Recasts on television shows and movies happen frequently for various reasons, but the explanation behind Bailey Bass’ exit from her role as Claudia in “Interview with the Vampire” Season 2 remains somewhat unclear. The AMC gothic horror television series, created by Rolin Jones, is based on Anne Rice’s 1976 book of the same name. Season 1 introduced viewers to Louis de Pointe du Lac, a vampire recounting his life story to a journalist in 2022, including his time in New Orleans in the 1910s and his encounter with Claudia, a teenage vampire.
Bailey Bass originated the role of Claudia in Season 1, and Delainey Hayles took over for the actress in Season 2. Aside from Hayles, the cast of “Interview with the Vampire” Season 2 includes Jacob Anderson as Louis de Pointe du Lac, Sam Reid as Lestat de Lioncourt, Eric Bogosian as Daniel Molloy, Assad Zaman as Armand, and Ben Daniels as Santiago. While most of the cast reprise their roles from the first season (or make their first appearances in the second), as the Season 2 premiere stated, “The role of Claudia will now be played by Delainey Hayles.”
According to Deadline, AMC claimed that the character of Claudia was recast in “Interview with the Vampire” Season 2 because: “Bailey Bass is a talented actor who did a remarkable job bringing the character of Claudia to life in Anne Rice’s ‘Interview with the Vampire.’ For a variety of reasons, Delainey Hayles will appear as Claudia in season two. We are grateful for Bailey’s unforgettable performance in season one and wish her nothing but the best.”
Meanwhile, Bailey Bass’ statement on the matter read: “Due to a variety of unforeseen circumstances I’m unable to return to Anne Rice’s ‘Interview with the Vampire’ for the second season. Playing Claudia has been a dream role and an incredible ride. I wish Delainey the best of luck in taking over. I cannot wait to watch. I’m extremely appreciative of AMC, the producers, Jacob, Sam, the crew and, of course, the wonderful fans.”
“A variety of unforeseen circumstances” is probably the most vague explanation for an actor’s exit from a television show that one could give. However, although her initial reasoning was unclear, context clues may inform why Bass departed “Interview with the Vampire” on AMC. The actress previously starred as Tsireya in “Avatar: The Way of Water” and is expected to reprise the role in the upcoming Avatar movies. As a result, scheduling conflicts might be to blame for the recast of Claudia in “Interview with the Vampire” Season 2, but no one could fault Bass for putting James Cameron first.
New episodes of “Interview with the Vampire” Season 2 premiere on Sundays at 9 pm ET on AMC.
Source: Deadline
