Who Is Lucienne in The Sandman? Meet Vivienne Acheampong’s Character

One of the things that people are getting excited about is the upcoming release of Netflix’s The Sandman, which is an adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman comic books that are quite popular among different comic book aficionados. Of course, the interest that people have in the characters are going to only increase the more we get closer to the release of the series. One of the most interesting characters is Lucienne. So, who is Lucienne in The Sandman?

Lucienne in The Sandman is the female version of the comic book series’ Lucien, who works as a librarian in the Dreaming and was once one of Dream’s Ravens. Lucien is the one overlooking every book that was ever written or imagined, regardless of whether it may have been written or published.

While not all comic book fans are too fond of the fact that Lucien was turned into Lucienne for the live-action adaptation of The Sandman, it should be interesting to see what Lucienne has in store for us in the series, especially when it comes to her interactions and relationship with Dream. Now, with that said, let’s take a look at what we know about Lucienne in The Sandman.

Who Is Lucienne In The Sandman?

Fans are now getting more excited about the fact that we are going to be able to see The Sandman series adaptation anytime soon as its release date draws near. In that regard, the hype for the adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s comic book is at an all-time high not only because its release date is upon us but also because of the fact that there were several reveals that happened during the San Diego Comic Con 2022.

With that said, the interest of fans and even people who never read The Sandman comics is also at an all-time high, and this allows us to see how there are now more people who want to get to know the characters that are going to appear in the adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s work. One such character that people are interested in after her reveal is Lucienne. So, who is Lucienne in The Sandman?

Considering that the series is going to be quite faithful to Gaiman’s work as far as the storyline is concerned, we believe that Lucienne’s character will be quite close to its counterpart in the comic books, which is a character named Lucien. In that regard, Lucienne is simply a gender-bended version of Lucien, who plays an important role in the comics.

We believe that, just like Lucien, Lucienne is going to play the role of Dream’s chief librarian in his palace over at the Dreaming, which is the place where Dream resides and is also the dimension where humans go whenever they are sleeping. Of course, Lucienne probably plays the role of Dream’s right-hand person as well.

In the comics, Lucien started off as one of Dream’s ravens. However, he was eventually given a humanoid form so that he could properly overlook the affairs surrounding Dream’s massive library in his palace. This library houses the collection of every book that every person has ever imagined. This includes books that were never written or published, as the only thing that matters is that they were imagined by someone.

It is expected that Lucienne will also follow the same role in the comics as Lucien is Dream’s most trusted servant and advisor in the Dreaming. Lucien is also the most loyal servant of Dream as he was the only one that greeted Dream after he returned to the Dreaming following his escape from imprisonment. Of course, Lucien kept Dream updated with the matters that happened in the Dreaming while he was gone.

Who Plays Lucienne In The Sandman?

As mentioned, Lucienne in The Sandman series is a female version of Lucien in the comics. That means that the character is played by a female actress named Vivienne Acheampong, who we have seen in the teasers of the series.

Vivienne Acheampong is comparatively new to the industry as she has only been acting since 2015. However, it didn’t take too long for her to see some pretty good roles in her young career, as she appeared in The Witches and The One. But it does seem like her role as Lucienne in The Sandman will be her biggest one yet. 

What Happened To Lucien In The Sandman Comics?

In the comics, Dream ended up getting captured by a human magician named Roderick Burgess, who was only able to do so out of sheer luck and because of the fact that Dream was exhausted at that time. Dream spent decades imprisoned by Burgess, and that meant that the Dreaming was left without a leader while he was away.

During the time when Dream was imprisoned, it was Lucien who kept things in order in the Dreaming as he acted as the caretaker while his master was away. He was also the only one who greeted his master when Dream returned to his decaying and crumbling palace in the Dreaming shortly after he regained his freedom.

Lucien was also the one who caught up with Dream on what happened in the Dreaming during his absence. That meant that he showed extreme loyalty and devotion to his master during the entire time that Dream was away.

It was due to the fact that Lucien was loyal to Dream that he was given the highest rank in the entire Dreaming. This meant that he was the most trusted adviser that Dream had. And he trusted Lucien so much that he was willing to allow him to oversee the entire Dreaming and make the right decisions while he was away.

In the series, we don’t know how Lucienne’s relationship with Dream will play out, but Vivienne Acheampong has hinted that there will be some sort of conflict between her and her master in the live-action adaptation.

“As you said, she is loyal. Sometimes, probably, to a fault,” Acheampong said. “Lucienne presided over the Dreaming whilst he was captured, and I think that she is his moral compass in some ways. Because he’s very brooding; this dark, difficult figure. Sometimes, she’s the one who has to make him take stock and think.

Throughout the series, we do see a bit of friction between them. Because, as we’ve said, he was the boss. People have said she’s the real boss, but I’m just repeating what people are saying. So, there’s a bit of friction between them. But I think that, essentially, there is a love and a bond there. And essentially, she wants to protect Dream and the Dreaming. That is essentially her goal.”

In that regard, it seems like Dream and Lucienne won’t be on the same page the entire time throughout the series due to the fact that the master was away for a very long time and that the residents of the Dreaming started seeing Lucienne as the real boss. And the conflict goes well with the fact that Dream started out as a very narcissistic and self-centered individual at the beginning of the storyline.

Nevertheless, we do know that Dream is going to undergo a massive character evolution during the course of the series. And one of the people who could probably help him out in his character development is Lucienne, who might stay loyal to him the entire time but won’t be too loyal to the point that she isn’t going to tell her master off whenever Dream does something she doesn’t agree with.