Antony Starr’s Diabolical Moments as Homelander Seemed So Good Because of His Learning Curve From a Show in New Zealand
Actor Antony Starr is popularly known for portraying Homelander in Prime Video’s The Boys, a satirical superhero series developed by Erick Kripke. Based on the comic book of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, the series follows a team of vigilantes as they combat super-powered individuals who happen to abuse their power.
Before starring as Homelander and becoming a household name, Starr has appeared in projects including the Australian movie Wish You Were Here, the series Banshee from 2013 to 2016, and more. He is regarded as one of the most talented actors in the industry who has worked hard to be where he is today. The actor also went on to explain how he managed to play the famous mirror scene as Homelander that surprised everyone.
Antony Starr credits his New Zealand series for Homelander’s famous mirror scene
The New Zealand actor Antony Starr plays Homelander, the powerful leader of the Supes who, deep down, is egotistical and megalomaniacal. The actor’s character in season three, episode six of The Boys, titled Herogasm, filmed the iconic Mirror Scene, which gave the audience a picture of how fractured the character’s psyche is.
In season 3, when Soldier Boy, played by Jensen Ackles, returns, who happens to be the world’s strongest supe, Homelander starts to doubt his ability to defeat him. In that specific scene, his reflection decides to reassure him, reminding him of all the challenges and hardships he’s overcome to be where he is today. When the soft side of Homelander says that he just wants to be loved, the stronger (or evil) side of him tells him to ignore everything, especially to cut out his shriveled humanity.
Explaining the scene, Starr spoke to Spoiler Time, where he detailed how he managed to pull the mirror scene off. He explained,
It was a fun scene to do because it started with a completely different scene in which he did talk to himself in the mirror, but it’s been done before. So I was like, okay, how can we make it different? The only thing I could think of, and I pitched to Erick, let’s make it the guy Homelander created because he didn’t have a mom and dad figure.
The actor mentioned that despite him and the creator being worried about how they were going to pull this off, the creator showed full faith in him and let him do his thing. He also shared that he was lucky enough to play twins on a show for six years in New Zealand, so he played out the two good and the bad, which gave him a sense of the work the scene needed along with the minute details. Starr noted that scenes like these are super technical but a lot of fun to film.
Antony Starr played the twins Jethro and Van West in a family comedy crime series titled Outrageous Fortune from 2005 to 2010. The show was the longest-running drama series in New Zealand and came to an end after six seasons. Starr was highly appreciated for his work on the show, which eventually helped him create the most iconic scene for Homelander years later.
Antony Starr talks about portraying the loneliest guy in the world
In his interview with the LA Times, the star mentioned that he didn’t realize how much of himself, in terms of emotional stuff, he was putting into the role of Homelander. He noted that the closer he can make things to himself, the more he can tap into something real. While it’s clear that Homelander is the antagonist of the show, a lot of people idolize him, which confuses Starr, and he says,
That’s a very strange thing that’s happened with the character, though he is clearly not a good guy. A lot of people have glommed onto him. There’s a weird element out there that actually kind of idolizes him. I’ve seen some s**t on Twitter, and I’m like, Wait, what? You are missing the point entirely.
The creator describes the character as ‘Trump’ but adds that if it’s made too directly Trump, it becomes very two-dimensional. Starr, however, describes him as the loneliest guy in the world, adding that he’s got no one to relate to but himself. Starr added,
His isolation is immaculate. It’s almost perfect. He’s not stupid. He’s incredibly emotionally stunted. There are so many details that are put in there—so many Easter eggs, so many conversation-starting episodes and moments—I think it’s a bit of a play.
The New Zealand actor told the publication that people can watch the show however they wish to feel, but one thing about the show is that he’s very proud of what they do, which unapologetically provokes conversations.
Season 4 of The Boys is set to premiere on June 13, 2024, with the first three episodes, on Prime Video.
