Dead Boy Detectives doesn’t just have a couple of dashing stars in George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri. It features a whole ensemble cast of fantastically weird characters—including Lukas Gage as the scheming Cat King.
Who is this feline monarch? And where have you seen Lukas Gage before? Read on to find out!
Who is the Cat King in Dead Boy Detectives?
Warning: this section contains spoilers for episode 2 of Dead Boy Detectives.
Early in Dead Boy Detectives, Edwin (Rexstrew) needs some information on a witch named Esther (Jenn Lyons) who’s holding a little girl prisoner. He tries to get information from a cat, but when the cat doesn’t want to talk, Edwin uses magic to compel him. The cat warns him that he’ll regret it.
Sure enough, Edwin is soon summoned before the Cat King, who rules over all the cats in town. Although he starts off as a literal cat, the Cat King shows that he’s a shapeshifter, taking the form of a man (Gage).
To punish Edwin for insulting cat-kind, the Cat King traps him using a magical bracelet, and makes a deal: Edwin can take off the bracelet and leave the island if he makes the Cat King … happy. Yes, like sexually. The Cat King has the hots for Edwin, and he’s willing to let this whole unfortunate incident blow over if Edwin sleeps with him.
Edwin, however, isn’t interested. So the Cat King makes him a new deal: he can get the bracelet off if he counts every single cat on the island.
Of course, the Cat King is more of an anti-hero than a villain. He just wants what’s best for all his subjects! And he thinks Edwin is hot! By human standards, he’s not a great person, but his behavior is pretty on par for a cat.
So who plays the Cat King?
All about Lukas Gage
If Lukas Gage looks familiar, that’s because you’ve probably seen him in other shows—along with a viral video.
Most recently, Gage played Lars Olmstead in Fargo. Before that, he played Dillon in season 1 of The White Lotus and Tyler on Euphoria. Those are just two of the many roles he’s had since his onscreen career began in 2013 with Enlightened.
Gage also has a pretty amazing backstory. In 2020, during the Covid quarantine, a video made the rounds on social media of a young actor auditioning for a role over Zoom. Not knowing that his mic was on, one of the directors trash-talked the young actor’s humble apartment, leading to widespread criticism. That young actor? You guessed it: Lukas Gage.
How does Gage feel about playing a sexy cat man? According to Netflix, the role pushes boundaries for him in a good way. “I just knew that this show was going to be totally something we haven’t seen before,” Gage told Netflix’s press site Tudum. “I was also like, ‘What the hell am I going to do as a cat? How am I going to pull this off?’ But if it freaks me out, then it’s probably a good idea for me to do it.”
You can catch Gage’s Cat King in Dead Boy Detectives, now streaming on Netflix.
(featured image: Netflix)
