Dead Boy Detectives stars a motley crew of supernatural investigators, both living and dead. We spoke to co-stars Kassius Nelson and Yuyu Kitamura about some of the adventures they had playing detectives whose hearts are still beating!
Nelson stars as Crystal Palace, a character who’s appeared in previous versions of Dead Boy Detectives. Along with the titular dead boys Edwin (George Rexstrew) and Charles (Jayden Revri), Crystal uses her psychic powers to help solve cases. Also joining the group is Niko (Kitamura), a cheerful teen who’s plagued with supernatural parasites.
Nelson took inspiration from Crystal’s appearances in Neil Gaiman’s original comics when playing the character. “I read the original comics because I wanted to see how Crystal was introduced, and the relationship she has with her parents, and how they’re introduced into the comics,” Nelson says. “I supposed I played it scene by scene, and I tried not to preempt what was happening, because there’s so much going on in her head.”
But Nelson also put her own spin on Crystal. “I think tried to make her my own, and I wanted to honor the original comics in some respects as well. I also wanted to honor [showrunner Steve Yockey’s] version that he has of Crystal. It was a collaborative effort for us to combine those things … it’s a weird and wonderful and crazy script, so that definitely helped flesh out Crystal’s character.”
The show gets heavy at times—after all, it deals with ghosts and death—but Niko’s character brings some balance to the group. “[Niko’s] sensitivity is something that she really wears on her sleeves, and her optimism and the way she views the world is so refreshing,” says Kitamura. “Even in my personal life, when things are tough, it’s so nice to see her point of view of gratitude, and wanting the best for other people. The three detectives are angsty, and they all go through their own journeys, so being a source of light just added a fun dynamic to the mix.”
Nelson and Kitamura also got to work with Briana Cuoco, who plays the cynical Jenny the Butcher. Although the show centers on two dead boys, the three female leads get to share numerous scenes. “I love working with Bri,” Nelson says. “She’s so natural, and Jenny’s so cool! I wish I was as cool as Jenny.”
“She does have the energy of a cool big sister,” Kitamura says. “Like, ‘I just want to learn from you.'”
But their work wasn’t free from the occasional mishap. “I just remembered in episode four, you bring a jar to the counter, and you set it down and it shattered.”
“It shattered everywhere!” Nelson laughs. “I broke glass across the floor!”
You can watch the full interview in the video above!
(featured image: Netflix)
