Dead Boy Detectives might play in the ghostly realm, but the series roars (or purrs, rather) to life whenever Lukas Gage slinks onto the screen as Cat King. 

Incredibly powerful and alarmingly sexy — his words not ours —  the shape-shifter is an agent of supernatural chaos packaged in both flesh and fur, depending on which form you find him. The former version immediately catches the attention of Edwin Payne (George Rexstrew), one half of the titular crime-solving duo, jump-starting a journey of self-discovery and acceptance.

Gage is certainly no stranger to on-screen seduction. But playing a feline-human hybrid in a post-digital fur technology world is a challenge even he was hesitant to pounce on. “I just knew that this show was going to be totally something we haven’t seen before,” Gage tells 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.”

So how’d he make a (fancy) feast out of the role? Read on to learn everything about Gage’s approach to transforming into feline royalty and how he hopes the character will spend the rest of his nine lives in a potential Season 2. 

OK, let’s get the toughest question out of the way first. Please be brutally honest. Are you a cat person?

I am 100% a cat person in real life. I grew up with cats and dogs. I had a really, really bratty Scottish Fold who absolutely hated everybody else but me. That’s the thing I love about cats –– they don’t give their love away to everybody. They kind of make you work for it and play hard to get.  

The Cat King likes the same kind of chase — that game of cat and mouse. He likes when people are guarded and don’t give everything away, because then he has something to figure out. It’s like a puzzle for him. That’s why he’s very interested in Edwin, because Edwin isn’t interested in him at first. He sees it as a challenge.

Did you have any (the movie musical) Cats-related hesitation about taking on the role?

Definitely. But I also low-key loved Cats. I thought it was so funny. I usually like things that are too ridiculous and camp and people hate, so it didn’t totally scare me. I felt a little bit safer knowing that [co-creator Steve Yockey] was behind it. Also, everyone from Cats is doing just fine right now. Yeah, Taylor [Swift] is doing great. 

Ed Araquel/Netflix

The Cats cast attended what they called “cat school” where they were trained in various behaviors and movements. Did you attempt something similar?

Yes, I wanted him to have this fluid movement in his body. It’s like how cats get guarded and then recoil and sprawl out. Using his chair, I wanted to really slouch into it, take up room, and just do whatever the hell I wanted because it felt good for my body. It was always about what gives him pleasure. He’s a bit of a narcissist, so even if he’s in an inappropriate stance, it’s because it feels good to him and he’s going to do whatever feels good for him.

How did you go about perfecting Cat King’s movements? Watching cat videos? Slinking around your home during off hours? 

I did a session with Julia Crockett, who is a movement coach. It was so helpful to work with someone to create a character from the outside in, rather than going from the inside out. She really encouraged me to use my body and get comfortable in a way that I hadn’t been before. But sometimes I would take it too far. I would be sprawling out like a cat would with their limbs in the most insane position. The director would be like, “We literally can’t see your face for the camera.” And I’d be like, “Right, we have to record this on film. Got it.” 

At what point did you really feel like a cat and was it hard to shake afterwards? Did you find yourself in an Austin Butler Elvis voice situation?

It was definitely not hard to shake afterwards. If I’m being completely honest with you, I didn’t really find the Cat King until the day before. It was a very quick process. There wasn’t a ton of preparation that I was able to do. I was coming from Road House the day before, which was the most bro-y, complete opposite project ever, and then jumping into this.

I was scared to death of what the hell I was going to do until I looked at myself in the mirror with all the effects and the interesting hairstyle. Using the robe and its tie as the cat’s tail [helped me] influence his movements, sensuality, and comfortability in his body. A really good thing I learned is that it’s OK to figure it out along the way. It’s OK not to have all the answers and to just know that once I’m in hair and makeup and with the other actors and creatives, we can create something fresh on the day. It doesn’t have to be too thought out or methodical. There is a joy and a playfulness to trusting the process of just fucking playing.

Courtesy of Kelli Dunsmore

Tell me more about Cat King’s wardrobe. Did you pull anything from your own closet? 

None of the clothes were my own. I do not think I could pull off a kilt or a skirt ever. That’s what’s so much fun about playing a character who is comfortable wearing that and can pull it off. Suddenly me, Lukas, feels like I really could. I see people during Fashion Week and I’m like, “I wish I could be as cool as them, but there’s just no way.” But then as Cat King, I’m like, “Yeah, I’m going to wear my kilt and feel damn comfortable doing it.” This is his style [and] he’s going to own it, and he doesn’t care if you like it or not. That’s so fun to play.

For the record, you can absolutely pull off a skirt. 

I don’t have the legs for it. I’ve seen Pedro Pascal or Paul Mescal do it, and I’m like, “Yeah, I get it.” But with me, I’m like, “I got to work on my calf muscles.”

Were you literally herding cats while filming or did the series use digital effects? 

No, those cats were all CGI. There was one real cat we had, and that cat was such a cat. Sometimes we needed him to meow for a shot, and he was just like, “I’ll do it when I want the food.” Sometimes he’d give it to you and sometimes he wouldn’t. But a lot of the time I’m talking to truly a tennis ball or a line on the floor.

Dead Boy Detectives and The Sandman exist in the same universe and your performance immediately reminded me of Mason Alexander Park, who plays Desire. Do you feel like these characters are connected somehow? 

That’s the greatest compliment ever. I saw Mason in Cabaret and they are unbelievably talented. The way they play that character — there’s almost an indescribable element to it. I don’t think I was trying to emulate [them], but I’m so glad that you said that because that’s one of the best compliments I’ve ever gotten on this character. 

In the finale, Edwin sees past Cat King’s tough exterior, assessing that underneath it all he’s very lonely. Where do you think that loneliness stems from and how did you bake it into your performance? 

Villains don’t ever see themselves as the villain of their own story. A lot of his front and how he presents was not truthful to how he actually felt. You could see him as this character who’s just like a total brat, such a narcissist, and only gives a shit about himself. But it’s like that common saying: hurt people, hurt people. Why did he become so jaded? Why is he so appearing like he only cares about himself and not empathetic to anybody else around him? We also have to remember that he’s been around for hundreds of years and he’s still alone. He’s lost a lot of people. He’s hurt and he’s fucking lonely.

So often, villains are just queer coded, but here Cat King is queer and gloriously so. How did you approach his sexuality in the performance?

Being a supernatural creature is very, very queer in itself. There’s a bit of a kinship to drag with this character — his clothes, tail, makeup, and choices. He wants to disappear in whatever costume he’s in. It’s very cool to see his sensuality and his sexuality with Edwin, but also with Jenn Lyon’s character [Esther Finch]. There’s definitely some kind of backstory with them. There’s a moment where you’re like, “200 years ago, were they hooking up?” He’s been around for a while. I feel like the Cat King has done everything and slept with everyone. The contrast of that with sweet baby Edwin and his British type A attitude is so fun and beautiful to see on-screen.

Was there a specific drag queen who popped into your mind? 

I’m just going to say Alyssa Edwards. Yeah, we’re going with that. [She’s] one of my faves of all time and truly so iconic. Let’s just put it in writing that Alyssa Edwards was my inspiration for the Cat King.

Should there be a Season 2, what do you hope for Cat King going forward? 

I hope the Cat King doesn’t lose another life. He only has so many in his cat world. I hope we get to see a more vulnerable side to him and know his backstory. I created one just for me that explains why this witch has been tormenting him. [In my mind], they had a love affair before he moved to men. I think he’s been let down by many, many lovers. I created a bunch of lovers along the way on those 200 years that Cat King has been around. I created a lot of heartbreak for this character. I hope that we get to see that heartbreak in Season 2 and explore why he’s so damaged. To learn that he is a sweet man [who] just needs to be guided in the right direction. A sweet man? No, he’s a sweet cat.

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