This page is dedicated to the impressive Los Angeles home that will double for Lestat's mansion in the film. Known as 'the Fortress', the official website for the house describes the mansion as a 'Hollywood Homestead, Dance Club, Party Palace, Clubhouse, and Culture Lab.' In more simpler terms, it is actually 'a big home in LA that occasionally plays host to club and party type events'. The 7800 sq. ft. mansion is also available as a location for movie shoots, and will now be featured in 'The Queen of the Damned'!

Pictures are in thumbnail format for faster loading time.
Please click for larger images and descriptions.

Feel free to visit the official 'Fortress' website:

"From what my friend tells me, there was a woman walking around outside the house and when he asked her what she was doing she said she was looking for locations for a movie shoot. He invited her in and she took a look around. She then told him the movie was Queen of the Damned, and that they were very interested in using his house. A few weeks later he told me they were definitely shooting there." - Roxanne

"They only planned to shoot one scene at the mansion. I was told they had already shot the same scene in Australia but didn't like how it came out or how Stuart Townsend looked or something really silly like that so that's why they were doing it again (but that's just hear say, the production crew had told my friend this). They were shooting the scene between Lestat and Marius after Lestat's music wakes up everyone and Marius goes to visit Lestat (at least that's what I gathered from the script).

They set up for the shoot on a Monday which was I think the 24th of January and shot all day and night on Tuesday the 25th then tore everything down the next day. I had to work all day the day that shooting started so I didn't get over there till' about 9pm or so right about an hour before they started shooting the scene between Lestat and Marius. From what I'm told, earlier in the evening as soon as the sun went down, they did a crane shot from the backyard of the city (there's an amazing view from the backyard of all of Los Angeles, the house is up on a hill) They had gargoyle's set up outside by the pool. I'm not sure if there were any scenes with Lestat and Marius outside because I wasn't there yet.

There were some amazing props set up... There were stone statue's and gargoyle's and paintings and they brought in all this modern sleek furniture, very dark and gothic looking. The great thing about the house is that it is all concrete and steel and it's very dark and masculine, definitely perfect for Lestat's mansion.

The filming I saw was just one scene (between Lestat and Marius) and that was all they shot for about four hours! Then at about 1:30 am it was a wrap. I kinda remember their lines a little bit , but it was really hard to hear them talking during shooting. I was real close, right behind Michael Rymer watching from the TV monitors but it was still kinda hard to hear, I was only catching bits and pieces of dialogue. I know in the scene they are in Lestat's living room and they are talking for the first time since Marius has awaken and I think they are talking about or discussing the fact that he's on the cover of the magazine (that's when I first saw the Rolling Stone with Lestat on it)." - Roxanne

After reading Roxanne's observations, I recognised that the scene filmed at this location is featured in my unofficial script. At this stage in the movie, Lestat has risen to rock stardom. After their long period of separation, Marius comes to visit Lestat at his L.A. mansion. Marius warns him that Akasha has risen and that going through with the concert will be dangerous. Of course, Lestat is his usual flippant self, disregarding the warning and taunting Marius instead. Excitedly he says, "I will make my debut at that concert. And it will be a sensation."

To read this section of the script, please refer to:
Unofficial Script, Section 4 - Pages 57-61, Scenes 117 & 120

As for the unnamed 'magazine' that Marius is flicking through in the beginning of this scene, it is most probably Rolling Stone! This mock magazine is a prop that will seemingly be featured in several scenes in the film. It is also featured later on in the script where we see Lestat reading through it... He is rather perplexed by an article about himself in the publication, and asks his band members what it means to be referred to as a 'Metal God'.

To read this section of the script, please refer to:
Unofficial Script, Section 5 - Page 74, Scene 143

To view the 'Rolling Stone' magazine and other prop pictures courtesy of Roxanne,
visit my Prop Photos section.

Photos are used here with permission from their respective owners.
Please do not distribute photos without proper accreditation.