Antony Starr, known for his role as the sadistic supervillain Homelander on Prime’s The Boys, discusses facing misconceptions that he’s anything like his character in real life.

Starr revealed that he finds humor in people’s surprise at his real personality. On the set of The Boys, new crew members often treat him as if he really is Homelander, scurrying out of his way in fear as he walks by in costume. The actor shared how he tries to distance himself from the character once he wraps up filming a season of the show by changing his appearance, growing a beard and reverting his hair to its natural brown.

Starr stated, “People are surprised, like, ‘Oh, my God, you’re actually not like him.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, he’s a psychopathic narcissist. So, thanks. Thank you for that.’”

“People are surprised, like, ‘Oh, my God, you’re actually not like him.'”

Initially dismissive of the role, Antony Starr confessed in an interview with The New York Times, “There wasn’t a hell of a lot for me to go on, other than ‘Bad Superman.’ So I did the audition almost out of anger. Threw it down, sent it in and went, there’s your audition.” Starr went on to recount a recent tailbone injury during a trip to Mexico, where he accidentally sat on a portable generator handle, which served as a humorous reminder that he’s far from his invincible character.

Homelander was created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson in the comic book series of the same. Depicted as an egotistical and sadistic narcissist, Homelander is the extremely powerful leader of The Seven, a group of corrupt superheroes funded by Vought-American, and the archenemy of Billy Butcher. Despite his public image as a noble and altruistic hero, Homelander cares little about the well-being of those he claims to protect. His powers and sense of entitlement have led to extreme megalomania, causing him to commit heinous crimes, including rape and mass murder, believing he can do anything he wants because of who he is.

Homelander Is Almost Entirely Negative

Garth Ennis described Homelander as “an almost entirely negative character. He is really just a series of unpleasant urges kept in check by his own intelligence, which is enough to understand that he can have anything he wants so long as he doesn’t push his luck too far. It might help to think of the Homelander as having all the self-control of… let’s say… a fourteen-year-old.”

The Boys season 4 is currently streaming on Prime Video.