The Sandman's Kirby Howell-Baptiste is about to unleash a very different kind of Death.
In popular culture, the Grim Reaper is often depicted as a cloaked skeleton with bony fingers clasping a giant scythe, but in Netflix's serialised adaptation of Neil Gaiman's comic books, the character couldn't be further removed.
Howell-Baptiste – known for her roles in The Good Place, Barry and Killing Eve – plays Death, the sister of Morpheus/Dream (Tom Sturridge), and she was on hand to provide a full breakdown of her surprising version.
What to Read Next
Related: The Sandman's Mason Alexander Park thanks Neil Gaiman for tackling toxic trolls
"Most of the time when we see a representation of Death, it's so focused on the end. But this character says, 'I was there in the beginning, and I'll be there in the end'," the actress told Entertainment Weekly.
"Death is born of life. I think there's something very beautiful and cyclical about her position in the world, because it's so much about the full journey that she is there for.
"That lends itself to a more feminine energy – there is this much more nurturing, caring side to Death than we've ever seen before."
Related: Star Wars legend confirmed for The Sandman as release date revealed
On both the page and screen, Death's ebullience becomes a vital counterweight to Dream's doom and gloominess.
Speaking to the same publication, author Gaiman (American Gods and Good Omens) got onto the subject of what separated Howell-Baptiste from the other auditionees.
"We saw a lot of Deaths, well into the many hundreds. But Kirby had a quality that was unique of being able to speak honestly to power. That honesty, and the fact that she could deliver those lines and you believe them, were what sold me on Kirby 100%," he recalled.
"We had supermodels, we had all sorts of amazing people a lot more famous than Kirby auditioning. But I didn't believe they were Death, I didn't believe they were Tom [Sturridge's] big sister that could boss him around. Then Kirby came on and it was just like, 'I love you, I believe you, and you're it'."
The Sandman launches Friday, August 5 on Netflix.
The Sandman Volume 1: 30th Anniversary Edition: Preludes and Nocturnes
![American Gods Season 1-3 [DVD] [2021]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1659452330-51g15mIpSPL._SL500_.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "American Gods Season 1-3 [DVD] [2021]")
Reporter, Digital Spy
Dan is a freelance entertainment journalist. Beginning his writing career in 2014, Dan's work first graced the pages of cult publications Starburst magazine and Little White Lies before moving onto Total Film, Digital Spy, NME and Yahoo Entertainment.
In the film and TV universe, he kneels at the altar of Jim Carrey, Daniel Plainview, Mike Ehrmantraut and Paulie Walnuts.
