The diverse cast of Dead Boy Detectives allows the depiction of varying life experiences. This elevates the overall appeal of the supernatural dramedy, introducing viewers to several rising talents. The Netflix series based on DC Comics characters created by Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner was released to positive reviews on April 25, 2023. It revolves around the ghosts of two dead boys — Charles Rowland and Edwin Payne — who refused to move on to the afterlife, choosing to remain on Earth and investigate supernatural crimes.
The dead boys were first seen in the 25th issue of The Sandman comic book in April 1991. They appeared on-screen three decades later, portrayed by English actors Sebastian Croft and Ty Tennant in the third season of HBO Max’s Doom Patrol. The Netflix series tied to The Sandman universe stars George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri as the dead boys, alongside Kassius Nelson’s Crystal Palace and Yuyu Kitamura’s Niko Sasaki. The series also features characters from The Sandman: Death, Despair, and the Night Nurse played by Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Donna Preston, and Ruth Connell, respectively.
George Rexstrew As Edwin Paine
George Rexstrew plays the brain of the Dead Boy Detectives. Sacrificed in a 1961 ritual, Edwin ends up in hell based on technicalities. He escapes and returns to Earth where he helps ghosts move on to the afterlife. When he encountered Charles Rowland just before he died in 1989, it marked the beginning of their agency. Rexstrew is an alumnus of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He graduated from the school in 2020 with an MFA in Professional Acting. The Edwin Paine actor has quite a robust stage resume, but Dead Boy Detectives is his first major screen role. In 2023, he played Fitzy in Findhorn Case 31.08.18, a short film directed by Jessica Hof.
Jayden Revri As Charles Rowland
As the brawn of the Dead Boy Detectives, Jayden Revri’s Charles Rowland abandoned his rosy afterlife to join Edwin Paine in the self-assigned ghostly mission. Unlike George Rexstrew, Revri isn’t a newbie; he has been a regular face on-screen since the mid-2010s. After appearing in a series of short films in 2014 and 2015, he landed his breakthrough role as Noah in Disney’s The Lodge (2016-2017). Years later, he played Hardeep in two episodes of Innocent (2021) and then Devin in three episodes of Fate: The Winx Saga (2022).
Kassius Nelson As Crystal Palace
Kassius Nelson started acting on stage before debuting on screen in 2013 as Heather in Jordan Foster’s Lone Rivers. An English actress from Islington, North London, the Crystal Palace actress gained mainstream recognition with her first television role. She made her small screen debut in 2015 as Jade Albright in Hollyoaks.
Her performance on the soap opera won her two British Soap Awards for Best On-Screen Partnership and Scene of the Year, both of which she shared with Richard Linnell. In Dead Boy Detectives, Nelson plays a psychic possessed by a demon named David (David Iacono). After the dead boys expel the demon, she joins their agency, using her psychic abilities to help them solve crimes.
Yuyu Kitamura As Niko Sasaki
Yuyu Kitamura has been around since 2018 when she played Tara in Clique Bait, a short film written and directed by Anna Mikami. She has appeared in several short films since then, including Breaking the Silence (2020) and Invited In (2021). The former is an acclaimed historical drama directed by Seayoon Jeong. Kitamura starred as Annie in the latter which she wrote and directed.
The Japanese actress raised in Hong Kong made her television debut in January 2024 as Lucia in “The Peak” episode of Lulu Wang’s Expats. So, Dead Boy Detectives is her first major acting project. As Niko, she’s possessed by two Dandelion Sprites. Crystal and the dead boys expel and trap the sprites in a near-death experience that leaves Niko able to see ghosts.
Jenn Lyon As Esther Finch
Jenn Lyon plays an immortal witch named Esther Finch, the series’ antagonist. To remain young, she kidnaps and feeds kids to a giant snake. When Crystal and the dead boys rescue a child in her captive, she begins to seek revenge against them. This culminated in a sinister plan to extract the dead boys’ pains for immense power. Lyon has been active since the 2000s. She debuted in 2008 as Colby Honeycutt in Good Morning Internet! but is best known for her roles in Saint George and Claws.
Ruth Connell As Night Nurse
The Scottish actress reprised her Doom Patrol’s Night Nurse role in Dead Boy Detectives. As the head of Afterlife’s Lost and Found Department for dead children, the Night Nurse goes after the dead boys to bring them to the afterlife. But in a twist of events, she was tasked to remain on earth and chaperone the boys as they go about their crime-solving adventures. Connell has been active since the late 90s with a robust resume that includes theatre and video game roles. She’s perhaps best known for her roles as Rowena MacLeod in Supernatural (2014 – 2019) and Bonnie in James L. Perry’s The Cursed Man (2020).
Other supporting cast and characters of Dead Boy Detectives include Briana Cuoco as Jenny Green, Lukas Gage as the Cat King, David Iacono as David the Demon, Michael Beach as Tragic Mick, and Joshua Colley as Monty. Lindsey Gort plays Jenny Green’s secret admirer, Maxine, while Max Jenkins and Caitlin Reilly play Kingham and Litty, the Dandelion Sprites. Check out everything you need to know about Dead Boy Detectives Season 2.
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