Warning this article contains mention and reference to child loss and sexual assault.
Tom Sturridge will be starring in the highly anticipated Netflix adaptation of Neil Gaiman's graphic novel series, The Sandman, releasing on August 5, 2022. Sturridge plays Dream, or Morpheus as he is sometimes called, the lord of all dreams and stories.
Dream and his siblings, The Endless, are powerful beings that control the universe. Sturridge, who has been acting since he was a child, has played some very complex characters - often in a period setting. Perhaps The Sandman's Dream will be the role that makes him a household name.
Irma Vep (2022) - 6.4
Streaming On HBO Max
Sturridge's most recent role before Dream in The Sandman was Eamon, Mira's ex-boyfriend in the HBO miniseries Irma Vep. This meta-comedy-drama focuses on Mira, an American actress who comes to France after a breakup to star in a remake of the French silent film, Les Vampires.
Sturridge's Eamon is a very sympathetic character who makes mistakes. Eamon's backstory of having a miscarriage with his current girlfriend and the fact that neither of them can get off work to recuperate make him easy to empathize with. When he sleeps with his ex Mira, while not the right thing for him to do, it is understandable given what he's just gone through.
FairyTale: A True Story (1997) - 6.5
Streaming On Amazon Prime
In one of Sturridge's earliest roles, he played Hob, a fairy in the fantasy period piece, FairyTale: A True Story, very loosely based on the real-life account of the Cottingley Glen fairies.
Although Sturridge only had a small nonspeaking role as a fairy, it's an example of how early on he appeared in the fantasy genre. It's fascinating to see how far he came as an actor from minor roles as a child to now playing the lead role in The Sandman.
A Waste Of Shame: The Mystery Of Shakespeare And His Sonnets (2005) - 6.5
Available On DVD
Sturridge plays a real-life historical figure, William Herbert, in this BBC drama about a mystery around Shakespeare's sonnets.
Sturridge's William Herbert is part of a complicated love triangle between William Shakespeare and Lucie. William Herbert is the possible inspiration for "the Fair Youth" referred to in his sonnets, and thus Sturridge had a lot to live up to playing such a person both as a real historical figure and a literary figure. Sturridge captures the charming innocence of "the Fair Youth."
Journey's End (2017) - 6.7
Streaming On Amazon Prime
In Sturridge's only war movie, he plays Second Lieutenant Hibbert in Journey's End, a drama about a British World War One trench and the soldiers waiting to see what happens next.
Sturridge has the difficult task of playing a soldier who is a shell of his former self. Second Lieutenant Hibbert is an irresponsible shell-shocked alcoholic who has multiple breakdowns from the horrors of war and is told he is a coward. Although Sturridge is a relatively small role, he makes the most of it portraying a sympathetic but necessarily likable character.
Gulliver's Travels (1996) - 6.9
Streaming On Amazon Prime
Sturridge plays Tom Gulliver in his first ever role, in the fantasy mini-series Gulliver's Travels. Tom Gulliver, although not a main character was still a fairly decent-sized role for Sturridge to play at such a young age.
Tom is the son of the main character (played by Ted Danson) and gets to have the important role of stopping the villainous Dr. Bates by sneaking into his home office and finding proof that he is keeping proof that his father is alive from him and his mother.
Being Julia (2004) - 7.0
Streaming On Amazon Prime
In one of Sturridge's early adult roles, he plays Roger Gosselyn in the 1930s-set period piece about stage actors and actresses in Being Julia.
Sturridge has a relatively minor role in the film as the son of the main character, Julia Lambert (Annette Bening). Although he doesn't have much to do in the movie, which also features Harry Potter's Michael Gambon, it's intriguing to see Sturridge in one of his first roles as an adult actor. Sturridge's Roger does have one memorable line about his mother: "You have a performance for everybody. I don't think you really exist," indicating how he feels about her.
Sweetbitter (2018 - 2019) - 7.0
Streaming On Hulu
In one of Sturridge's rare modern-day set projects, he plays Jake, the grumpy and mysterious bartender love interest in the coming-of-age series, Sweetbitter.
Jake is a modern-day cad who sleeps with all the female employees at the restaurant where the series takes place. Despite this, Jake is not a one-dimensional character. He has a love of mermaids due to his mysterious youth growing up in Cape Cod with the haughty Simone, something reflected in the short story written by her. Jake also has dreams of opening a gastropub - something that is held back by his infatuation with Simone.
Far From The Madding Crowd (2015) - 7.1
Streaming On Amazon Prime
Playing opposite Carey Mulligan, Sturridge plays the reckless Sergeant Francis Troy in the romantic drama Far from the Madding Crowd, which also features Michael Sheen.
Sergeant Francis Troy is one of Sturridge's darker roles. An at first charming, then seemingly sociopathic, then tragic man, Troy is a character with a lot of layers. His tragic sense of loss for Fanny and her child adds an extra dimension to his character, who isn't the most likable but has some sympathetic qualities to him.
The Boat That Rocked (2009) - 7.3
Streaming On Apple TV
Sturridge plays Carl in the Richard Curtis comedy film The Boat that Rocked. He has a coming-of-age subplot as Carl, a young man sent to live on Radio Rock with his godfather Quinton (portrayed by Bill Nighy).
Despite otherwise being played as a nice but awkward young man, he does do some very questionable things - such as going along with DJ Doctor Dave's plan for him to lose his virginity by pretending to be Dave while seducing a fan in the dark. Other than that unfortunate act, Sturridge's Carl has an intriguing subplot with trying to find out if Quinton is his birth father or not.
The Hollow Crown (2012 - 2016) - 8.2
Streaming On Amazon Prime
Sturridge tackles Shakespeare as Henry VI in The Hollow Crown, a series based on Shakespeare's history plays. The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses is a deconstructed version of Shakespeare's plays of Henry VI. Sturridge plays the new king, who must prepare for civil war.
Sturridge's Henry VI is one of his more tragic and sympathetic roles. He is a man ahead of his time, too soft and kind for his own position as king. In contrast, Sophie Okonedo as Queen Margaret is a fierce warrior, protective of her family. The clash of the king's and queen's personalities creates heightened dramatic tension.