The Boys Scene That Was So Messed Up It Made Antony Starr Cry Tears Of Laughter
There is probably no bigger TV villain than The Boys' Homelander (Anthony Starr), the ultra-corrupt Superman-esque anti-hero who crashed a full passenger plane to help secure a military contract for his even more corrupt employer, Vought. But Homelander is a complicated guy who exhibits plenty of emotions ranging from rage-fear to rage-lust to rage-sadness.
All this horrific bad guy stuff drums up genuine emotions in Starr, too, including tears of joy and frustration as he navigates the challenges presented by executing such wild subject matter.
Speaking with BriefTake about another shocking Homelander act, in which he viciously murders his boss with his laser vision, Starr recalled the difficulties working with babies, who, naturally were on set during a gruesome homicide — it is "The Boys," after all. "[We had] four little baby Teddys, and they all cried as soon as I picked them up, it was a nightmare to shoot with them," Starr said, adding, "We didn't finish until I think about 6 a.m. on a Saturday morning and it was brutal to shoot ... To my knowledge, I'm the only person who's been crying through lasering someone in the head."
But working with kids in tough scenes isn't always a chore for Starr. In fact, he instead wept joyously at the final cut of the scene where Homelander basically chucks his young son off a roof (again, remember this is The Boys we're talking about).
Starr got a big laugh out of Homelander's little push
It's in Homelander's nature to go a wee bit too far in the hope of proving his superiority in every single way, but one has to admit that shoving a child off the roof of a building pushes the envelope in a darkly hilarious way, even for him. Thus, when Homelander tries to figure out if his biological son Ryan Butcher (Cameron Crovetti) can fly in the "The Boys" Season 2 episode "Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Me," it's an uncomfortably funny laugh riot. Naturally, Homelander is extremely unsuccessful at getting the child to take to the air, and the audience is treated to the darkly funny sight of young Ryan landing with a squeal face-first on the ground after a helpful push from dad.
Per an interview with GQ Magazine posted to their YouTube page, Antony Starr didn't think the scene was particularly funny when he was filming it due to the level of CGI and special effects involved. But watching the scene later, with the effects overlay in place, caused him to crack up. "I just burst out laughing," admitted Starr. And apparently, an added sound effect sealed the deal for him. "The thing that really made it for me was his little squeal as he flies off, and that little 'aah!' comes out. God, I was crying laughing at that, I thought it was hysterical." Also funny to Starr? The mild disappointment on Homelander's face as his son fails to become a high flyer.
Fans will have to keep watching to find out if Ryan develops into a supe or an average, workaday mortal.