When the casting ofNeil Gaiman’s much-awaited Netflix seriesThe Sandmanwas announced, it gave us many names to swoon over. However, one casting stood exceptionally tall among others:Gwendoline Christieas Lucifer Morningstar. In a recent interview, theGame of Thronesveteran shared her experience withEmpireand revealed that she was confident about her role, and it was “fun to be awful.”
The Sandman is in its essence is a story about stories and follows Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams, who was mistakenly captured by a wizard for decades and painfully learns that sometimes change is inevitable. The series features gods and monsters and mixes them with an ensemble of deities and mythological beings. Christie plays Lucifer, The ruler of Hell, sharing her excitement she said,
I was so thrilled Allen Heinberg, asked me to play Lucifer, because it is a grandiose part. There are few castings that can supersede that – maybe God, whatever that is! Also, it’s fun to be awful.
In the comic, Lucifer ruled as the Lord of Hell for 10 billion years. Over that time he pitted various demons in hell against each other and led the war against hell. However, he soon gets bored with his own existence. At the request of Gaiman at the time, the artists took Lucifer’s inspiration from the looks of English singerDavid Bowie. For co-showrunnerAllen HeinbergChristie’s casting was a no-brainer, he revealed, “Lucifer is this Bowie-esque creature in the comic book and I thought, ‘Well who is a bigger rock star than Gwendoline Christie?’”
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While the show’s casting has gender-swapped the fallen angel, Christie was confident she could pull off the character of the Devil, she explained, “Neil clarified that Lucifer is a fallen angel, and that an angel doesn’t have gender at all.” Further adding, “And I can play androgynous. We know that from Game Of Thrones, due to the way I look. So I hope that has helped in the portrayal of the character.”
Gaiman along with Heinberg andDavid S. Goyerdeveloped the show. The trio also serves as executive producers. Along with Christie as Lucifer, the series castsTom Sturridgeas Morpheus / Dream,Kirby Howell-Baptisteas Death,Mason Alexander Parkas Desire,Donna Prestonas Despair,Boyd Holbrookas the Corinthian,Asim Chaudhryas Abel, andSanjeev Bhaskaras Cain among many others.
