought forth here? 

Oh, 100%, particularly in this project. I always feel a connectivity. I feel like the different mediums are all different sides of the same multi-sided point. What would you call that, like a die? I don't know. 

Or a Venn diagram? 

Yeah, exactly. In the middle of it there's the thing, which is kind of ethereal. And then there's all these offshoots of the thing, which is different ways of expressing the thing. But it's ultimately the same. You adjust to the technicalities of the medium. I love how theatrical this season and this show is in general. I wish there was more stuff on screen that drew the confidence that stage has to be big, to talk about big emotions and show them in big and bold ways. I think it really cuts across the cynicism that can sometimes set into the industries, the screen industry in particular, in terms of how things should be done. 

I think there's something about seeing it from an actor's perspective. When you're working on stage, you will never get to see yourself perform — unless the show is recorded for archive and then you watch it —but you'll never see it, which I think is a really wonderful thing because you're forced to trust. I never watch myself on the monitors on set ever, ever, unless it's a technical thing and they're like, "can you shift a little bit to the side for X reason." Unless it's that, I never watch the monitors for performance. I don't like doing it because I want to stay in the trusting head space that theater has taught me to be in. I think it does genuinely get the best out of me because then I don't start worrying about other stupid things that are connected to vanity, self-consciousness, and too much self-awareness. 

So yeah, I wish that some of tenets of theater, stage craft, and culture that I've carried with me to television can impact others or inspire them in some way, because I think it just creates great work. I think we really need that at the moment. We just need really bold stuff, stuff that really swings big and doesn't apologize for it. If ever there was a moment to do it, this is the moment. I'm really proud of this show for doing that. 

Music is obviously such a huge part of this season, and I’m always so curious about the creative process for actors, especially when tackling such canonic characters. I know there are cast playlists that have been floating around since S1! How did you get into character? Was there specific music, pieces of costuming or even fragrances that helped you get there? 

Music, definitely. I don't think I necessarily played anything specifically, but in my trailer, I would've had some instrumental music going, music that, again, felt ancient or from more indigenous cultures and backgrounds. I don't think I had a specific scent for Akasha when I was shooting, but I did for the premiere! When we were in New York, I stumbled across this amazing South American independent perfumery, called Fueguia 1833 Patagonia. I had a really lovely chat with the guy at the shop for an hour and found this amazing scent called Ronroco and I was like, "Oh yeah, I'm going to a premiere tomorrow, and this is perfect!" So, I wore that and that's my Akasha smell. It's incense-y, like frankincense, but quite resinous. 

The set was just incredible. I got to see it all before we shot. The costume, the hair, makeup, prosthetics — all of it. It was such a team effort and honestly a lot of what I had to do was just step in and play my part. A lot of what was evoked in those moments was contributed to by everyone else. It was one of the things that I think everyone was saying on the day was that there was just so much relief when I'd done it. Everyone was like, "Oh God, but, YES, everything we were working towards has worked and it's the last day of shooting! So, thank you!" It was just really, really, really, really special. When it comes to senses, smell is it for me, most definitely. If we get another season, then I'm going to take that scent with me and use that as a grounding force.

The Vampire Lestat 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.