SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

Young British actor, JAYDEN REVRI has already caught our eye, as the recurring character, Devin, in Netflix’s original series Fate: The Winx Saga, and Noah in Disney’s teen musical-comedy drama The Lodge. But it’s his present role, as Charles, in Dead Boy Detectives, Netflix’s new Sandman spin-off series – the latest and most diverse and inclusive incarnation of DC Comics’ and Neil Gaiman’s universe – that’s about to be his breakout moment. Revri plays the “braun” of two ghost-boy besties from different eras, who use their ability to communicate with the living and the dead to solve supernatural mysteries. Most definitely still in his prime, Revri is so upbeat on our zoom chat, it’s infectious, as we discuss life after death, 80s inspo’ and Scooby Doo.

Left Shirt **Alexander McQueen**, necklaces **Sweetlimejuice**, earring talent’s own
Right Full look **Prada**

Firstly, well done on the series, it’s so good! I’m interested to find out, are you a detective show fan yourself, do you like a good whodunnit, and if you could play an iconic TV detective, who would it be?

100 percent I would be Scooby Doo! [laughs] I love dogs and I had the ‘Mystery Inc.’ van and all the characters and videos when I was younger; it’s my all-time favourite detective series ever!

Did you have a real dog called Scooby too?

No [laughs], but I had a dog called Mylo, who was named after the dog in the movie The Mask, which I loved!

Top and pants **Courrèges**, shoes **Louis Vuitton**, earring talent’s own

Well, this new series has cats, lots of them, and a Cat King! You play Charles, who’s quite sensitive underneath that upbeat façade, and he hasn’t really dealt with things that have happened to him, mainly, that he’s dead and a ghost! So, what was your relationship with the original source material, in the comics and the scripts, and how much input did you have into your character and his story arc?

We were super lucky when we got the roles, as DC kindly sent us every rendition of Dead Boys Detective that ever was, and so I deep dived into the comics and found out about Charles’ death and how traumatic it was. In this telling of the story, we dive into his family and what his home life was like, and for me, as filming went on and we got more scripts, I was able to get more into his headspace for the role, and to understand his trauma. It was great as an actor, as I felt like as time went on, I was learning as myself, as Jayden, how Charles would be learning and evolving himself, almost like in real-time. To tap into those kinds of emotions he had, I did a lot of research on people and teenagers who had been through similar things, and spoke to professionals who help them, and I just wanted to do the subject justice and use that platform to raise awareness of domestic abuse, and the trauma associated with it.

Yes, because at its core, aside from it being a supernatural drama, this series really explores the deep themes of grief, love, friendships, personal growth, and those subjects are universal and will resonate with all.

That’s the irony of the show I think that we’re these dead boys, but we’re dealing with real life problems, and that’s the beauty of Neil Gaiman’s work, in the sense that he can find light in the dark, with heavy subjects like loss and grief and death. We’re this group of young misfits in the series, who are all lost in their own ways, and haven’t dealt with their pasts, but then it shows that if you surround yourself with the right people, your chosen family, you can really overcome anything in life. That’s why I think the series will captivate different audiences as everyone can relate to at least one of the characters.

Left Shirt, pants and coat **Kenzo**, shoes **Prada**
Right Shirt **Balmain**, bandana stylist’s own, earring talent’s own

It’s such a unique story, because your character and Edwin’s [George Rexstrew], are from different eras and have been friends for 30 years after your tragic deaths at the same school. In real life, yourself and George never met before filming, but you have such brilliant on-screen chemistry like you’ve known each other for years too. How did that bromance unfold?

It’s crazy, because you think, having not met before filming, that would be the main thing to build on, that chemistry, because when we first see them in the series, they’ve already been friends for 30 years. But George and I never worried about that, and from the first moment we met, we just found this incredible understanding with each other, of the responsibility we had in playing these two roles. We were very open and honest with each other from the start, and became brothers very quickly, like when you meet someone in your life, and you know you were meant to cross paths; that’s how it was for George and me. We really anchored one another throughout the series, and we still do now, we’re like best friends and we talk to each other every day, in fact, he’s messaging me right now! [laughs]

The other characters in the series, most notably Crystal the clairvoyant [Kassius Nelson] and her friend Niko [Yuyu Kitamura], are central to how both your character and Edwin’s unravel their complex pasts emotionally, and to their personal growth too, which is interesting for Charles’ story arc.

The moment Crystal enters the agency is really the turning point of the whole series, in terms of her and Edwin’s relationship anyway. You know, he’s wilful and combative and not used to people telling him otherwise, whereas my character, Charles, is up for anything and will do it with a smile on his face. Crystal challenges Edwin and ends up softening him. Then with Charles, he’s been so used to being with Edwin for 30 years, and suddenly, this beautiful clairvoyant comes along, and she can see him, which hasn’t happened before with someone who is living, and Charles becomes infatuated with her. That’s when he starts to uncover the things about himself that he’s not dealt with properly and feels he can talk openly. It may seem at first when Crystal and Niko join the agency, that the equilibrium is off, but ultimately, they all bring out the best in each other.

Left Coat **Dior Men**
Right Shorts and shoes **Dior Men**, socks **Falke**

We must talk about wardrobe too, and you lucked out really, in terms of costume, as Charles is the 80s cool kid. How did his look really inform your character and help you bring him to life, did you have any say in what he wears?

I really love these questions! You know, our costume department and hair and make-up really created 70 percent of the characters for us. It played such a big part in helping us find the characters, and it was a real collaboration from the start. I sat with them, and we went through stuff like 80s hairstyles, and I kept my hair as it is but added some lines along the sides, and I had guyliner on too, and I absolutely loved the jacket with the Rude Boys logo on it.

It all really helped me find who Charles is, and costumes helped me with the way he moves, he’s very loose and relaxed, where Edwin is kind of straight and upright, pretty much how George and I are in real life! He’s got great posture and I’m always slouching! [laughs]

Jacket, shirt and shorts **Alexander McQueen**, earring talent’s own

What about music, did you use any 1980s tracks to help immerse yourself in the era your character was from?

It’s funny you ask, before we started shooting, we were asked to make a playlist for our characters. So, I deep dived into loads of 80s stuff and there’s so many incredible songs and musicians from that time to reference, and my family also grew up in the 80s, my parents, so they got to relive some of their youth through me! I asked them all about that time and what it was like and how people behaved back then and dressed. So, kudos to my parents for helping me to sculpt that character too, and me as a human!

Left Top, pants and shoes **Marine Serre**, bracelets and necklace **Sweetlimejuice**, earring talent’s own
Right Jacket, shirt, shorts and boots **Alexander McQueen**, socks **Falke**, leather rope stylist’s own, earring talent’s own

What about the sets, which are aesthetically just so cinematically beautiful. I imagine they helped to transport you inside the story, and the special effects must have been a real workout for the imagination too.

I cried the first day I walked into the studio! I was so overwhelmed by the sets they had built. There was one I always refer to, called the ‘Tragic Mick Workshop’, and the fine detail was just mind blowing, it was so real like it existed. It was all so aesthetically beautiful, lit so well, and the tone is so bang on, and it shows what kind of series we wanted to make. I also learned that to be part of this series, you need to have the biggest imagination! There were so many scenes with special effects, like having to pretend to walk and talk on ice, or be stood next to a hundred cats, or be thrown through a mirror by George! As the series went on, the effects just got more incredible, and by the end you got used to acting to a tennis ball or a pink X on a big screen and imagining it was a giant mushroom or a snake!

Left Shirt and pants **Loewe**, shoes **Louis Vuitton**
Right Shirt **Alexander McQueen**, necklaces **Sweetlimejuice**, earring talent’s own

Did you take any props home with you after filming ended, like perhaps a magic cricket bat?

I did ask for that and was told I probably wouldn’t get it through customs! If it was up to me, I would’ve taken the backpack home! [laughs]

Left Jacket, top and pants **Miu Miu**, necklace **Dior Men**, earring talent’s own
Right Full look **Prada**

So, are you excited for the fans and audience reaction to the first season, and to how they relate to certain scenes or episodes?

To lead a show that’s as incredible as this, is the reason why I want to act. You never know who is going to watch your show, and how you can really change someone’s life that day. I saw something on TikTok the other day from someone who’s putting together a Charles Cosplay outfit from the show, and the thought that someone could be walking around in that outfit with the bag and cricket bat just blows my mind! I’m excited to see how the show is received and how the fans take it, and I’m just so grateful and blessed to be in this position and to be here doing this interview with you!

Left Shirt, pants and shoes Balmain, necklace and earring talent’s own
Right Shirt **Alexander McQueen**, necklaces **Sweetlimejuice**, earring talent’s own

The pleasure’s all mine! So now you’ve done a musical, a fantasy series and played a ghost, what’s next for you? Is there a dream role?

I’ve accomplished more than I could ever have imagined at this point, so anything from here is just a complete bonus, and I’m open to all genres and super excited to see what the future holds. I will say though, I’ve always wanted to play a villain, like Joaquin Phoenix and Heath Ledger as the Joker, I would love to take myself to that level and really understand how those kinds of actors become that character. I wouldn’t mind doing a voiceover for an animated film or series too, my Nan would absolutely love that!