‘The Sandman’ Star Ann Skelly Talks Nuala’s Journey in Season 2

We recently had the opportunity to interview Ann Skelly about her role as Nuala of the Faerie in The Sandman season 2. She talks about her experiences on set, personal connections to her character, and more. 

One of the breakout stars of The Sandman season 2 is Ann Skelly, who plays Nuala. At the service of Queen Titania and King Auberon, Nuala and her brother Cluracan travel to The Dreaming in a bid to take possession of the Key to Hell from Dream. While Cluracan is brash and hedonistic, Nuala is gentle, caring, and loyal. She is one of the most interesting characters in Volume 1, striking a meaningful connection with Dream himself. 

Check out our interview with Ann Skelly below, where we discuss everything from Nuala herself to her connections with various characters. We also explore how Skelly delved deeper into her character’s development compared to how she was portrayed in the comics.  

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Nuala takes on a more prominent role in comparison to her comic appearance. How did you approach maturing and expanding on her personality?

Nuala in the comics could be quite overlooked in many ways, and I think Allan, our showrunner, did a beautiful job in emphasising Nuala’s story and digging out more of what we already love about that character. She’s got a quiet duty to her, she’s loyal, she has a brilliant sense of right and wrong. I’ve gotten to play a gentle, brave force of nature discovering herself. Someone who has been living in a suppressive environment all her life, and dreams of something more. It’s really fun as an actor to play someone who has to suppress so much of who they are and tries to wriggle their way through with dignity. 

What kind of research did you do to prepare for playing a fairy? Were there any books, myths, or films that inspired your portrayal of Nuala?

I’m Irish so I grew up with Irish mythology; Tír Na nÓg, a very melancholic story, the Tuatha Dé Danann, I was also deathly afraid of accidentally stepping on fairy rings. There’s all sorts of superstitions and fears around fairies when I was growing up. So I felt very familiar already with the world Nuala grew up in – the vein, jealous creatures that live underground, that steal children and mess with humans. I also read some Yeats poems around fairies, there’s a line that I took with me into Nuala “The boughs have withered because I have told them my dreams.” I loved the sadness of it, there’s a depth in her that reflects the strength she needs to try overcome forces much bigger than herself.

Without giving too much away, how does Nuala’s story evolve in this season? Were there any surprising moments for you as an actor?

We go a lot deeper into Nuala and her world, what she really feels. We get to see a character who is forced into these passive roles (as a ‘gift’ to Dream for example) find ways to make decisions for herself, which of course cost her in a myriad of ways. It really took me aback how tiring it is to be Nuala!

When you play a character who has been so suppressed and under such obligation her whole life it’s tiring because of everything swirling around inside her that doesn’t get an outlet. So you are sitting on all these feelings and thoughts while you have to perform duty at the same time. My favourite moments in the show are the moments she gets to speak out, and her voice proves to be powerful.

How would you describe Nuala’s relationship with Dream? What dynamic do they share, and how does that evolve over Season 2?

There’s an odd tenderness to it. There’s a kind of longing, a frustration. There’s a power imbalance in that he’s a king and she’s in an indentured servitude of sorts which sits over every interaction they have for the most part. Nuala admires him hugely, I think she sees the best in him when he’s confronting the worst of himself, and that’s something that has an impact on Dream. In turn, he truly sees her for who she is which is nearly all she needs to start off a journey of self discovery. As Lady Gaga once said, “There can be 100 people in the room and 99 don’t believe in you but all it takes is one…” 

Nuala starts with a posh accent but switches to Irish when Dream asks her to lose her glamour. I loved that addition — how did that idea come about during the show’s development?

That came from a conversation with Allan and Jamie early on about Nuala’s fairy glamour vs her true self. We thought it added a great extra layer to what the magical ‘glamour’ costs Nuala to wear; she’s robbed of her own voice, which in some ways is a part of your soul. I thought it hinted at a theme of privilage, colonialism, Irish history a little too. That felt meaningful to me and I loved that Allan and Jamie thought like that. 

Nuala and Cluracan share a complicated sibling bond. How would you describe their relationship?

Oh, Nuala & Cluracan are from different planets. He’s this chaotic hedonist, gets away with murder, the perfect fairy. Nuala is this dutiful, honest and direct creature who does not fit into the world of the Fae whatsoever. They do have a really special bond, but are constantly at each other. Douglas Booth is the perfect Cluracan; always winding her up and stressing her out, or she’s trying to manage him and clean up after his messes but she deeply cares for him. And I think he does too? In his own way? Brothers! Exasperating!

In episode 2, Dream hosts a banquet for visiting deities. gods and fairies. It really is a show-stopping event! How much fun was it to film that? Was it as chaotic as it is on screen?

The banquet in episode 2 is HUGE. We get to see all these creatures, and realms and characters that never get to interact in the one place. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bigger day on any set. I don’t really have anything to compare it to. But as a fan of Sandman, I was really pinching myself, it was a real moment. I mean the sheer logistics of it all, the choreography of it, all had to be rehearsed on a separate day, which is rare in TV, so that helped.

It was a little dizzying getting collected at 2:30am some days and home by 9pm, those were some caffeine-fuelled weeks. But it’s not every day you go to work, walk down the hall, and see a load of clowns and demons (actually, I’m sure there are people who relate to that in a less literal sense, pardon me…). 

Can you share any memorable moments or favourite scenes from filming Season 2?

There’s honestly a lot of favourite and memorable moments – I really am a fan of the show so it was a dream to be apart of the world. Especially as Nuala. I just wholeheartedly loved playing her full stop. I loved working on Sandman; there are all these huge set pieces, amazing special effects (and I had scenes with Stephen Fry, who I am a huge fan of), but there are the quiet moments too that are internal and intimate.

There’s a really small scene that happens in the later episodes. I can’t remember which. But it’s a moment where Nuala gets to show up as truly, wholly herself and it was a moment I felt a lovely crossover with actor and character. I dont know if that makes sense, especially as it would give away spoilers. But it was like we went through a big journey together where I now totally understood her as she understood herself.

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We thank Ann Skelly for her time. The Sandman season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.