- 7 hours ago
The Hollywood Reporter's Aaron Couch sat down with Eric Kripke, Erin Morarty and Aya Cash to discuss their series 'The Boys' in a THR Presents Q&A.
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00:00Hi, I'm Aaron Couch, and thank you for joining The Hollywood Reporter Presents Q&A with the
00:10talent behind The Boys. And Eric, let's start with you. I know this is a question you get a lot,
00:16but I can't help. I watched, you know, I rewatched season two, and it's even more relevant now,
00:22just a few months later after it aired than it was back, you know, in October. So, you know,
00:27when you see things, you know, in the news that are happening, do you feel any sense of,
00:32you know, satisfaction, you know, that, wow, this show really kind of predicted the future,
00:36or is it kind of depressing when you see things like, you know, Capitol riot?
00:40No, it's super depressing. In zero way do I want any of this to come true. Like,
00:48the show is a dystopia. That's the genre it really is in. So the idea that so much of it is coming
00:55true is not good. You know, look, we're just happy that we have an outlet to talk about some
01:02things that I think really need to be talked about. And we're just grateful for that. But I would
01:07way prefer we live in a really boring world, you know, where the show just isn't hitting the
01:14zeitgeist that it's hitting right now. Now, I know that you actually were cast before the show
01:20came out and became a giant hit. What do you remember about, you know, those conversations
01:25with Eric in terms of, you know, what your character was going to be all about? She certainly
01:30was quite interesting in season two. He lied to my face. He said she's an ingenue.
01:37The sweetest pot, girl next door. Although she is the girl next door. She's the Karen next door.
01:44She, no, we had some good conversations just in the audition process. We were able to even start
01:52talking about the character and what the arc of the character was going to be a little bit because
01:58obviously it wasn't, the sides were more geared towards the first couple episodes. So it definitely
02:05wasn't a bait and switch. But yeah. And then once I got cast, then he gave me a real breakdown
02:11of the season, which just, I remember sitting on my couch being like, what?
02:18No, that's amazing. I mean, it was so fun to hear what was going to happen and how she was going to
02:30get her comeuppance as well, which changed, I feel like a few times throughout the season. There were
02:35different ways she was going to be, she was going to be punished. Um, but I, I love how it ended with,
02:42with the stomping by this lovely lady. She's above me.
02:49Yeah. I mean, Erin, what, what was kind of your reaction when you, yeah, eventually got to that,
02:56that scene that is kind of, uh, strangely satisfying, but then you step back and realize, oh, we're watching
03:02somebody getting beaten up. It's kind of, it's weird how I feel about it. Yeah. But that's a good
03:08thing. Right. I mean, like you hope that you're on the side, it doesn't matter who's getting beaten
03:12up to a certain degree. You hope you're on the side that just doesn't like the violence, but
03:16I've said this many times. I'll say it again. Like it was weird for me because our job is a weird,
03:22a weird one to have, to be honest. Cause you know, you've got Iacash in real life who we've all come
03:28to love in who's the loveliest human being in real life. And then she's playing this person who is
03:35like symbolic of, and the epitome of like the worst facets of our country. And, and, and so,
03:43you know, it like, um, it was a dichotomy. I was, it was satisfying, but then every time I had to run
03:48up to her, I remember I had this one move that was like a knee to the face. And I was like, I just
03:52feel so, it was so weird. I've never felt totally opposing feelings at the same time
04:00towards the same situation. So I feel like it was one of the few moments I wasn't able to detach
04:06from my job, but I feel like that's a testament to I as a human being, but it was, I mean,
04:10when I saw it on screen as kind of like a, not objective at all, but a little less subjective
04:17months later on watching the whole season, I was able to get the real satisfaction that
04:23I usually get out of a scene like that. And I loved it and the music to it. So it was fun.
04:28I mean, I love fight scenes. I find them really cathartic. I don't know what this is about me,
04:32but I do. Yeah. Yeah. And you know, you, you talk about fight scenes. There were quite a few
04:40good ones in this season. I mean, when in the writer's room, do you come up with the idea of,
04:45you know, an almond joy being the, the thing that take down this bad-ass guy? I mean,
04:50that, that was pretty unexpected. Yeah. That, that was actually, uh, uh,
04:56that specific one was actually Carl Urban. Um, so we were at comic-con promoting season one,
05:04uh, Nathan Mitchell, who plays noir, um, has like an incredibly severe tree nut allergy.
05:13And every one of these green rooms in every room, there's like nothing but nuts. It's just like
05:18bowls and bowls and bowls of them. And, uh, uh, Carl said to me, he's like, you know, we should give
05:23noir, you know, we should give noir a nut allergy. And I'm like, that's like the best idea ever,
05:29because when you're making a superhero show, you're always thinking about like, what's their
05:33weakness. They're all, you know, they all need some kind of Achilles heel. You know, that's why
05:39Superman has kryptonite, because otherwise it's a really boring story. And the idea that one,
05:44that one superhero's kryptonite is the most basic thing that like, you know, thousands of like
05:5113 year olds have, um, just brought me like a lot of, a lot of joy.
05:56That's amazing. There are so many great personalities among your cast. I mean, are, are they bringing you
06:02ideas every now and then? I mean, I know you have it covered with the room, but I'm sure they put
06:06their own personality. No, I, I mean, it's, you know, every showrunner works differently. I,
06:12I encourage it. I, I want it. Um, I think it's all to the best. I mean, one is like, I'll take all
06:18the brains I can get. And, and, and two, like anything that will make, you know, an actor feel
06:25more like they're invested and wrapped around that dialogue because they really put it through
06:31their own process. It only helps. Like there's no downside to it. And I just say too, it's such
06:37a gift. Like, I didn't believe it because I came on season two and they were like, no, no, no, Eric
06:43will respond. You can make suggestions. You can. And I was like, yeah, but really like, he's probably
06:48like, Oh, that's so annoying. And I remember writing my first email, like, um, I have this
06:54idea. Is this okay? Like, and Eric was so welcoming to all of it. Like it's a very genuine,
07:01like best idea wins. And he also shoots down the ideas that don't work. So it's like a very,
07:06you know, it's a, it's not like he's just taking everything. It's a very, but it, to be that
07:11collaborative is really fun. No, it's, he's a, he's almost known for it, but in the best way,
07:16it's like what you said, Aya, he is so you are so receptive to any idea, but the trust comes in
07:26when he's like supportive of a majority of them. And he trusts us because we, we come at these
07:31characters with maybe a really detailed perspective, but he also, you know, every human being,
07:38especially actors, you know, our job is not to write. So there will be certain ideas that don't
07:43properly jive, or maybe as a whole, like an arm micro scene, they might work, but in the macro,
07:48they weren't, they won't. And so, yeah, I mean, I would say that, that he's extremely receptive
07:54and in all the ways that you would hope in the, in the warm, inviting way. And then if need be the,
08:01the, you know, the, the figure on set who kind of keeps you in line. So it's perfect, but I've never
08:07worked with someone who's more collaborative and just encouraging of that, which also makes the actors
08:12feel comfortable on set to like, there's a, there's a liberating part of that as well. Even when
08:18you're in the moment, that's just nice. I mean, I, I feel very lucky every day. I kind of think all
08:25the time, like you're not going to have this forever. So he's definitely an anomaly in a really
08:29positive way in that sense. Thank you. Jesus. This is great. And I, I, and Aaron, uh, you had some
08:49really good scenes together. I, the press junket scene obviously hit close to home. Uh, the scene
08:55where, you know, with the mom, with the, you know, with, with Annie's mom. Um, yeah. What are some,
09:00you know, what's the key to kind of finding those moments together? Uh, awkward, but funny too.
09:05Oh God, the key. Um, I, for me, it's like, I just was, no, I was like, oh, cool. She's great.
09:15And whenever you were working with someone who's really good, they make you better. And I'm like,
09:19I'm just going to work off of her and I'm inherently going to be better. It was truly just like a
09:23give and take situation. And I just enjoyed every minute of it because my thing with the way she
09:29portrayed that character is that it was very, um, like she hooks you in before you find out she's
09:35evil. So, so the way she played it was, was just like, it was a real, um, the way it kind of messed
09:43with Starlight's head and kind of brought her in. And she was thinking that perhaps they would get
09:48be kindred spirits in this really evil world. And then I, um, I fed off of Aya the whole time for
09:53me and it just was fun because of who she is. And she's always keeping me on my toes and pretty,
09:59I feel like you're, you change every take every single time, which makes the other actor better
10:04as well. So, I mean, honestly, I, I, we're just going to say the same things about each other,
10:09which is that Erin's talented and it's really fun to play with talented people. Um, and I love the
10:17dynamic between the two of them. I love that there, there is the potential for a friendship that all of a
10:22sudden, I mean, the whole point of Stormfront is that she sucks you in with one thing and then
10:28turns, which is again, how things have been working in our own society these days in terms
10:35of, you know, nobody, what is that famous NXIVM, uh, quote? Nope. Nobody joins a cult. Uh, they
10:42join something good. And so, uh, you know, I love that that dynamic is played out on a bigger
10:47level as well. That sort of starts with the starlight thing. You think it's one thing and then it becomes
10:52there are so many scenes in this season, the whale, things like that, that are just standouts. Um,
10:59one that I was not expecting was, you know, Stormfront and Homelander kind of having a love
11:06scene and it's very strange and just kind of, again, hilarious. And I'm feeling weird watching
11:12it. Uh, yeah, what was kind of the key to writing that and then, you know, shooting that? That was,
11:15that was pretty unexpected and crazy. Um, you know, I think it was about, you know, for us,
11:24I think for as nuts and gonzo as the boys can be, um, you know, we always try in the writer's room
11:34to say like, you know, if we can't find like a really strong emotional underpinning to a crazy
11:39moment, we won't do it. And, and so the thing we actually taught, we don't talk a lot about like
11:44the crazy. Um, we talk a lot about how, you know, Homelander's never, or really been with someone
11:55who he connects with on, not just an ideological way, but someone who's just like not going to break,
12:01um, when they can like finally unleash his inner sociopath. Like even when he was with Maeve,
12:07Maeve had enough humanity that he couldn't just like, you know, laser her and smash her into walls
12:12and shit. But, uh, but he was just so, it was about like, you know, and I think she was doing
12:18a really excellent job of drawing him in and, and then his complete and utter like joy and release
12:25that finally I'm with someone who's as sociopathic as I am. Uh, Aaron, I'm not sure if you, you recall
12:31any ideas that, that you were, uh, hoping to see that, that didn't pan out this season or that there's
12:36nothing really come to mind for, for you. And that didn't pan out that, well, I would say that
12:41I almost hesitate to say this because I think Jack is still holding out hope that it'll happen.
12:49But I feel like season one, um, Huey and I have this scene where he, where I say to him, like,
12:56you know, you're not intimidated by me and how I could literally bench press you. And he's like,
13:03no. And ever since I feel like every season, Jack's like, maybe this is a season. We're going
13:08to see you bench press me. Maybe this is it. And I feel like it came up recently. Like I made a joke
13:15that it could be in a love scene that it becomes the same where I'm bench pressing him. And it's
13:19another thing that we're, I don't know. Yeah. Yeah. That Jack did pitch that this season. And every
13:25time he pitches it, he pitches it. Like it's a new idea that he had. And, and he goes, like,
13:31he'll be like, you know, opening montage, you know, me and Annie, like really, you know,
13:36crazy idea, but think it's really going to work. She bench presses me. And I'm like, yeah, no,
13:40I know you keep, you keep, you keep saying that every three months. Yeah. You every,
13:46every year you, you do bring that up. And, you know, yeah. Kind of speaking of the finale,
13:52I think you, uh, I think I alluded to this earlier. It was hard to find, you know,
13:58what you would end up doing with Stormfront, I guess, at the end. I mean, uh, how, yeah,
14:02how many iterations did that go through? Were you, are you, are you the kind that writes
14:06while production is going on? How does that kind of work?
14:10Amazon gives us one, only eight episodes is great. And, and we have about six months before
14:16production. So we get through a lot of story before the season starts. We do some writing,
14:22maybe like maybe that script actually was being broken while the season, while they're shooting
14:27episode one, but in general, the lead time is really great. Um, the, uh, I mean, look,
14:32we always knew that something awful was going to happen to Stormfront. Um, you know, she needed a
14:40pretty severe comeuppance for, you know, who she was and what she believed in. I would say the,
14:46the biggest challenge was, um, there were so many, I mean, it's really true. There were so many
14:53characters who needed a piece of her, um, that it was difficult to structure because, you know,
15:01like Annie needed her piece of her because of that. Kimiko definitely did. Uh, Maeve needed it. And
15:08then, you know, butcher needed to be in on that. So there was so much, uh, there were so many people
15:15who needed to like line up to beat up Stormfront that we had a hard time, you know, cause it's
15:22ultimately like, it's this, it's this puzzle of how do you tell the story in a way that it doesn't
15:28feel like this kluge of, of stuff and you can spread it out. So that was a hard script to break.
15:35Rebecca Sonenschein wrote it and did a brilliant job. And, um, that one was like a tough break.
15:41Like that was a lot of filling an entire board with what we thought the story was and then
15:46erasing it and starting over because we just, we weren't quite figuring out how to quite get the
15:52order of event. But once we, once we got it and it clicked into place, I thought it worked pretty
15:56well. And so your, your introduction on season three, um, yeah. What is it kind of like to get
16:01the, get the gang back together after COVID especially? Um, how, how are things going? It
16:06seems like you must be happy to be seeing everybody. Well, I'll let Erin speak to it's
16:11not, I mean, Toronto is not after COVID. Yeah, no, it's very much middle of COVID. It's weird
16:17to be here. It's weird to be anywhere, uh, that you've only been in pre COVID because it's
16:22just a reflection on how much has changed. But I will say that there's something really
16:27nice about, you know, returning that after this year of so much, just, um, you know,
16:35ambiguity and darkness and still to this, like we just not knowing what is what and what's
16:40going to happen. I think, um, returning like the cast and this is, you know, I think that
16:47this is a statement that's broadly used, but it's so genuine in this case is such a good
16:52group of people that for me, I felt really happy and grateful to return to a cast that
16:57I felt so comfortable with and familiar with and, uh, familial with literally where it feels
17:04like a family after such a weird year. Um, so it's just felt, um, I don't know. It's felt
17:13really nice to kind of be in, be integrated into this whole new world with a group of people
17:19that is immensely close and really kind of there for each other personally and professionally.
17:24So only good things. Um, I think being in Toronto is that is, um, not like the United States right
17:33now in terms of like it's vaccine rollout and all of that stuff is weird and like, you know,
17:38but I think just having work and just having that, I think after the year we've had and just becoming
17:45abundantly aware of how, you know, troubling it is and the consequences of this year, I just,
17:52it's, we're all very happy to be back and be employed, to be honest, on a job we love. So
17:57just lucky, I guess, feeling that more than anything. That's, that's great. And, and Eric,
18:04your, the spinoff is still happening. I mean, is, do we know if, um, no people like Starlight could
18:10show up on the spinoff or they're totally separate? What's the, what's the latest with that?
18:15No, I, uh, uh, we have been working on the pilot script. Um, I can say like, I, uh,
18:24without giving anything away, I think we're, we are finding like a lot of great opportunities for,
18:29for reasonable crossover. Um, because you know, what you forget is that the seven in our world are the
18:37biggest stars on the, on the planet. And when you, it's interesting actually to just jump to the
18:43perspective of people who look up to those people rather than being with them because they're in
18:49their commercials and they're like, they're consuming their media. And, and from the perspective
18:55of like, basically the, the, the aspirational people in that world who want to be the next heroes,
19:01which is what the show's really about. Um, it's been super interesting to, to, to see. So we're
19:07finding a lot of, you know, like good opportunities to, to, to be referencing, you know, the mothership.
19:13And, uh, just to wrap up, um, you know, when you think back on season two, uh, did the three of you
19:19have a, uh, you know, not necessarily favorite scene, but seeing that perhaps you had to prepare
19:24the most for, or seeing that you were most nervous about getting right?
19:27You guys start. I gotta think about that.
19:30I know. I need to think about that too.
19:31I was so impressed with my song.
19:45Learning German at me was, uh, was definitely the most I had to prepare, but, um, and, and having
19:52Anthony Starr, um, snotting over me while I lay in prosthetics on the ground. I, I mean, it's, it's,
19:59it looks so amazing, but it's, I mean, that shot of ant coming down onto, it's just so beautiful.
20:06That's, that's one of my favorites.
20:10Yeah. Uh, I'll jump in. I know like, uh, whale was crazy and love sausage was crazy. And that was
20:17all good. The thing that I had like the most, I don't know if it's like the, the best scene of the,
20:24I don't think it's the best scene of the season, but like the one I had the most personal joy and
20:29fun with was writing Dawn of the seven. That was just a blast. Um, cause it like sucked. It sucks so
20:36hard. And so to be able to like, write like just this ridiculous overstuffed, like piece of crap was,
20:45was so fun. And, um, that, that I think was my, uh, that was my favorite. And, and by the way,
20:52like if the audience ever plays the game of trying to put together the scenes that we have set, like
20:58that movie makes zero sense. Like it starts out with a drug dealer and then somehow by the end,
21:03there's mutants and New York is destroyed. Like it's, it makes like a train leaves, it like makes
21:09no, no goddamn sense whatsoever. And, um, but you know, then that's the same goes for a lot of
21:16movies, I guess. Um, it's so, okay. This is actually really weird because this is what comes
21:21to mind, but this gives you a little insight into the filming process because I feel like by saying
21:27this, it implies that I resent it being cut, which I don't. Okay. I swear to God. So we went to Comic-Con
21:36to San Diego the weekend, right before this film, this scene was shot. And I was like, okay, listen,
21:41I cannot party at Comic-Con because of this one little, like this one little moment that I feel
21:47like is the buildup of Starlight where she explodes at these reporters into the camera.
21:55Wait, so wait, what scene? What moment was it?
21:58Remember like with, um, it was Rebecca's episode. I think it was at the press junket
22:02and I'm looking at the reporters and all of a sudden it goes. So, uh, uh, Starlight and
22:08Stormfront are at this press junket that you mentioned before. And, um, she goes into this
22:14moment where she just goes into her own world and Ashley asks her, are you ready? And she
22:19just launches into them. And I think for me at that point as Starlight, I built up such
22:24a resentment for this world and it was so explosive. And I was like, I just remember the prelude to
22:29that being Comic-Con weekend and being like looking around me. And I made it through that
22:33weekend nearly sober. Everyone thought I was drunk because of that one little moment. I was like,
22:38I got it. And then it got cut. And then this is just like a really good lesson in the fact that
22:44it got cut. And I was like, nope, have faith. Everything that gets cut is meant to have cut,
22:48uh, meant to be cut. And then the third season I feel like is even more satisfying because we
22:54excluded that maybe more explosive or maybe that's my coping mechanism in saying that.
22:58I don't resent them being cut. I don't, I don't resent them. It comes with the, like if you end
23:04up on the show to a certain degree, then you're lucky. I've been cut out of things entirely. So
23:09it didn't really bother me, but that's literally what came to mind. I remember being at Comic-Con
23:14looking around and just pretending I was drunk just to hang with the group, but being like,
23:18you can't go there because you got this moment. So maybe one day.
23:23It totally, it totally bothers her. That's one. And two, it's a really, actually, it's a,
23:31it's a solid example of like, of what's crazy about filmmaking, which is she was
23:35fucking brilliant in that moment. Like it was crazy good. And, and you, and the editing process,
23:43which is a ruthless process and the editing process, you sat there and you're like, someone
23:48said, I forget, it might've been me, but someone was like, is there anything she's saying in
23:53the dialogue that is information we do not know as the audience?
23:56Right.
23:57Right. And, and, and we said, no, we, this is, we know exactly how she already feels. And
24:04then, and then the minute that question is asked, is there new information happening here? And
24:10the, and if the answer is no, there isn't, the scene almost always dies, um, because you
24:17keep the audience moving from new revelation to new revelation. You never, you never try to
24:22repeat yourself. Um, but she was great, but you know, you have all these beautiful moments
24:26and these beautiful scenes that you don't realize until you're watching the edit, which
24:29is like, you know, I already, uh, I, I already know that I already know that. So, but she
24:35was great. I'm going to send her that as a YouTube link and, and, and we'll, we'll enjoy
24:42it.
24:43It was a lesson. It was a really, it was a lesson in because, you know, it takes a while
24:49to get to the point of like, not personalizing things. It was a lesson and not, I just was
24:55like it because of this show and the relationship we all have and, um, the solidification of
25:01all of our characters. It was like, I saw it and I was like, it didn't need to be there.
25:06It just didn't. And that's my, we get very attached to scenes and moments and it's a good,
25:11it's a good lesson in depersonalizing, but that's, it's funny because that's what came
25:15to mind.
25:16Well, yeah, those are, those are great insights from the season. So, uh, now thanks for joining
25:22us and congrats on a wonderful season two, excited for season three and the spinoff down
25:27the road. So good luck.
25:29Thank you so much.
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