By now, we've seen plenty of subversive takes on the superhero genre. DEADPOOL, KICK-ASS, hell, even MYSTERY MEN prove that even mighty super beings aren't safe from having the rug pulled out from under them. Still, it's hard to think of a more, shall we say, f*cked up take on caped crusaders than Amazon's forthcoming THE BOYS, based on Garth Ennis and Darick Robinson's (similarly f*cked up) comic series focusing on a group of vigilantes hell bent on taking down corrupt superheroes – of which there are many. Developed by Eric Kripke ("Supernatural) and the team of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg ("Preacher"), THE BOYS is a very R-rated, bleakly comedic look at what some superheroes might really be like: narcissistic, power mad, destructive.
Even though some of the characters in THE BOYS are less than likable, the cast is fortunately quite the opposite. There were a lot of folks at the NY junket for the series (which took place almost two months ago), and we'll get to them all, so buckle up and get ready to meet some of the guys – and gals – from THE BOYS.
Karl Urban plays Billy Butcher, the leader of "The Boys." Butcher is a perfect role for Urban, capitalizing on the actor's ability to play gruff yet charismatic action heroes. Here Urban and I talk the appeal of this complex character, his first reaction to the "diabolical" script, the future of DREDD and more!
Chace Crawford and Laz Alonso play The Deep and Mother's Milk, respectively. They're on opposite sides of the conflict between The Boys and superhero group The Seven, with Mother's Milk a member of Billy Butcher's vigilante squad and The Deep one of the anti-heroic supermen. Here we talk about what attracted them to the series – which they admit is hard to describe – some insight into what their characters are like, and what people can prepare for further down the line.
One of the rare characters who isn't a superhero or vigilante is Madelyn Stillwell, although the character is just as integral to the events that play out the series. She's played by the legendary Elisabeth Shue; the character is the hard-nosed Vice President of Hero Management, sort of like an agent for superheroes who has to put out the (many) fires they create. Shue is joined by Antony Starr, who plays Homelander, who is like if Superman – or Captain America, if you prefer – were a complete sociopath. Homelander is basically the epitome of what happened when a superhero has gone powermad. Here Shue, Starr and I talk about these intriguing characters, their relationship, and how they fit into the world of The Boys.
Karen Fukuhara is no stranger to the world of "supes". In SUICIDE SQUAD, she played the formidable Katana, but even Katana would likely be no match for The Female, the ucomplete badass Fukuhara portrays in The Boys. In real life the actress is nowhere near as intimidating as the characters she inhabits, as you'll see in the interview where we talk about how The Female works with The Boys. (Yes, she's the toughest one of the bunch.)