Antony Starr made every other supervillain look meek and mild with his chilling portrayal of Homelander in The Boys. Playing the role of the psychopathic antagonist, Starr made fans and critics around the world shudder and applaud, through his perfect performance. Interestingly, the actor almost did not bag this marquee gig owing to his insecurity.
Starr, who was offered the script as the first choice for Homelander, neglected to look at it, as he was certain that he would not be picked for the role. Furthermore, with the likes of Henry Cavill taking on the mantle of Superman, the celebrity did not believe that he could stand up to the British actor’s towering personality.
Why Antony Starr Was Insecure About Signing On To Play Homelander
After seeing Antony Starr terrorize viewers with his manic portrayal of Homelander in The Boys, there is no doubt that he was the perfect choice to play the character. Starr though, was not confident in himself and his abilities when the opportunity was first presented to him. The New-Zealand actor confessed that he did not give the script much thought, and refrained from reading it when he found out that his character had superhuman abilities.
With Henry Cavill being signed on as DC’s most celebrated hero Superman, Starr was of the opinion that he was physically inferior in every way to The Witcher star, and was certain that he wouldn’t be picked for the part. In a conversation with Metro, the actor recalled his trepidations and said,
“I didn’t look at it for a week and a half and then I saw it was a superhero thing and I thought they’re not going to pick me anyway, I’m not made for that. Henry Cavill’s 12 feet tall, built like a 12 foot brick s**t house and he’s wonderful, handsome and charming – I’m not going to get that.”
As it turned out, Starr’s fear of failure was unwarranted, with the actor gaining superstardom through his chilling performance as Homelander.
Also Read: The Boys’ Antony Starr ISN’T Voicing Homelander in Mortal Kombat 1
Antony Starr On How He Approached Homelander
What made The Boys stand out as a unique series, was its clever subversion of the superhero aesthetic, where the characters are not the reverential cult figures often seen in Marvel and DC movies. Instead, they are selfish and corrupt people who are managed by an evil organization called The Vought.
These dark shades were what attracted the show’s antagonist Antony Starr into signing on for his role as Homelander. In an interview with GQ following the stupendous success of the show, Starr spoke about his diabolical superhero character who had no moral fiber to speak of, and elaborated on how he approached this role.
“Sometimes it’s as simple as, well, what would Superman do? And do the opposite. I really love being able to turn that on its head and explore the messiness of what is arguably a more realistic take on superheroes.”
Antony Starr’s unhinged and manic portrayal of Homelander was one of the reasons for the unprecedented success of The Boys. The actor was grateful to the series for giving him one of his most memorable roles.
