The Sandman star Tom Sturridge starved himself to play main role

The leading star of Netflix’s hit new series The Sandman has revealed that he starved himself to prepare for the role. 

Tom Sturridge has been heavily praised for his performance as Morpheus, aka Dream, the central character of the DC Comics adaptation, with many saying he’s ‘perfect’ for the role. 

Although landing a gig as the head of a major Netflix production marked a significant moment in the 36-year-old actor’s career, living up to such a beloved character was no mean feat.

To meet the fans’ expectations, Sturridge had to embody the cosmic being as best he could. 

Rather than rely on special effects, Sturridge took a leaf out of Christian Bale’s book a la The Machinist and decided to go method, which we should add is definitely not recommended by medical professionals. 

In a new interview with The Times, he said: "Dream has no flesh on him, he shakes with energy that is just sinew and muscle.

"I didn’t eat very much for months leading up to filming and did a lot of exercise."

Anyone who’s had a chance to see the first episode of The Sandman will know that Sturridge achieved what he set out to do, looking every bit the emaciated Morpheus described in the comics. 

Speaking about the pressure he felt over taking on such a well established role, he said: "I felt a frightening level of responsibility with Dream.

"He is a character who has extraordinary empathy, relating to everyone in the universe’s dreams. 

"No matter whether you are a child, parent, friend, lover, mermaid or minotaur, the one thing that connects all of us is that we dream."

Tom Sturridge as #Sandman brings something to the screen we don't see often enough. Restraint. Subtlety. And a knife's edge elegance. Others would have made it bombastic and missed the quiet grace, menace, and brittle fragility. @Netflix_Sandman #SandmanonNetflix

— Colleen Doran (@ColleenDoran) August 6, 2022

As said, the star’s dedication paid off, with dozens of fans flocking to social media to share their praise for his performance. 

One Twitter user wrote: "Tom Sturridge as #Sandman brings something to the screen we don't see often enough. Restraint. Subtlety. And a knife's edge elegance.

"Others would have made it bombastic and missed the quiet grace, menace, and brittle fragility."

A second chimed in: "Absolutely spot on casting with Tom Sturbridge as Morpheus in @Netflix_Sandman he has for me faultless and perfect in this role!"

Elsewhere, viewers praised The Sandman as a whole, with one writing: "#Sandman on #Netflix was a Masterpiece! Thank you @neilhimself for sharing your gifts with the world."

#TheSandman on netflix is a masterpiece i know you guys all know that but i’ll use any opportunity to say it and i’m saying it again now the sandman on netflix is a masterpiece pic.twitter.com/EiXQslbvRC

— swirly ☥ STREAM THE SANDMAN ON NETFLIX #TheSandman (@swirlingthings) August 5, 2022

Another commented: "The Sandman on Netflix is a masterpiece and honestly one of the best shows of 2022."

High praise indeed - so it's no surprise that plenty of people are now calling on the streaming giant to renew the show for a second season. 

Until then, all ten episodes of The Sandman season one are available to watch on Netflix now.