The Boys Star Deliberately Messed Up His Audition For This Unlikely Reason
He's got a chiseled jaw, a perfect smile, a heroic physique, and a side to him that can immediately shift to terrifyingly unstable.
Antony Starr is seemingly the perfect choice for Homelander, the ultimate superhero in The Boys universe – who also happens to be a ruthless killer. But if he'd gotten his way, he never would have been offered the role.
Starr went from Xena: Warrior Princess to bona fide New Zealand star in two decades, highlighted by his roles in Banshee Origins and American Gothic. With his dark hair and grizzled scruff, he's generally portrayed brooding, violent characters in a dark setting – a slight twist from his role in The Boys as the menacing villain under the guise of blonde, All-American "hero."
When he originally got the script for the Amazon Prime Video series, he didn't see himself in that role. He thought it was so impossible he'd even be asked to play Homelander, he almost tanked his audition.
He'd gained a level of success by that point that he was allowed to be picky – but also busy enough that he was constantly working. He said in a 2020 interview with Metro UK that he told his agents that he was "too busy" to audition for the series based on a relatively unknown comic book.
A few days later, Starr eventually saw the script. As soon as he realized it was a role as a superhero, his mind was made up. The actor knew he wouldn't do it. He compared himself unfavorably to Henry Cavill, who played Superman for the latest string of DC movies. Starr said Cavill was "wonderful, handsome, and charming" and that he couldn't compare. He thought there was no chance he'd be offered the role.
His representatives "hassled" him enough to convince him to at least send a demo reel. Starr went to his dressing room, shot an audition tape on his iPad, and sent it out. He said he only did it out of spite for his reps.
Despite not knowing the script and sending a less-than-passionate audition, he caught the eye of Eric Kripke – The Boys' showrunner. After his reps told him that Kripke loved the audition, he figured it was time to actually read the script. When he did, he loved the role so much that he decided to put the time and energy into getting the role.
Homelander catapulted Starr from niche television star to international sensation in his three seasons playing the role. His portrayal has earned him several awards, including an IGN Summer Movie Award for Best Dramatic TV Performance.
Starr hasn't acted in a dramatic role since The Boys' initial release in 2019, but he will be featured in the upcoming The Interpreter with Jake Gyllenhaal and Cobweb, inspired by the Edgar Allen Poe story. Season 4 of The Boys is set for a 2023 release.