New Delhi: Actor Antony Starr says redemption for psychopathic superhero Homelander of “The Boys” is like the shark in “Jaws” turning vegetarian and how many people would be interested in that, asked about the “narcissistic character” that made him famous.
The star said he worked closely with creator Eric Kripke to develop the character for the superhero satire, now in its fourth season.
“We have a very good working relationship and I think we have created this character as something that is three-dimensional and more versatile than your average moustached funny villain. That is why people connect with it,” the star told PTI in a virtual interview.
In “The Boys,” adapted from the comic book series of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, Homelander is the leader of The Seven, a group of superheroes managed by the powerful corporation Vought International.
The character presents himself as the quintessential superhero, with all the glamorous qualities – he’s charming, patriotic and all-powerful. However, underneath the mask, there’s a deeply flawed and malicious individual who is racist, deranged, psychopathic, narcissistic and more.
Will Homelander ever be freed?
“I mean, it’s like the shark in ‘Jaws’ becoming a vegetarian. Who wants to see that?” he said, referring to the killer shark from Steven Spielberg’s 1974 classic film.
But, he added, “Never say never.”
“Personally, I’m optimistic. So I’d love to say yes, but honestly, I’m not sure. What Eric said… a strong theme in the show is that if someone does something wrong, they get punished. In Homelander’s case, he’s done so much wrong that he can’t be undone, but I don’t know.”
For the actor, as well as fans of the show around the world, it’s been fun to explore the depths of Homelander’s madness each season.
“Homelander is a bit scary, he’s very narcissistic. There’s a lot of negative qualities in him, in terms of the whole killing people thing. It could be very easy to stereotype him and call him a narcissistic psychopath,” the New Zealand-born actor said.
The star believes there is another side to this.
The actor added, “There’s a lot of vulnerability in him, even though his behaviour is abhorrent. There are little moments, for example, when he tries to be a good father, and it’s kind of endearing. You always hope the bad guy can turn good. But I’m not sure he can.”
The other major superhero is Deep.
Chace Crawford, who plays superheroes like Aquaman, said the show explores a whole dimension of grey rather than presenting a quintessential story of good versus evil.
He added, “I think the grey area and the spectrum of the show is not black and white. Human beings are not black and white. And I think we talked about that before. They let us show what we want to show and explore the nuances there… it lends itself to showing glimpses of their human nature.”
The actor said that just like Homelander, The Deep’s redemption is unlikely, especially after his sexual assault scene with Starlight, played by Erin Moriarty, in the first season.
“After a sexual assault incident, it’s hard to have a full circle moment. Maybe if she had her own show. I’m kidding, we can go there…
Crawford said, “He’s like a train wreck. You want to see it happen. We want him to get his punishment in some way and fail. And it’s kind of satisfying.”
“The Boys” also stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capon, Karen Fukuhara, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit and Cameron Crovetti. Susan Heyward, Valorie Curry and Jeffrey Dean Morgan are new cast members for the upcoming installment.
“The Boys” will return to Prime Video with its highly anticipated fourth season on Thursday, when the first three episodes premiere. The rest of the episodes will arrive weekly.
Kripke has announced that the show will end after its fifth season.
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