The Boys’ Antony Starr doesn’t think Homelander is like Donald Trump
The Boys actor Antony Starr doesn’t think his character in the show, Homelander, is like Donald Trump.
Season four of Prime Video’s hit show featured some imagery that many compared to Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ campaign and a moment where the character took over America.
Starr, however, has dismissed the comparisons calling them “low-hanging fruit” (via Entertainment Weekly).
“Of course, people could make the comparison, and they did. So it was quite strange getting dragged into a conversation I didn’t necessarily sign on to be a part of,” he explained.
“I didn’t want the character to be a moustache-twirling villain. It had to be a real person built from the ground up. The other thing is, I really don’t like using the word ‘psychopath.’ I think it’s such a reductive term.”
Show runner Eric Kriple meanwhile, said the show reflects social realities as much as many other popular ones. He said: “We’re making this fun-house mirror of what’s going on in culture as much as any show since Veep or The West Wing. It makes me nervous to be in similar company, but we are!”
Going back to Homelander, Starr added: “People hate the character, love to hate the character, and then there’s this weird thing where they empathise with the character. It’s really interesting meeting fans, which I do quite a lot. They do really feel like, ‘What the fuck? What’s wrong with me? I love Homelander, but he’s so bad.’ I take that as a signal that we’re going in the right direction, that it’s a bit more challenging for people than just spoon-feeding them.”
Recently, Starr described the final season of the show as “bigger” and “deeper” in a new interview.
Speaking to Variety, the actor gave an insight into what fans can expect to see from the show’s final season and his character Homelander.
Revealing a little of what fans can expect from season five, he explained: “I’ve read into the season slightly, and it not only is bigger, but it’s deeper.”
He continued: “The more Homelander gets what he wants, the less happy he is. And that really frustrates him. You can expect a real ratcheting up of stakes and emotion, and ‘The Boys’ really have their work cut out for them.”
He also opened up about his creative work with Kripke and discussed how they work together on set. He added: “Eric’s always been very open about any ideas that I’ve had, anything I want to add, subtract. I come in with an idea, he knocks it back or explains why there is something the way it is. It’s a pretty organic interchange. We just kick ideas around. It’s just a great, positive, creative experience.”
Kripke was similarly effusive and added that Starr was a “thrill to watch”. He continued: “One of the things that I love about his fearlessness as an actor is he’ll throw himself into a scene not knowing what Homelander’s going to do. And because he doesn’t know, the audience doesn’t know. One of the reasons Homelander is such an unexpected character is because literally Homelander doesn’t know what he’s going to do next.”
Meanwhile, back in October, a real-life pop-up version of Vought-a-Burger, the diner featured in The Boys opened in Los Angeles.
The post The Boys’ Antony Starr doesn’t think Homelander is like Donald Trump appeared first on NME.
Elizabeth Aubrey
NME
