Who Is George Rexstrew? 5 Things to Know About Dead Boy Detectives Star (2024)

Dead Boy Detectives is officially on Netflix, and it stars George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri as the titular duo.

The show is based on the DC and Vertigo comics by Neil Gaiman, who co-created the characters in The Sandman III with Matt Wagner and Malcolm Jones III.

The detectives themselves are the undead young boys Charles Rowland and Edwin Paine, the latter of whom Rexstrew plays.

Interestingly, though the original comics Charles and Edwin were children who have not aged, Rexstrew stands at 5' 11", taller than would typically be associated with children.

Still, this is his first major on-screen credit, aside from a single 15-minute short, and a big accomplishment for the breakout star.

5 Key Facts About George Rexstrew

Who Is George Rexstrew? 5 Things to Know About Dead Boy Detectives Star (1)

George Rexstrew plays Edwin Paine in Netflix's Dead Boy Detectives, and fans may be wondering exactly who this new star is.

George Rexstrew Attended LAMDA

Rexstrew is an alum of the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art, where he got an MFA in acting.

During his time in school, he played many roles in various shows and short films. He played Jack in the short film Still Here, Sebastian in a production of Twelfth Night, Andrei in Three Sisters, and three roles (Sigmund Freud, St Thomas, Soldier) in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, and roles in various other projects.

He is skilled in stage combat, including with props like sabers and swords. In fact, he was the runner-up at 2019's LAMDA Fight Night, a stage-combat-themed event at the school.

George is Fluent in Four Languages

Rexstrew is able to fluently speak in English, Italian, Spanish, and French. He also can speak conversationally in Catalan.

Not only is this a useful skill for an actor, but it's also an impressive one for anyone, regardless of profession.

He also can speak in several dialects, including RP — standard British pronunciation — General American, Belfast, and General Northern.

This allows him to play a wide range of roles, like those listed previously.

George's Edinburgh Fringe Play Earned Rave Reviews

Rexstrew played Jonny in a play called Screen 9, which ran during the 2021 Edinburgh Film Festival.

Screen 9 is based on the true story of the gun violence that took place at a movie theater showing The Dark Knight Rises in 2012.

His performance got fantastic reviews, including praise for the "vivid life" he brought to the character. He and his cast mates were all complimented on the sensitivity in their portrayals, too.

The show was so well received, in fact, that the production ran at London's Pleasance Theatre. Again, Rexstrew received praise for his "realism and passion" in the role, in "an honest portrayal of survival:"

"George Rexstrew as Jonny gives an honest portrayal of survival, also tackling Jonny’s perspective with such realism and passion."

George's Dead Boy Detectives Journey Started During COVID

In a recent interview with Collider, Rexstrew revealed that a self-tape from 2020, during the pandemic, ultimately led to him landing the role of Edwin Paine.

He explained that during COVID-19, studios ran "initiatives to help with the graduates of that year," since the normal gamut of showcases and performances were unable to be held.

He sent a self-tape to a mentorship program run by Warner Bros., hoping to take advantage of this "actors-in-training" program opportunity:

"I graduated from drama school in 2020, which was the COVID year, so our showcases and public performances were quite affected, as were all drama school finalists of that year, around the world. A lot of casting directors in the studio set up initiatives to help with the graduates of that year, and Warner Bros. set up an actors-in-training scheme where you could apply for mentorship."

He did not hear anything until 2021, when Warner Bros. emailed Rexstrew, asking him to audition for the Dead Boy Detectives pilot.

Rexstrew said that his first chemistry read for the role happened on Zoom "a few days later," and 10 days after that, he "somehow secured the role:"

"I applied and sent off a self-tape in May 2020, but I didn’t really hear back. And then, in October 2021, I had a message to my personal email from Warner Bros. casting saying, 'Hi, we have you in our archives and we’d love you to audition for this pilot, 'Dead Boy Detectives.'' And I thought, “Great!” I filmed the self-tape the day after, and then a few days later, we had our chemistry read on Zoom. Ten days after I got that email, I somehow secured the role."

George Wants to Crossover with The Sandman's Mason Alexander Park

Like in both series' source comics, Dead Boy Detectives and The Sandman shows take place within the same universe.

As ScreenRant pointed out in a recent interview, the character of Death from The Sandman appears in the trailer for Dead Boy Detectives, further solidifying that connection.

Still, though, if further crossovers were to happen, Rexstrew would love to see Edwin Paine interact with Mason Alexander Park's Desire, from The Sandman series.

He told ScreenRant that Park "does such a good job" portraying Desire, and that "Edwin would be so uncomfortable" if they ever were to meet:

"I would love to interact with Desire. I think Mason [Alexander Park] does such a good job with that character, and I think Edwin would be so uncomfortable."

How to Follow George Rexstrew Online

For those looking to keep up with George Rexstrew through social media, fans can follow his Instagram page (@georgerexstrew).

Read More about Dead Boy Detectives on The Direct:

Dead Boy Detectives Actor Michael Beach Explains Why He Was 'Scared' of Joining Netflix Show (Exclusive)

Who Is George Rexstrew? 5 Things to Know About Dead Boy Detectives Star (2024)

FAQs

Who Is George Rexstrew? 5 Things to Know About Dead Boy Detectives Star? ›

George Rexstrew and Jayden Dating.

Is George Rexstrew in a relationship? ›

George Rexstrew and Jayden Dating.

When was George Rexstrew born? ›

George Rexstrew was born on May 6, 1997. He is an actor, known for Dead Boy Detectives (2024), Findhorn Case 31.08. 18 (2023) and In Creative Company (2020).

Are the dead boy detectives in love? ›

They are the core love story of the show, self-described as Orpheus and Eurydice. They're essentially married in the afterlife in every way that matters, fiercely protective of one another and as made clear via jealousy on both sides, they've been each other's only person for a while.

Does Edwin love Charles in Dead Boy Detectives? ›

But when Edwin, one half of the titular “Dead Boy Detectives,” confesses to his best friend of 30 years that not only is he gay, but his feelings for Charles are more than just friendly, he's standing on a staircase in literal Hell.

How many languages does George Rexstrew speak? ›

George Rexstrew as Edwin Payne

Fun fact, according to his school, he can also sing and he speaks fluent Italian, Spanish, French and Catalan!

How old are the Dead Boy Detectives? ›

But in Gaiman's original work, these Dead Boy Detectives are (or were) actually boys—about 12 years old. In the Netflix series, these “kids” would appear to be in their late teens (and played by two actors, George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri, in their mid-to-late 20s). That's not the only difference.

How old is George from TikTok? ›

A 12-year-old capuchin monkey with almost 18 million followers on TikTok left this mortal coil on Monday following a routine visit to the dentist. George, as the monkey is known, reportedly died due to complications from anesthesia.

Is Jayden Revri British? ›

Jayden Revri was born on 16 May 1999 in Brent, London, England, UK.

When was Christopher George born? ›

Christopher John George (February 25, 1931 – November 28, 1983) was an American television and film actor who starred in the 1960s television series The Rat Patrol.

Is The Dead Boy Detectives LGBT? ›

The show also deals with queerness beyond romance, as one of the detectives, Edwin, is gay. His storyline is about coming out to himself.

Is Niko alive in Dead Boy Detectives? ›

Niko and Crystal arrive to Esther's, where she is torturing Edwin for his pain to use for her own immortality. They tell Charles to kill the snake, which he does with the help of Monty The Crow's, meanwhile Niko dies protecting Crystal from Esther's dagger.

How do Dead Boy Detectives end? ›

In the FINAL, final scene, we are transported to a lonely igloo, where Niko sits by the fire with the two Sprites. “It was really tight and snug in there,” Kitamura says. In her hand, she's grasping the soapstone figurine. “She has it when she's killed by Esther,” Yockey explains.

Who does Edwin have a crush on? ›

“It's been unlocked by the Cat King (Lukas Gage), and then Monty (Joshua Colley) is more of a teenage crush kind of connection. But it's all leading up to this.” While Charles can't fully reciprocate Edwin's feelings now, he completely embraces and accepts him. He's Edwin's first true love, and he doesn't push it away.

Is Edwin autistic Dead Boy Detectives? ›

“I really like Edwin because… they don't say in the show that he's autistic, but he has a lot of autistic behaviors… it gives a lot of representation to the autistic community, specifically people who might be in the beginning process of getting a diagnosis. I felt a lot of comfort in his character,” D'Orazio said.

Does Monty actually like Edwin? ›

Edwin accused Monty of pretending to be his friend, which Monty admitted was true at first, but he then began to develop real feelings for Edwin.

Will there be a season 2 of Dead Boy Detectives? ›

Dead Boy Detectives Season 2 Renewal Status

As of July 2024, Netflix has not officially renewed Dead Boy Detectives for season 2, but fans have been buoyed by a recent interview with Greg Berlanti that suggests more is on the way, although Netflix has not officially renewed and declined to comment when asked.

How old is Crystal in Dead Boys Detective? ›

Character age: Teenager, 16ish? Kassius Nelson plays Crystal Palace, a teen clairvoyant who can communicate with the dead, eventually becoming an ally of the Dead Boy Detectives. Nelson told Collider that audiences “meet Crystal at a really weird time and she's trying to figure out who she is.

When was Charles Rowland born? ›

Charles Hedding Rowland (December 20, 1860 – November 24, 1921) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

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