SEATTLE — A new series premiering on Netflix is more than 30 years in the making.
"The Sandman" is a super hero/dark fantasy/horror series based on a critically-acclaimed comic book series by Neil Gaiman, first released in 1988.
It follows Morpheus, aka "Dream," an Endless being who controls everyone's dreams. When he's kidnapped and held hostage, the world starts to fall apart.
Entertainment reporter Kim Holcomb talked to Gaiman and the stars of the series — Tom Sturridge (Morpheus,) Vivienne Acheampong (The Librarian,) Gwendoline Christie (Lucifer,) Jenna Coleman (Johanna Constantine,) Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Death,) Vanesu Samunyai (Rose Walker,) and Stephen Fry (Gilbert.)
HOLCOMB: "Was there one element that you felt, in particular, we have to get this thing right?”
GAIMAN: “Tom Sturridge. We had to cast Morpheus right. We saw every actor with great cheekbones on the planet. Everyone who could have looked like that. But Tom said the lines in a way that made us believe them."
HOLCOMB: "I'm just curious if there was a person in real life who helped inform your performance as Dream?"
STURRIDGE: "There was definitely a concoction of a number of people, I think. I might keep their identity a secret because part of the bizarre magic of creating a character is that if you give away the trick you realize it's just stupid (laughter.) But there was no bigger influence than the literature, than books themselves."
HOLCOMB: “Vivienne, your character is slightly different than The Librarian in the source material. (A woman rather than a man.) I’m curious how Neil factored into that, because he said that was one of his favorite changes made.”
ACHEAMPONG: "I think the only difference is that they appear different, physically. We’ve got this literature that is so rich and so deep, and the characters Neil creates are very clear.”
HOLCOMB: "What did you guys dream about in the course of shooting this?"
STURRIDGE: "Mainly, I was just trying to find Morpheus in my dreams so I could talk to him about how to play the part (laughter.)"
HOLCOMB: "Death, Lucifer, and Constantine walk into a bar. What are you drinking and who's paying?"
COLEMAN: "Whiskey, beer. Hard liquor only."
HOWELL-BAPTISTE: “Tequila, for sure. She's a party girl. She knows how to party while she's here."
CHRISTIE: "Lucifer's picking up the tab, no problem."
HOLCOMB: "Tangibly speaking, was it difficult to move around the set with your wings?"
CHRISTIE: "The wings are truly extraordinary. I am very fortunate in that I have a long history with ostentatious garments (laughter.) And it seems to be what I was born to do."
HOLCOMB: “Vanesu, this is your first big international series. And then Stephen, you’ve done everything. What did you learn from working with each other?”
FRY: "It would be totally understandable if you were either scared, or a bit over-confident and pleased with yourself. But she is a really rare kind of brilliant actress. You never made a fuss. You just got on with it. It was brilliant to watch. You could have been doing it all your life (laughs.)"
SAMUNYAI: “I learned so much that trying to recall what I learned is very hard. It’s the kind of thing that years down the line, you’ll just feel it popping up and be like, ‘Oh gosh, I remember this.’ There’s so much information that I have taken into my brain, that my brain will reveal to me someday!”
"The Sandman" streams on Netflix Friday, Aug. 5.
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