Vampire Academy makes its highly anticipated debut on Peacock on Thursday, September 15, with a four-episode launch.
TV Fanatic got the chance to chat with Sisi Stringer (Rose), Daniela Nieves (Lissa), Kieron Moore (Dimitri), André Dae Kim (Christian), J. August Richards (Victor), and Anita-Joy Uwajeh (Tatiana) ahead of launch.
Daniela hadn’t read the books when she first heard about the project, but she was intrigued when she heard Julie Plec (The Vampire Diaries) was involved.
“I think I finished the first book in a day or two,” Daniela shares, revealing that she was addicted to the multi-layered world.
The actress also understands why the novel series has such a big fanbase.
Daniela was surprised at the level of engagement from fans of the novels when the cast was announced.
“Before we met, they were literally taking out Instagram pictures and making fan art,” Nieves added.
“It’s cool to have such a strong fan base before you even come into anything because they’re usually supportive and encouraging.”
The star also believes the fans help to contribute to her performance because they know the character inside out and send her information about the character.
Sisi was familiar with the book series.
“I loved the books. I read them when I was a teenager,” the star said, revealing that she was going through a phase of enjoying everything that included vampires.
“I remember being so excited when the movie came out because I was like, ‘yeah, finally, we’re gonna get to see it.'”
“And then, you know, they only made one movie. So I’m really happy that we’re doing it now, and we’re doing it properly, and we’re putting enough blood, sweat, and tears into it,” Stringer shared.
“I think the fans will really appreciate what we’ve done.”
Andre didn’t know the book series before booking the role, but he was an instant fan after reading the first book.
He felt drawn to that universe because of the characters and their relationships.
“I was so interested to see how they were going to adapt them and play them on screen,” Andre said.
Kieron became a fan when booking the show. He now has all the books and can’t wait to read more.
The star said he was very intimidated by Dimitri and his role in the first novel, but he was excited at the prospect of bringing fans a new spin on the story.
Kieron cautioned that the series would be “following that blueprint” of the novels.
“I didn’t want to get too much information,” Kieron shares of the novels, saying that he wanted to enter the world through the early scrips.
J. was unfamiliar with the universe when he booked the role, but he understood how passionate the fanbase was about the project.
The actor said that people would come up to him and say that Victor is their favorite villain, which surprised him because “everything that I knew about the character was that he was a very righteous person.”
The star said he wanted to treat the script as the source material.
“If I do read these books, it’s gonna lead me down a path to where I was afraid I was going to start twirling my mustache, if you will,” J. shared.
“If I knew what was coming, I was going to project it, and I always wanted to play the character from a very positive place,” the star concluded.
Anita-Joy was also unfamiliar with the books but recalls the cast meeting for the first time and that there was a nice mix of people with varying knowledge of that world.
The actress realized that Tatiana wasn’t as heavily featured in the first book and wanted to approach the character from the angle Julie and Marguerite MacIntyre crafted.
“I have not gone back to the books, and I’m trying to just find my way through Tatiana with what has come through the material we’ve got with the series,” Anita-Joy shared.
“It’s amazing.”
The star said she hopes the fans can get on board with this iteration of Tatiana and love her “as much as I do.”
Kieron believes the series will challenge viewers’ expectations because it takes significant risks.
His main hope is that the audience “keeps an open mind and trust that we love these characters as much as they do and love and trust that the writers have as much of appreciation for the books as the fans do.”
Kieron said that the parts fans love will all be heavily present, “they might not happen in the way you presume.”
He said it would be great for new fans of the series to check out the books to see where the show was adapted from and how “this beautiful world started with Richelle Mead.”
Moore added that fans should not expect a run-of-the-mill vampire story, either.
“It’s different. There are bits in there for everyone, and for me, it’s a vampire show that isn’t just about vampires.”
Andre followed up on Kieron’s response, saying that the “essence of what you read in the books is clear throughout the series.”
Some developments may not happen in the order you expect them, “but they will be in there.”
Andre added that the vampires on Vampire Academy have “very clearly outlined rules” for how they work, and “it’s nothing like what you’ve seen before.”
Andre says that fans will be pleasantly surprised if they come in with an open mind and fresh perspective.
Undoubtedly, one of the main attractions of the series is the friendship between Rose and Lissa.
Sisi said that her friendship with Daniela was strong from the get-go. They went out to dinner every evening while shooting the series.
“Everyone’s relationships developed, particularly ours, because we’re doing so much together all the time,” Sisi shared, adding that their relationship developed alongside their characters.
“We have to be there for each other as actors and as people, so everything kind of developed, and by the end, it was just the unspoken sort of thing that everyone was together, and we were supporting each other.”
“It was really nice.”
Daniela likes that the series puts friendship at the forefront because the series has a younger audience.
The star said many projects put so much weight on romantic relationships, “and they don’t put as much value in their friendships.”
“I love that it’s centered around a friendship,” Nieves added, sharing that her favorite aspect of this season is how Rose and Lissa are like a yin and yang.
“it’s really expressed a lot throughout this season, visually and emotionally and through the story.”
TV Fanatic will have more Vampire Academy interviews as the series is airing.
Return on Thursday, September 15, for a full review of the first four episodes.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
