How Old Are Edwin, Charles?

April 18, 2024

It happens so much when a story is adapted from the pages to the screen, but you’d be surprised at how different the Dead Boy Detectives‘ cast ages are from the original DC Comics. As part of The Sandman Universe for Netflix and based on the beloved comic series from Neil Gaiman, Dead Boy Detectives was developed for television by Steve Yockey, who serves as co-showrunner.

Here’s the synopsis from Netflix: “Do you have a pesky ghost haunting you? Has a demon stolen your core memories? You may want to ring the Dead Boy Detectives. Meet Edwin Payne (George Rexstrew) and Charles Rowland (Jayden Revri), “the brains” and “the brawn” behind the Dead Boy Detectives agency. Teenagers born decades apart who find each other only in death, Edwin and Charles are best friends and ghosts… who solve mysteries.”

“They will do anything to stick together – including escaping evil witches, Hell and Death herself. With the help of a clairvoyant named Crystal (Kassius Nelson) and her friend Niko (Yuyu Kitamura), they are able to crack some of the mortal realm’s most mystifying paranormal cases.”

The Dead Boy Detectives’ cast ages, revealed

Like so many on-screen adaptations, actors are often older than what they are in the source material. Here are the Dead Boy Detectives’ ages.

George Rexstrew (Edwin Payne)
Comics age: 12ish
Show character age: 16
Actor age: 26
In the comics, Edwin is around 12 years old but that’s been bumped up somewhat in the show, to portray him as a boy in his mid-teens. Still, the actor is 26 so he’s 10 years older than the character he’s portraying. Also, don’t forget that, because he’s a ghost from 1916, his soul is a lot older. This is an interesting balance, Rextrew told The Mary Sue.
“One of the things I really enjoy about playing Edwin is the conversation around age,” he said. “Because he’s a 16-year-old teenage boy, but he’s also a 123-year-old soul. As an actor, I think there’s a really interesting interplay between those two things. It was a fun challenge, trying to find balance.”
Jayden Revri (Charles Rowland)
Comics age: 12 ish
Show character age: 16
Actor age: 24
Charles is a ghost killed by bullies in 1990 at the same school Edwin attended as a student 80 years prior. Speaking with Collider, Revri explained what he loved about the relationships in the show. “Every single relationship in the show is a part of each character’s journey, in terms of self-growth. I can speak for myself with Charles and Crystal,” he said.
“With Charles and Edwin, it’s been the same way for 30 years, and that’s what they’re used to. And then, suddenly, this beautiful young girl comes along and Charles becomes completely infatuated. The way I describe it is that Edwin and Charles have this bubble over them, and they’ve had it there for 30 years, and then she just comes with this big pin and pops that bubble.”
Kassius Nelson (Crystal Palace)
Character age: Teenager, 16ish?
Actor age: 26
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. As the season progresses, we’re watching her come to terms with old parts of herself or the shadow versions of herself, the bits that are a bit uncomfortable to sit with,” she said.
“And then, we see her try to figure out where she wants to fit in the world of who she is now. And the relationship with David, the demon, is an interesting one because it’s a unique take, really, on an abusive relationship and how that type of relationship can haunt someone long after it’s finished.”
Yuyu Kitamura (Niko Sasaki)
Character age: Teenager
Actor age: 20-24
Dead Boy Detectives deals with grief and loss at times, and while the subject matter can be heavy at times, Niko’s character helps bring 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,” Kitamura told The Mary Sue.
“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.”
Briana Cuoco (Jenny Green)
Character age: Unknown.
Actor age: 35
Briana Cuoco is Kaley’s younger sister. In Dead Boy Detectives, she plays Jenny Green aka Jenny The Butcher. Nelson said of her co-star: “I love working with Bri,” to The Mary Sue. “She’s so natural, and Jenny’s so cool! I wish I was as cool as Jenny.” Kitamura agreed: “She does have the energy of a cool big sister. Like, ‘I just want to learn from you.’”
Ruth Connell (The Night Nurse)
Character age: 40s
Actor age: 45
For fans of DC’s Doom Patrol, you’d recognize the Night Nurse but it won’t be as you know her. “It’s a reprisal but with a brand new take,” Connell told People, adding: “This is a very updated take. The show itself is really cutting-edge, I think. The look of it, the character itself.” She continued: “To my mind, she’s a slightly mysterious character. She comes across initially as perhaps she is just after the boys … but over time, perhaps she isn’t quite as evil a character as she might seem.”