‘The Boys’: Antony Starr Acted Like Homelander in 1 ‘Negative’ Incident
The Boys actor Antony Starr doesn’t seem like he could be any more different from his on-screen character. But he did have to contend with accountability after one “negative” incident drew some eerie similarities between him and Homelander.
The Prime Video series just wrapped up its action-packed third season. Along with Starr, most of the original cast — including Jack Quaid, Karl Urban, Erin Moriarty, Karen Fukahara, Laz Alonso, and Tomer Kapon — also reprised their roles for the third season.
[Warning: Spoilers for The Boys Season 3 ahead.]
Who does Antony Starr play on ‘The Boys’?
On The Boys, Antony Starr plays Homelander, the star-spangled leader of superhero team, The Seven. The series’ first two seasons saw Homelander acting as Vought’s poster boy, who in the eyes of the world can do no wrong. But in reality, Homelander is a cruel, manipulative villain who attacks anyone who dares to get in his way. One of Homelander’s biggest enemies is the titular team of anti-superhero vigilantes, The Boys. They exposed Vought for artificially creating superheroes with a powerful substance called Compound V.
In The Boys Season 3, there’s also a much bigger threat at hand: Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), a powerful superhero thought to have died in the ’80s. After finding him in a Russian lab, Butcher and Hughie enlist his help, as Soldier Boy is the only person who can defeat Homelander. Along with some other major twists and turns, season 3 sees Homelander at his most vulnerable as he comes face to face with the man he fears most.
Antony Starr explains a real-life ‘negative situation’
Back in March, Starr made headlines for his arrest after a physical altercation with 21-year-old chef Bathuel Araujo in Spain.
According to The New York Times, citing Información, “Araujo said Starr began to curse and shove him, and that when he pushed back, Starr punched him and hit him with a glass. After Starr was ejected from the pub, the two men encountered each other outside, Araujo said, and they scuffled further.”
Starr pleaded guilty and received a 12-month suspended sentence, along with a roughly $5,500 fine.
“I got myself into a situation that was negative and I reacted poorly, and the way forward from that was very clear,” Starr told The New York Times. “It was quite simply to take ownership of it, which I do, and then really learn from it and move forward.”
According to the Times, Araujo seems to hold no ill will toward Starr. “I feel that all humans have the right to make mistakes and he was no exception,” Araujo said. “He has lived the consequences of his actions and I hope he has learned from it. I wish him good things and I hope he doesn’t go through the same thing again.”
Starr has dealt with accountability on screen and off
The actor may be choosing to learn and move on from his recent run-in with the law. But Antony Starr’s apologetic statement didn’t stop people from drawing comparisons between him and his The Boys character.
In season 2, while speaking in front of a crowd of anti-supe protestors at Vought headquarters, Homelander has a meltdown where he fantasizes about killing everyone in attendance with his laser eyes. But it’s not the only time viewers have seen Homelander “snap.”
Homelander publicly speaks out against things like cancel culture and censorship in season 3 episode 2, “The Only Man in the Sky.” His frustrations with Vought, Starlight, and maintaining his public image all come to a head during his live birthday broadcast. In it, he says he’s “done apologizing” for his involvement with former member of The Seven and not-so-secret Nazi sympathizer Stormfront. He reveals his true face when he tells the audience, “I don’t make mistakes. I’m not like the rest of you. I’m smarter, I’m stronger, I’m better.”
It seems that unlike Homelander, Starr is better at apologizing and taking accountability for his actions.
