Assad Zaman on playing a multi-faceted, centuries-old vampire

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Devan Suber: Did you read any of The Vampire Chronicles when you signed on? If you did, do you still want to stay surprised since so much has changed?
Assad Zaman: A little bit of both. With adaptations, you want to have the essence and soul of the source while finding new things. I read The Vampire Armand when I first got the part, because I knew that in season one I would be in the background more. I would have a chance to observe, as an actor, so there wasn't immediate pressure.

DS: Do you miss the first season fakery? You’re performing in a much different style from what comes later.
AZ: I hadn't really thought about it until now, but it was fun and easy observing that season. I got to see some amazing actors do their thing. Fake Rashid is so different to who we have now, I do miss it.

DS: Did you suggest anything to the writing team for Armand’s background?
AZ: No, we had a lot of dialogue as we were filming season one and going into season two about this version of Armand, exploring his background. I looked at the Traveler community because in the books he originates in Ukraine. I've found connections with the Indian Traveler community because I am from Bangladesh. (Creator Rolin Jones) is amazing. He brought me into the writers’ room before season two.

DS: Among other things, Daniel calls Armand a “friendless bottom twink” and a “500-year-old p*ssy.” They’re funny, but they speak to this feminization common to Asian men. Does that impact the way he carries himself or how he treats the people around him?
AZ: Oh, for sure. Not a lot of people have picked up on the fact that we only get little glimpses and moments of Armand’s past. Whenever anyone apart from him engages with it, they’re always a bit dismissive. Armand has a lot of faults: he orchestrated a lot of pain last season. But no one has ever really acknowledged the trauma that he has endured and how that would have made someone who they are.

DS: Is it because you never quite know if he’s being genuine or playing a game?
AZ: Oh yeah, he's also a culprit of his own doing. He doesn't do himself any favors. He's his own worst enemy.

DS: In terms of his relationship with Daniel this season, did you and Eric Bogosian talk about how you wanted to play it?
AZ: We talked a little. We knew that this season Molloy and Armand's storyline would be interlinked and separate from everything else. So I knew that I'd be working quite closely with Eric, and I love working with him. We found it in the scenes and in the moments. 

DS: What's been your favorite part of playing Armand? Is there a specific scene you really loved to sink your teeth into, if you will?
AZ: Oh, I mean, this part is such a joy. Sometimes I feel like I've peaked in terms of the material and the complexity of a character.

DS: It feels like the series gets more insane as it goes on. Maybe you haven't quite hit it yet. He's also just really fun to watch.
AZ: He's super fun to play. One of the things I really loved this season was doing a bit more with Sam Reid (who plays the Vampire Lestat). I love their dynamic, it's so catty. Armand is a pathetic, obsessive, clinger-on through Lestat's eyes and that's probably more accurate.

DS: Did your theatrical experience influence your performance at all?
AZ: Armand is stripped back this season. He's had to shed the performative nature of season two, and I've had to bring everything down to be more intimate, which is not exactly how I would do it on stage. I always say that if I hadn't done 10 years of stage before coming into this, I would have struggled. It's really helped.

DS: One of the most interesting things about the show is its ambiguity. I could see the AA meeting in episode four as a manipulation attempt, but also genuinely helpful. Did you have a definite interpretation in mind?
AZ: Yeah, he's very funny. Very convenient that he finds AA with one of the band members. That's the thing: no one is a mustache-twirling villain or a complete hero. With Armand, there’s sincerity, but there’s an underlying goal. And the structure of this show is you see things when you're meant to see them. You can recontextualize your entire view of a certain scene or character, and not many shows can do that.

DS: Do you interact with fandom online much? I know Eric is very active on Instagram.
AZ: No, I try to stay away. He likes to send me funny memes. I love the discourse. People are so passionate about Armand. Sometimes I wonder if that makes me reluctant to answer questions about him in a definitive way because I really respect everyone's views. It's great to have a character that causes such intense debate about so many different topics.

DS: You were in one of the Small Axe films (Red, White, and Blue) earlier in your career. Would you like to do more films?
AZ: I'd love to do more films. I'd love to work with Steve McQueen again; he is a genius, and that experience was brilliant. I got to do some lovely scenes with John Boyega. And those films are beautifully constructed and realized. You watch them and feel transported to that era of London, that time in this community. It feels so authentic and so rich.

DS: What are you most excited about the audience getting to see?
AZ: I'm excited for audiences to see everyone else in this show. I have zero expectations for myself because I can't really function if I'm thinking like that. There’s some amazing talent on this show doing some insane things. There's some massive swings in this season, huge revelations and performances that blew my mind when I first saw them.