The Untold Truth Of Tom Sturridge

Tom Sturridge’s first major regular television role was Starz’s “Sweetbitter” in 2018, spanning two seasons and 14 episodes. It’s the story of Tess, a young woman who comes to New York City to find herself and gets a job at a swanky restaurant. The drama centers around that staff and the late-night world they live in. 

Sturridge plays a bartender in the restaurant named Jake, who flirts with a smitten Tess. Sturridge easily related to the role, telling Collider, “I moved to New York, two years ago. I came here as a relatively lost soul, not really knowing who I was, and discovered very quickly that this city has an ability to confront those issues, head on…I love that New York challenges you, but at the same time, you can drown, so I felt very familiar with Tess’ journey.”

Asked to describe Jake, Sturridge said “I think he, very specifically, would not describe himself. I don’t think he’d ever get into that conversation. I would describe him as someone in a lot of pain, for a particular reason, and who just deals with that with sex and alcohol.” He goes on to add, “As far as him, as a character, I feel pretty close to him. It’s not much of a stretch.”

While “Sweetbitter” was cancelled, not only did Sturridge land a sweet gig on “The Sandman” afterwards, but his co-star Ella Purnell went on to play a prominent role in the first season of another innovative, imaginative drama, Showtime’s “Yellowjackets.” 

Tom Sturridge’s first major regular television role was Starz’s “Sweetbitter” in 2018, spanning two seasons and 14 episodes. It’s the story of Tess, a young woman who comes to New York City to find herself and gets a job at a swanky restaurant. The drama centers around that staff and the late-night world they live in. 

Sturridge plays a bartender in the restaurant named Jake, who flirts with a smitten Tess. Sturridge easily related to the role, telling Collider, “I moved to New York, two years ago. I came here as a relatively lost soul, not really knowing who I was, and discovered very quickly that this city has an ability to confront those issues, head on…I love that New York challenges you, but at the same time, you can drown, so I felt very familiar with Tess’ journey.”

Asked to describe Jake, Sturridge said “I think he, very specifically, would not describe himself. I don’t think he’d ever get into that conversation. I would describe him as someone in a lot of pain, for a particular reason, and who just deals with that with sex and alcohol.” He goes on to add, “As far as him, as a character, I feel pretty close to him. It’s not much of a stretch.”

While “Sweetbitter” was cancelled, not only did Sturridge land a sweet gig on “The Sandman” afterwards, but his co-star Ella Purnell went on to play a prominent role in the first season of another innovative, imaginative drama, Showtime’s “Yellowjackets.”