Since every artist is probably their own worst and harshest critic, what do you see in his performance?
I think Ant is doing some of the best work on TV, period.
That comes from an incredible amount of building and thinking and discussing.
He busts his ass to deliver this character.
Thats just an incredible magic trick.
This is not to say that The Boys is a terrible show.
Image via Prime Video
Its far from that.
Has that always been the case with the two of you?
These things always grow, as you get to know each other more.
I always say that youre tailoring a suit.
When he first puts it on, it fits but it can fit better.
From the beginning, Ive welcomed Ant and all the actors input.
Image via Prime Video
Im not one of those guys who gets defensive about that.
Ill take any good idea where I can get it.
Im always like, Bro, your names still gonna be on it.
Theyre not gonna say, ‘Executive producer, you, and all the actors.’
You get the fucking credit for it.
Why wouldnt you take every good idea you’ve got the option to possibly get?
Image via Prime Video
Its so wild to me.
Its my job to know the whole chess board, and its their job to know their pieces.
Thats always something that I think is an important part of crafting a good show and a good character.
What if we add this?
What if we did this?
When we started off, I only had two scenes in the pilot.
Image via Prime Video
We got a lot of scripts first up.
Like Eric said before, its literally, in this case, like putting on a new suit.
But here we are.
The Boys is a drama series that explores the darker aspects of superhero culture, portraying a world where superheroes abuse their powers rather than use them for good. Centered around a vigilante group aiming to control these corrupt heroes, the series delves into themes of power, corruption, and accountability. The show features a complex narrative with multifaceted characters, offering an unfiltered look at the consequences of unchecked power.
So, its been a journey of growth and learning and collaboration.
Now, weve just gotta go from case to case to case, each week.
Its a credit to all those people that do that.
But Im much more interested in a story and character relationship evolution.
I want things to evolve.
I want it to be growing and breathing and living.
We get that in spades on this show, and its a treat, man.
STARR: A lot of the time theyre doing the awful things for a reason.
One of my favorite scenes … when was the whale?
KRIPKE: Oh, that was Season 2, episode four.
STARR: I remember reading that and going, Weve gone too far.
Its The Deep riding in on a whale.
It just seemed so absurd.
This has been a learning curve for me.
After that, I was like, Dont judge anything, just go with it.
Hes really busting his ass.
Its a character-driven moment of absurdity.
And then, Butcher driving the boat through the whale is a very Butcher thing to do.
The moment is actually anchored in character and story, and I love that about this show.
With Homelander’s reign of terror gearing up for an epic conclusion, who will make it out alive?
At the end of the season, Homelander is very much in charge.
Is he actually confident and comfortable in that fact or are his own insecurities always simmering under the surface?
STARR: Theres a funny moment when Sage comes in and hes broken because he lost.
He screwed up and the house of cards collapsed.
Ultimately, it was me all along.
If she wasnt there, it wouldnt have happened.
Hes weeping because hes failed, gets saved, spins it, and then egotistically takes control.
Thats the character in a nutshell, really.
Ive been willfully denying it.
It hasnt totally sunk in.
That will be hard.
Anything can truly happen.
Its so hard to land that plane, much less were landing eight different planes.
I am appropriately respectful and have an appropriate amount of trepidation for how hard that job is.
Im not walking into it cocky at all.
Im just like, Fuck!
Its really exciting, but its scary too.
STARR: Good luck with that.
KRIPKE: Yeah, thank you.
The shows creator reflects on making one of the most current shows on television."
Have you shared the end with the cast?
Is that something you want to hold back as long as possible?
KRIPKE: I have not.
STARR: I have a lot of empathy for this guy.
KRIPKE: Its your job.
STARR: Its my job not to judge.
Ive got to see him as fully three-dimensional.Hes still the villain.
Hes still the bad guy.
Hes Jaws in the show, but we wanna know what makes Jaws tick.
KRIPKE: What was Jaws childhood like?
What made him such a son of a bitch?
STARR: No, I love the character.
I got to do scenes with myself in the mirror.
I got to work with this incredible cast.
Its up and down, its round.
Its really just an amazing job and an amazing character.
But I love the show and I love the character.
He’s not throwing away his shot.
STARR: I still think those people are just joking.
I think theyre just fucking with everyone.
I find it impossible to believe that people would not see through that.
Thats the point of what were saying in the show, whereeven the most horrible people have reasons.
If they go, I do it because Im evil and because Im crazy, I dont understand that.
Im always like, Well, but why?
What gave you that skewed worldview?
Where did that come from?
Psychology is just more interesting to me, and I think thats what he does.
Do you see the possibilities of not justGen V, but this world getting even bigger?
Im really working hard to not sell out.
I worry about that every single day.
Thats what were trying to do.
The Boysis available to stream on Prime Video.
Check out the Season 4 trailer:
Watch on Prime Video
