Star Delainey Hayles admits she thought she was “done” after season 2.

The Vampire Lestat boss Rolin Jones says the ‘best Claudia scene we ever wrote’ is still to come

Star Delainey Hayles admits she thought she was "done" after season 2.

By Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at **, where she’s worked for more than 12 years covering television.

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June 26, 2026 10:00 a.m. ET

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Delainey Hayles as Regina on 'The Vampire Lestat'. Credit:

Sophie Giraud/AMC

- Delainey Hayles thought she was "done" after Claudia died in* Interview With the Vampire* season 2.

- The latest episode of *The Vampire Lestat* revealed her new character.

- Showrunner Rolin Jones teases that "the best Claudia scene we ever wrote" is still to come.

**This article contains spoilers for episode 3 of *The Vampire Lestat*, "Toronto."**

"Um, what can I tell you?" Delainey Hayles doesn't quite know what to say. Or rather, the *Vampire Lestat* star doesn't know what she is allowed to say.

After taking over the role of Claudia — previously played by Bailey Bass — in the AMC drama's second season, Hayles portrayed the vampire daughter of Louis (Jacob Anderson) and Lestat (Sam Reid) all the way until her devastating death.

"I thought I was done," Hayles tells **. " I'd read the book, so I thought, 'Okay, that's it.'"

Delainey Hayles as Claudia and Roxane Duran as Madeleine on 'Interview With the Vampire'.

Larry Horricks/AMC

And yet, despite her character turning into a pile of ash, she's back in the show's third season.

For showrunner Rolin Jones, bringing her back was an easy decision: "I thought, 'She's a great f‑‑‑ing actor,' that was the first and foremost thing," Jones says. "It was the same thing with Jacob," he adds, referencing the show building out a new story for Louis that's not from Anne Rice's books. "It was mostly that I loved these actors, and I did not feel we had done everything we could do with Delainey."

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As viewers saw in episode 3, Hayles is playing a new character — a diner waitress named Regina. "There's a new waitress in town, and she may or may not look like somebody we may have seen before," Hayles says with a laugh.

And, of course, her appearance has caught Louis off guard. "Claudia is playing on Louis' mind a lot, and that's something he'll never heal from," Hayles says. "The grief is part of him."

Jacob Anderson as Louis and Delainey Hayles as Regina on 'The Vampire Lestat'.

Sophie Giraud/AMC

But that doesn't mean Hayley will *only* play Regina this season. With the haunting of the muses in full effect, Jones says, "The best Claudia scene we ever wrote is in episode 6. It's not even close."

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Hayles adds that this season's episodes kept her "hooked" on the story. "The scripts are really good," she teases. "I'm very pleased with how everything is. It's an amazing season."

*The Vampire Lestat* releases new episodes Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC.

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Drama”