The “Vampire” series gives Sam Reid something to be interested in

“It’s very operatic,” he says of the Anne Rice saga. “You’re allowed to go to extremes. And then there are moments when you shut down and you’re more realistic and composed. It’s wonderful.”

In the AMC series, which just wrapped its second season and has been renewed for a third, Reid gets to delve into the nuances of the vampire Lestat, a role played by Tom Cruise in the 1994 film. Cruise, however, hasn’t had the luxury of a series, where he’s been able to explore many of Rice’s character’s subtexts. In the second season, Reid says, “there’s a lot less interaction with humanity. A character like Lestat is always about escaping the vampire world, because vampires are complex monsters who have laws and rules and are pretty archaic.”

To find that world, Reid says he consults Rice’s book, the show’s scripts and — get this — the fans.

“A lot of fans of our show are fans of the book,” he says. “They’re the best people I can talk to because they understand the source material. Sometimes they’ll pick up on things I’ve forgotten and give me good ideas.”

Sometimes, those fans understand what Reid is referring to. “And then you’re like, ‘Oh, that wasn’t a waste.’ That’s fantastic.”

As the series progresses, Reid hopes it can explore other areas. “It’s a comedy in my opinion. It’s absurd and lyrical and ridiculous. It’s also violent and sexy. It’s a lot of genres rolled into one.”

While others complain about the fangs and contact lenses required to play a vampire, Reid takes a different approach. “I wish we could wear them all the time. You don’t talk much (while wearing) the teeth and they recede.”

But the vampire nails have been a challenge. “We have acrylic nails,” the Australian actor explains. “There are glue-on nails, but they always tend to peel off. So I usually spend six months of the year with acrylic nails. This year, he ripped one of my real nails off, which was quite painful. Then we moved to gel nails, which is a revelation – very light. So that’s probably how we’ll go forward.”

In the second season, Delainey Hayles replaced Bailey Bass as Claudia, the 14-year-old daughter whom Lestat turns into a vampire.

“As Claudia gets older, she knows what she likes and what she doesn’t like,” Hayles says.

Jacob Anderson, who plays Louis de Pointe du Lac, says switching from one actress to another was no problem. “Delainey completely owns the role in a way that enriches the show beautifully,” he says. “She’s kind of the best actress of the season for me.”

As they now head into a third season of “Interview,” Reid says there’s an opportunity to enrich the vampire lore.

“When I saw Bram Stoker’s Dracula, I was blown away,” he says. “I loved what Gary Oldman did. It really feels like a very Anne Rice version of Bram Stoker. There’s a real longing. You’re seduced by him.”

That’s where Reid would like to take his Lestat. “He’s lived a long time and seen a lot.

“I don’t believe in vampires, but I am a vampire in my job… which is kind of funny.”

“Interview with the Vampire” airs on AMC.