In 1993, on this day actor Tom Cruise unexpectedly withdrew from the movie "Interview with the Vampire" following comments published in the "Los Angeles Times" newspaper by the author, Anne Rice. The decision would prove to be a massive personal setback for Cruise who had hoped to be taken more seriously in Hollywood by matching the acting skills of his co-star Brad Pitt; instead, he would be condemned to to a decade of "action" roles in popcorn movies.
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The Dark GiftCruise had entertained the idea of "doing something scary" with "creature features", apparently totally misunderstanding the deep subtextual undercurrents of the novel. And doubtless, this insensitivity played a key part in his withdrawal.

"I was particularly stunned by the casting of Cruise, who is no more my Vampire Lestat than Edward G. Robinson is Rhett Butler" ~ Ann Rice Because in the narrative, Lestat turns the child Claudia (pictured) into a vampire. "The Tom Criuse casting is just so bizarre, it's almost impossible to imagine how it's going to work" ~ Ann RiceOver time she begins to hate Lestat as she realizes she can never grow up; although her mind matures into that of an intelligent, assertive woman, her body remains that of a six-year-old girl. Of course the interaction between Lestat and Claudia mirrors Anne Rice's own personal tragedy because her daughter Michele died of leukemia aged six in August 1972. Rice only returned to the Catholic Church in 1998 after several years of describing herself as an atheist.