Lourdes Faberes (AKA Kate Fletcher) Takes Us Through The Sandman's '24/7' Episode
So far, Neil Gaiman's The Sandman Netflix adaptation has lived up to the hype. It has given us some of the best hours of television this year. After over 30 years of stos and starts, it's finally here, and this megafantasy story of gods and demons and underworlds and rubies and glorious gothness (and Patton Oswalt, apparently) is, suffice to say, delivering.Â
It's amazing how much of the series Gaiman and the rest of the producers can fit in 10 episodes, especially in "24/7." That bit has been singled out by a lot of critics and fans as one of the show's most important episodes. It's just riveting to watch the earnestly wicked John Dee toy around with these poor untruthful saps at the 24 Hours All Nite Diner. From the unearthly car ride to the mystical diner, the episode feels very Twin Peaks-esque, and can probably function as a standalone thing in many ways.
"For me, in my head, I will try and try and try to make this relationship work," she says of her preparation for the character. "When I see the proof and and he's texting someone, I say 'okay, I'll go the other way.' I think I'm similar in the sense that I'm tenacious, not so much in relationships."
We even get to see some Filipino representation here. Local CEO Kate Fletcher is played by our very own Lourdes Faberes. She arrives at the diner with her husband Gary without knowing that they're about to uncover some deep-seated truths. Doesn't Dee at least deserve a "thank you" though? What could be better than honesty?
When Faberes read for the part, she was a shoe-in, considering that she had worked with Gaiman before. Familiarity matters, after all.
"Neil had asked me before if I wanted to go with a woman of the world or someone supernatural. And I was like, 'woman of the world, Neil!'" she tells Esquire Philippines.
The episode was written by by Ameni Rozsa and directed by Jamie Childs.
They shot the scene during the global health crisis, so yes, we can imagine, it was hard. "It was very difficult circumstances. But every department showed up and that script, as well," she expresses, pointing out how blown away she was by it. "We were able to film it chronologically. It was one set. It's the diner. And we would go as a story. So it was a dream as an actor."
While her character doesn't say much, she still needed to elevate and communicate Fletcher's nuances. And it's not as easy as what most people would think. "Basically, I fill out her life. I don't say a lot but I filll up all that life. I fill out that backstory, experiences, and all of that. I do that work before I get to set," she notes.
Faberes says that the whole shoot was a "dream-like state." She lived about an hour away from the studio, so the preparation was easier, too.
Are there any similarities between Fletcher and Faberes? We can say some things about the persistence, of course. But at their cores, they are two different people, the actress says.
"I'm not similar to her in a sense that she covers herself in a façade of perfection. If Netflix wasn't so kind to provide support, I'd be here (in the interview) in my pajamas. I don't care," she quips.
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When talent meets preparation, we suppose that these kind of roles would come naturally to an actress of Faberes' caliber. The Manila-born talent had started out her acting journey with Repertory Philippines before she moved to London to study at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. She's been there ever since, appearing in various programs in Europe. Having been involved in productions like The King and I and Miss Saigon, she still credits the discipline she has now to her early theater days in both the Philippines and in London.
The Sandman isn't her first Gaiman rodeo, too. We might recall her playing one of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Pollution, to be exact) on Amazon's Good Omens. She says that she loves working with Gaiman for one simple reason: He's just a damn good person.
"I have been a fan of his work for a very long time because who wouldn't be? He's so imaginative and is so grounded on what it means to be human," she says. "Apart from that, he is a good human being. He is as kind as he is imaginative. And his sets always tend to attract people like him. They're there because they love it."
In the past, Faberes has been on shows like Law and Order and History channel series Knightfall, which also had Mark Hamill in it. She also appeared as a Spectre agent in No Time to Die. So she's not exactly a stranger to dealing with fandoms or seeing her face on billboards, buses, or subway stations. It doesn't make it any less cool though.
"I've been around a long time," Faberes says. "I also had a bit of that with the Gaiman fandom with Good Omens. For me, it's really nice. Of course, you have people from nowhere texting you, which is pretty nice, as well."
And... scene.
But it ain't all that. Ultimately, she states that what she really cares about is, simply, the experience.
"What I always care about is the experience of doing it. The result is not up to me. The reward is the research I did for the character, being on set, and the creative part of it. All the other positive or negative bits that come out of what I do is not what I base my joy on."
Faberes gets to exercise the joy of the creative process with Gaiman again real soon. She's set to appear in the screen adaptation of Anansi Boys in the near future. And we just can't wait.
The Sandman is streaming on Netflix now.
