Netflix's The Sandman stars Tom Sturridge as Dream of the Endless, and here's what you need to know about the talented British actor. Executive produced by Neil Gaiman, The Sandman is the long-awaited adaptation of his beloved DC Comics graphic novels. The Sandman season 1 will encompass the first two volumes of Gaiman's dark supernatural saga, Preludes and Nocturnes and The Doll's House, with Sturridge in the central role as Morpheus, the master of dreams.
Ever since Gaiman's The Sandman comics were first published in 1989, Hollywood has tried and failed to bring the comics to the big screen. Filmmakers like Roger Avary, Terry Gilliam, James Mangold, Eric Kripke, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt attempted to launch a Sandman movie over the decades, but none of them could solve the mystery of how to adapt Gaiman's fantasy. Meanwhile, Gaiman shot down every "bad" attempt to make a Sandman movie in order to protect his creation, well aware of what The Sandman means to his legions of fans. Finally, a television version was shopped around and bought by Netflix, with Gaiman executive producing along with Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman) and David S. Goyer (Man of Steel). With The Sandman becoming a reality, one of the most vital and most daunting challenges was to find the right actor to portray Morpheus, and they found him in Tom Sturridge.
Sturridge is hardly an unknown and he already distinguished himself with several film and TV roles before he auditioned to play Dream in early 2020. The role of Morpheus requires an actor who can portray an ethereal, regal, and haunting supernatural being of extraordinary power who still possesses a spark of humanity and is capable of learning, changing, and evolving. Sturridge beat out hundreds of other actors to win the lead role in The Sandman, and it's a part that his entire career seems to have been leading up to.
Tom Sturridge Early Life
Born in London on December 21, 1985, Tom Sturridge is the son of director Charles Sturridge and actress Phoebe Nichols. Sturridge attended The Harrodian School in South West London and he counted Robert Pattinson (The Batman) and Will Poulter (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) among his classmates. Sturridge attended Winchester College, but he was also a child actor. Tom's film debut was in the 1996 TV adaptation of Gulliver's Travels, directed by his father.
Tom Sturridge Filmography
Tom Sturridge's acting career as an adult began in 2004 when he played Young Georgy in Vanity Fair and Roger Gosselyn in Being Julia. Sturridge was also memorable in 2009's The Boat That Rocked (released in the United States as Pirate Radio), as Sergeant Troy in 2014's Far From The Maddening Crowd, and he played Lord Byron in 2017's Mary Shelley opposite Elle Fanning. Sturridge also played John Dondon opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in Netflix's Velvet Buzzsaw in 2019.
Sturridge also had major television roles. He portrayed Henry VI in the 2016's The Hollow Crown limited series, and he had a lead role as Jake opposite Ella Purnell's Tess in Sweetbitter, which streamed on Starz for two seasons in 2018-2019.
How Tom Sturridge Got Cast As Dream In The Sandman
Neil Gaiman estimates that Tom Sturridge beat out "fifteen hundred" other actors who auditioned to play Dream of the Endless in The Sandman. As Gaiman related the story to EW, Sturridge was among the first 10 actors who he saw audition for the part in early 2020. Tom was instantly on the short list, but because the COVID-19 pandemic halted production of The Sandman, the producers decided to watch hundreds more auditions. Still, Tom Sturridge was at the top of Gaiman's list, and his fellow executive producers signed off on Sturridge to play the Sandman.
Throughout the many failed attempts to bring The Sandman to the big screen, many other actors were dream-cast as Dream. In the 1990s, the actor who was at the top of many fans' lists to play Morpheus was Daniel Day-Lewis. Joseph Gordon-Levitt intended to play Dream himself in the version of The Sandman he mounted. But in Tom Sturridge, Gaiman found a British actor who had all of the crucial traits to embody Dream, whose black attire and shock-top hairstyle are based on The Sandman creator's own signature look and personal style.
Does Tom Sturridge Have Any Upcoming Movies Or Shows?
Currently, The Sandman is Tom Sturridge's primary acting commitment, as everyone involved in the series hopes it's a big enough hit for Netflix to greenlight further seasons that would allow the rest of Gaiman's Sandman saga to be adapted. Gaiman asked Sturridge not to take other acting roles so that he would have no conflicts if he gets to continue to play Dream in The Sandman. However, Sturridge can also be currently seen in the HBO Max limited series Irma Vep. Sturridge plays Eamonn in three episodes opposite Alicia Vikander in the title role.
The Sandman premieres August 5th on Netflix.