Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Sandman season 2, vol. 2.Netflix’sThe Sandmanis almost at an end, and the final episode in the main storyline featured an unexpected cameo to help convey the series' themes of change and rebirth. The showrunner has commented on how lucky the production was to get this cameo, given the actor’s busy schedule.
The Sandmanseason 2, vol. 2depicts the fallout of Dream’s (Tom Sturridge) decision to grant his son Orpheus' (Ruairi O’Connor) request, and end his life,leaving the King of Dreams to face the Kindly Ones (Dinita Gohil, Nina Wadia, and Souad Faress) in recompense for spilling family blood.Those who have read the comics know that this ultimately leads to the end of existence.
However, Dream chooses an heir,Lyta Hall’s (Razane Jammal)son Daniel, who becomes an adult upon his mortality being burned away and receiving the title of Dream of the Endless, played byGame of ThronesandInterview with the Vampire’s Jacob Anderson. During an interview withEntertainment Weekly,The Sandmanshowrunner Allan Heinberg called Anderson’s involvement an “answered prayer.“Check out his full comments below:
Heinberg: He was an answered prayer, having him be available and the timing worked out. […]
EW: What made Jacob your ideal pick for this role? Was it Interview With the Vampire or Game of Thrones?
Heinberg: All of it. I’m a longtime fan of his and he is so smart and so beautiful and [has] such emotional intelligence. The challenge with this role is, how do you tell an actor what that even is? You’re a toddler, but then you’re also Tom Sturridge. It’s not an assignment, I think, most actors would undertake, unless you’re already a fan of the show. Jacob, astonishingly, when I met him said, “I’m a huge fan of the comic and I always have been, I loved season 1, Tom is amazing and I can’t believe I’m having this conversation about being Daniel.” […] But that was it. I mean, I was ready to cast him without having to meet him, and then meeting him was such a pleasure. I have to say it was so bittersweet ending the show, but he’s such a pleasure to work with and he made every moment so easy and yet so beautiful and so emotional.
What Jacob Anderson’s Cameo Means For The Sandman Season 2
The Sandman Makes This Final Storyline More Interesting
Heinberg is right thatDaniel/Dream is an incredibly complicated role when there is essentially no real-life basis for it.But then again, many ofThe Sandman’s cast members play characterswho are inherently inhuman, larger-than-life personifications of abstract concepts, and have to find touchpoints of humanity in their performances.
As far as Anderson’s appearance being kept a secret until the release of this batch of episodes, it serves as another twist that actually may serve to ground the audience, while the story gets ever stranger. Daniel is literally an infant moments before, andthe survivors of Dream’s inner circle are suddenly grappling with him being their new leader.
Heinberg also mentioned in his interview that they might have drawn more attention to the show by advertising Anderson’s casting ahead of time. However, they are still getting some helpful publicity for it now, without making it too much about the actor’s star power rather than his performance as this character.
Our Take On Jacob Anderson’s Role In The Sandman Season 2
Anderson Gives A Great Performance With His Limited Time
Once again,The Sandmanmakes a perfect casting choice to portray the very unwieldy emotions of a mythological entity.Anderson has some great scenes during his single full episode ofThe Sandman, especially when he makes peace with his grieving mother and finds a rhythm with the former Dream’s second-in-command, Lucienne (Vivienne Acheampong).
We still have thebonus episode ofThe Sandmanseason 2to look forward to next week, focusing on Dream’s sister, Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), whom Anderson’s version of Dream meets after his predecessor’s memorial. His and the other Endless' surprisingly wholesome reactions to each other perfectly conclude this episode ofThe Sandman, proving that Anderson was the perfect person to have there.
