There’s a common adage in the acting profession that one should never think of a villainous character as a villain. Nobody in real life believes they’re the bad guy, so why should the fictional world be any different?
In speaking with Deadline about The Boys season 3, Kripke relays how Starr bristles at the compliment from fans that he plays a great villain.
“He’ll say what a good actor should say, which is like, ‘I’m not the villain. How many times do I have to tell you? I’m misunderstood,’ Kripke says.
“At first I thought it was shtick. And then I realized he really believes that. And that’s what makes a great actor great, that it doesn’t even occur to him that they’re the bad guy, because they’re so deep inside, making that character human.”
Finding the actor who could strike the right balance between outwardly wholesome while maintaining a turbulent inner world of sociopathy and selfishness was crucial to making the world of The Boys work. Kripke acknowledges as much in the interview and says they knew they found the right actor when the New Zealand-born Starr submitted an audition tape.
“He had this take on the character from the jump, that was the American hero whose mask is cracking and revealing the sociopathy underneath. Just from the jump he had that charming American smile, that almost game show smile down pat, but you could see it in the corners of his eyes that he was very, very dangerous and psychotic. He was a slam dunk. He was definitely the only actor we put forward for that role.”
