10 BTS Facts About ‘The Boys’ Every Fan Should Know
How The Boys Became What it Is
Crude gags, offensive moments, horrific gore and a complete parody of everything that a superhero is about is the central theme of The Boys. In spite of that, the show won over audience owing to its unique plot and look at greatness of the heroes but from a vastly different angle. Here are some behind the scenes takeaways that fans should know.
Hughie's Dad Is a Perfect Meta-Joke
Based on the original drawing of Hughie, actor Simon Pegg was being considered the perfect actor to play the role in live action. By the time the show was finally made, Pegg had aged out of the part, so the producers did the next best thing: they cast him as Hughie's dad, a perfect, meta-casting wink to the fans.
Antony Starr Thought Homelander Was "Stupid"
Homelander himself thought that his role was too 'stupid' to play on television. When Antony Starr's agent sent him the audition script, he famously ignored it. He read the character description not realizing the show was a dark satire. He only taped a last-minute, half-hearted audition, which was exactly the kind of strange, detached energy the producers were looking for.
Butcher's Accent Is 100% Fake
Karl Urban, who plays the aggressively Cockney Billy Butcher, is not British. He's from New Zealand. His accent for the show is a specific, put-on performance. While he's cited the comics as a source, many fans (and even other actors) have noted that his accent sounds just like Lennie James (Morgan from The Walking Dead), another famously non-British actor (he's from Nottingham) doing a Cockney accent.
The Whale Scene Was a Disgusting, Practical Nightmare
The actors on set were as disgusted as the audience owing to the 'Whale Scene.' In Season 2, The Boys crash a speedboat directly into a 50-foot, 11-ton whale. That whale was not CGI. The production team built a massive, incredibly detailed practical whale prop. The cast had to film inside the prop, which was filled with gallons of fake blood and guts, for days. Karl Urban described the smell as "a mix of rancid tuna, old meat, and sweat," and the experience as one of the most disgusting of his career.
The Deep's "Bulge" Became a Plot Point
For Chace Crawford, his skin tight seven-piece suit was a nightmare to wear on set due to the limited privacy it offered to him, showing off 'literally everything'. He was so self-conscious about his anatomy that the crew and producers started teasing him about it. This real-life embarrassment was then written directly into the show, creating the entire Season 1 subplot where The Deep is insecure about the prominent bulge in his suit.
Black Noir Is Played by a Professional Martial Artist
The man behind the mask is not just a stunt person. The physical performance of Black Noir in all seasons is actor Nathan Mitchell. As a trained martial artist, he is the one performing all of the character's intricate fights and silent, intimidating body language. The producers felt it was crucial to have one actor consistently performing the role, even if you never see his face.
The Show Was "Unfilmable" for 10 Years
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (the show's executive producers) spent a decade trying to get The Boys made. They first acquired the rights in 2008, originally as a feature film. But every studio passed, deeming the graphic, R-rated material "unfilmable" in a pre-Deadpool world. It wasn't until the rise of streaming services like Amazon Prime Video that a show this subversive and violent could finally be produced.
Jack Quaid's First Day Was His Gory Initiation
The very first scene of the show was memorable for Jack Quaid and the audience. The gore-filled inciting scene became the primary motive for The Boys. Robin's explosive death. His first day on the job consisted of him standing on a green screen set while a cannon fired a mixture of fake blood, guts, and "pulverized" strawberry-banana smoothie all over his face, perfectly setting the tone for the rest of the series.
Homelander's Milk Obsession Was Improvised
In the Season 1 scene with Madelyn Stillwell, Antony Starr just decided to start chugging the (room-temperature) breast milk. The directors found it so creepy and "wrong" that they told him to keep doing it, and it became a core part of his character's disturbing, man-child psychology. However, to everyone's surprise it is not a part of the original script. From being uninterested to defining the character, Antony Starr came a long way.
1. Starlight's Glowing Eyes Were a Happy Accident
The glowing, amazing Starlight worthy power she got was not a part of the real script. In the Season 1 finale, Starlight's eyes glow with power right before she blasts a hole in Stormfront. Actress Erin Moriarty was wearing special contacts to make her eyes look dilated, and the on-set lights hit them in a way that created a natural, eerie glow. The director saw it, loved it, and then had the VFX team digitally enhance it to create one of her most iconic "power-up" moments.
