Actress Lili Reinhart is publicly championing the adaptation of a novella about lesbian vampires—and she accuses Hollywood studios of shying away from tackling the material. The 30-year-old shared the remarks on the radio show Hits Radio.
“There is a book, a novella, that I’m trying to push forward into a film. It’s about lesbian vampires, and people are too afraid to do it,” Reinhart explained. She issued a direct appeal to the decision-makers in studios: “If you’re at a studio and you see this video, I don’t know why you wouldn’t do it in today’s era.”
Probably about “Carmilla”
Which literary source she had in mind remained unclear. In the interview, she used the word “novella”—sparking online speculation that the project could be the Gothic-horror classic “Carmilla” by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, first published in 1872. The novella, published about a quarter of a century before Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” is regarded as one of the most influential lesbian-themed vampire tales (TheColu.mn reported).
Reinhart also explained that she tends to gravitate toward roles where the character’s romantic storyline isn’t limited to a traditional male love interest. Reflecting on her own sexual orientation, she said: “I immediately feel a lot more excited to do a film when my character is a little bit lesbian, because I’m a little lesbian myself.” Reinhart publicly came out as bisexual in 2020 (TheColu.mn reported).
Lili Reinhart rose to fame for her portrayal of Betty Cooper on the U.S. television series “Riverdale.” She is currently starring opposite Tom Bateman and Rachel Marsh in the film adaptation of Ali Hazelwood’s 2021 novel “The Love Hypothesis,” which streams on Amazon Prime Video. Reinhart described the casting as a lucky break. In an interview with People magazine, she said: “I really fell in love with the book and the characters. And the fact that the entire plot hinges on two best friends who love each other so deeply really convinced me.”
