The episode, Herogasm, in the third season of The Boys, is probably the most controversial in the series. As per actor Jensen Ackles, filming the scenes was just as intense as it was for viewers watching it. The actor explained in a past interview that he was prepared for the worst and yet, he was left shocked while filming the episode.
In the episode, TNT Twins host a part called Herogasm, which is an annual Supe orgy. Soldier Boy accidentally releases another energy blast and a fight breaks out. Filming these scenes took four days and it took a toll on everyone’s mental health, particularly the series’ camera operator.
Also read: Jensen Ackles Was Warned Against Committing 1 Major Blunder By ‘The Boys’ Creator Due To His Past
Jensen Ackles was prepared for the worst while filming The Boys Season 3’s Herogasm episode
At The Boys Prime Video FYC panel in 2022, actor Jensen Ackles talked about one of the most controversial episodes of the series: Herogasm. As per the source material, Ackles’ character, Soldier Boy hooks up with Homelander in the comics, so the actor explained that he was prepared for the worst (via Variety),
“The source material has it going a little differently – I didn’t know how verbatim we were going to go, so I was prepared for the worst.”
As things go sideways during the Supe orgy in the episode, a massive fight breaks out. Most of the fighting scenes were done by the actors themselves, without the help of stunt doubles. Ackles added,
“I think our stunt doubles only got to do one or two gags. We had been rehearsing and doing stunt training for that fight scene for weeks. We got to come in on our off days and train and fight; it’s like learning a dance, it’s so heavily choreographed. It may not have been an emotional scene, but it took its toll for sure.”
Ackles then joked that he remembers “the smell” of the set “the most” while filming. The episode indeed left the fans shocked as nothing could’ve prepared them for it.
The scenes left the camera operator traumatized
Ackles further revealed that the camera operator was traumatized because of all the things he saw. Even Ackles himself wasn’t prepared for those scenes,
“You looked like you had just come out of war – When I saw our camera operator outside, he was just staring at the ground. I went up and said, ‘Hey Liam, what’s up, how’s it going up there?’ And he said, ‘I’ve seen some shit man.’ He was traumatized, and they did not prep me either. I mean, it just smelled like old s*x after a while. There was nothing that could have been said to me to prepare for that day.”
The show was released on a weekly basis on streaming service Amazon Prime Video, premiering its first three episodes on June 3, 2022, while the rest ran until July 8, 2022. The next season of The Boys is expected to be released in 2024.
