Sam Claflin Reveals The Lazarus Twists That Shook Him To The Core

Prime Video’s Lazarus lands like a jolt of psychological suspense, loss, and redemption — and its biggest shock hit the star himself. Sam Claflin, the Daisy Jones and The Six alum, inhabits Joel Laz Lazarus, a son spiraling after his father’s death, in a series whose twists left even its leading man reeling.

Prime Video's limited series 'Lazarus' is designed to mess with your head, and apparently it did a number on its star too. Sam Claflin (yep, the 'Daisy Jones & The Six' guy) says he got blindsided by where creator Harlan Coben takes it. If you thought the ending came out of nowhere, you're in good company.

Claflin got hooked fast, then got walloped by the ending

Claflin plays Joel 'Laz' Lazarus, a man whose world spins out after his father's death. He told Collider he was all-in after reading the first script and immediately asked to see the next episodes. Then he finally heard how it all wraps up and was, in his words, completely floored by the direction Coben chose. The twists kept pulling him so far into side corridors that he lost sight of the core mystery more than once — which, honestly, tracks with how the show operates. What starts like a straight thriller turns into a bruising look at memory, guilt, and the lies families live with.

The 1998 murder that haunts everything

The engine under the whole thing is Sutton — Laz's twin sister — who was murdered back in 1998, long before the series picks up. Claflin calls the twins' bond heartbreaking, and he digs into how Laz punishes himself for not being able to save her. He also makes a point that might sting if you've been yelling at your screen about choices and chances.

'There were so many peaks and troughs in the joy that he finds in that moment. The heartbreak is realizing that nothing can be done and nothing can be changed. Every person he meets up to that point, he believes that he's influencing their decisions. The realization is that he's not doing anything. He's a passenger and he's observing these moments.'

Claflin says that headspace was mentally and emotionally exhausting — and yeah, it sounds rough. The season leaves a few doors cracked open on purpose, which is either delicious or maddening depending on your tolerance for unresolved trauma.

Quick hits

• Where to watch: 'Lazarus' is streaming now on Prime Video
• Lead: Sam Claflin as Joel 'Laz' Lazarus
• Creator: Harlan Coben
• Central trauma: Laz's twin sister Sutton was murdered in 1998
• Claflin on the scripts: hooked from page one; shocked by the finale's direction
• Vibe shift: from thriller beats to a darker study of guilt and memory

If the finale left you spiraling a bit, that might be the point.