“There's a line in the novel that's almost in passing, but it refers to being a vampire as an infection,” Let the Right One In showrunner and executive producer Andrew Hinderaker said during a TCA press conference. The new ten-part limited series adaptation of John Ajvide Lindqvist’s 2004 novel launched today for SHOWTIME subscribers, with a broadcast scheduled for Sunday, October 9th, at 10/9c. While the novel has been adapted as a film twice (a 2008 Swedish film and a 2010 American version), the series allows for further exploration. “One of the things I did very early on was to talk to a virologist about the idea ‘If this were an infection, how would it work?’" To Andrew’s surprise, he learned that the part of the brain that manages skin pigmentation is the same part that controls your fight-or-flight mechanism, which adds scientific background to why vampire’s in this universe can’t go into the sun. Of course, one element that can’t be scientifically explained is a vampire’s inability to cross a threshold without an invitation. “Our show is a deeply grounded, realistic show that has an element of something that lives in a slightly heightened plane.”
(James Minchin/SHOWTIME)
Oscar-nominee Demián Bichir headlines the series as Mark Kane, a father whose daughter was infected ten years prior. “I was already a big fan of the film,” Demián shared, who also serves as a producer on the series. “I was very curious to see what Andrew has done to transform two beautiful hours into ten. And I was just amazed at how he kept adding beautiful layers and different characters.” Playing the father of an infected child, trying to help keep her alive while also searching for a cure, brought Demián back to his earliest thespian years. “I was a child actor myself. I grew up doing it in the theater and in films and TV and all of that, and every time I work with a child, it always gets me back to those days.”
Madison Taylor Baez plays Eleanor Kane, Mark’s vampire daughter. “I really fell in love with this role as soon as I got it,” the young actress and singer revealed. “Especially during those late nights of filming, all of those hard scenes with, ounces of blood on my face, the result was definitely worth it.” When vampires feed in this world, animalistic behaviors take control, which was a mixture of Madison’s imagination and special effects. “I didn't really go through any training for that. Most of it, I just did it like I could and let everybody else handle everything else for when it actually came out. But I was very happy with the way that this show came out, and I'm very excited to see it.”
Tony-winning actress and Disney Legend Anika Noni Rose (voice of Tiana in The Princess and the Frog) plays Naomi Cole, the mother of Eleanor’s best friend Isaiah, who also happens to be a detective. “The fact that she is a cop means that she is potentially more watchful than your average neighbor is going to be,” Anika explained about her character. “I'm a person who generally expects the worst of somebody because I've seen the worst from people. So, if I have a feeling about someone, I am going to be watching you like a hawk. think that that really informs who she is. She doesn't miss much. She wants to see the good in people. She would be thrilled if the good was the thing that came first, but she is expectant of something else.” It was a juicy role for Anika to sink her teeth into, pun intended. “I love that this woman is a hunter. She is extremely intelligent. She is a lover of her child. She loves this kid and would do anything for this kid, to the point where she ends up hurting his feelings trying to protect him.”
“My character is different because I'm not in the original movie,” revealed Grace Summer about her role as Claire Logan, a scientist working on a vampire cure whose morals must be left of center to do what she does. “Andrew and I and Seith [Mann] did a lot of painting a picture and a narrative of who this woman was and where she came from and asking a lot of background questions so that I could really get a sense of where her goodness and her heart and her anger and her pain lies… As you keep going with this show, you will see she's very complicated, and she does very questionable things to save her brother and to find a cure, which makes her a pretty good adversary to Demián's character. This show is always toting a line between what's good and evil and who is doing the right thing and who is doing the wrong thing, and I think it's in the gray zone where everyone lies and for what reasons.”
“I read the pilot, curious but also a little bit skeptical and was just blown away by this new relationship [Andrew] created between Demián's character and Madison's character,” director and executive producer Seith Mann said, explaining that he was a fan of the Swedish film. “What was so beautiful and brilliant about it was he took this beloved movie and found room to create a whole new dynamic. And what was important to me was that relationship, that father-daughter relationship and really exploring the lengths that people will go to for the love of their child, just hit me in a very personal and emotional way. Seeing it with Demián's character, Madison's character, seeing it with Grace's character's relationship with her brother and their father, and seeing all of these people transformed into behavior that would, on the surface, be described as monstrous. But understanding where it was coming from, understanding their motivations, really being able to connect to the humanity and some of the evil things that people do was really profound for me. And then having the foil of Anika's character, Naomi, who was dealing with a regular child with regular child problems and seeing that the stakes for each of them is tied to each other. It was really beautiful and something I was so excited to work with Andrew and this amazing cast to build. It was really an incredible experience.”
The premiere episode of SHOWTIME’s Let The Right One In is now streaming for subscribers, both in the SHOWTIME ANYTIME app and on-demand. It will have its on-air premiere on Sunday, October 9th, at 10/9c.
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