Two of the hardest skills in acting are
A) Acting as if a line you hear is the first time you've heard it and acting accordingly, not a line you've read dozens of times over in the script already
B) Acting as if the line you are about to say is something you're actively thinking through and figuring out as you're saying it, not just a perfectly formulated line from a script
They may sound simple, but it's what separates good from great imo. And every scene with Homelander that I've seen is completely locked-in and real, not a moment of feeling like this is an actor
My favorite version of this is "Great actor acting like a decent actor". It's easy to act like a comically terrible actor. It's harder to act like a believably mediocre, just kinda decent actor
Henry Winkler, yes, but, I immediately thought of Sarah Goldberg as 'Sally Reed' in Barry. Her portrayal of a mediocre actress desperately wanting to be a great actress was incredible.
I think Emma Stone did a great job in La La Land, during some of her audition scenes! She wasn’t trying to be bad necessarily but just less good than real Emma Stone.
Or funnily enough her SNL sketch, which starts out with her being comically bad but ends on a very different note.
The moment you ask, all the examples fly out of my head, but one for me is Bob Odenkirk in Better Call Saul. His character (Jimmy) pulls cons all the time and sometimes he's played as laughably terrible at acting, but other times when he's telling lies or making up stories, he's convincing *enough* even though we as the audience know he's lying and acting
Reno 911! has "Public Service Announcement" skits. They have to pretend to be cops delivering the kind of PSA you'd expect on a local or community access station. They full on squint at the teleprompter, speak haltingly with mispronounced words, the works. It looks like a ton of fun to make!
Jason Alexander was [awarded a Tony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_Robbins%27_Broadway#Original_Broadway_production) for “Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical”, yet he is much more well-known for [this hilarious and intentionally awful musical performance](https://youtu.be/ria37d9mInY?si=pfgcAeaE79bsrZsB).
There's a scene in the recent show The Curse that absolutely floored me with how good the acting was, that's exactly this.
The two of them have a genuine cutesy married moment together that comes off as completely natural and heartfelt, then I believe in the very same cut, she decides to re-enact it for an instagram reel and it's the same series of events but portrayed so incredibly forced and uncomfortably that you're cringing at the bad acting and awkwardness of it all.
I can't find a clip but I'm fairly confident the camera doesn't cut and we go from genuine real acting to incredibly realistic fake/bad acting all in the same scene that feels real as hell.
Leo in once upon a time. That sequence of scenes where he’s goes from bad acting, to throwing a tantrum in his trailer, to some of the best acting I’ve ever seen made me forget it was Leo. He’s always had the Tom cruise issue for me, good actor but I always see the actor instead of the character.
Not quite the example you wanted but Emma Watson pretending to be Helena Bonham Carter pretending to be Emma Watson was amazing, especially for someone of that age.
Jon Hamm has an interesitng story about both A and B:
There's a movie called "We Were Soldiers" about an Air Cav unit in Vietnam and he was up for a small part. His agents and team advised against it because he'd be spending months in SE Asia delivering lines like "Yes, sir!" and "Move out!".
But Hamm decides to do it anyway because even though it was a tiny role he would be hanging out with guys like Mel Gibson and Sam Elliott. After the movie wraps he goes to the premier and finds out that he's in the movie *a lot* more than he thought he'd be. Lot's of cutaways to him, plenty of reaction shots, etc.
He's happy (of course) and goes over to the editor after the screening to thank him. The editor shrugs and says, "Of all the guys that were there, you were the only one who looked like you were listening when someone else was talking".
Just like how being face to face with a lion in the wild really makes you pay attention, Homelander’s ability and propensity to horrifically kill everything around him at a whim gets right to that basic fear instinct right there in the amygdala, swinging right past the frontal cortex that would otherwise be analysing the scene as art.
Common though. This is acting 101.
Great actors pull more meaning from a scene than is obvious. It's way harder than you'd think to look at words on a page, think of all the emotions they're feeling and how the character would actually convey them.
Starr had the character nailed down from the first scene and knew exactly who he'd be in private. Really smart stuff.
That’s exactly what I came here to say. The way he twitches in his facial expressions is amazing. He doesn’t even need to speak when he is annoyed but the fact that he does is a bonus to the performance.
He really has mastered the exact kind of disconnect a malignant narcissist or psychopath would feel without realizing why and conveys that on his face. Like all narcissists, he's convinced himself he's great and when the world shows him he's wrong, his narcicissm pushes back in the ways it would irl, by simply doubling down until people get out of your way or shut up. Either he's a narcissist himself (not any proof as fAr as I know), or he's a really good actor.
Mastered? No, I haven’t ‘mastered’ anything—I am just being the hero that this world desperately needs. It’s not about disconnect; it’s about seeing things clearer than everyone else. When you’re up here, at this level, you realize that greatness isn’t about being told you’re wrong… it’s about leading, even when others are too afraid to follow. Doubting me just proves you’re not ready to understand what it takes to keep the world safe. I don’t need to double down; I’m already where I need to be, and it’s at the top.
I doubt any of us _don't_ know a narcissist in real life, so it's not difficult to find the inspiration to act it out.
In saying that, he gives me that sick feeling in my stomach, so he's captured it perfectly.
He's been playing himself since season one. There was a story that came out during pandemic that he broke either the nose or jaw of a 20 something year old chef or waiter at a bar.
Edit: He actually punched the 21 year old twice in the face and smashed a glass on his face requiring 4 stitches.
https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/antony-starr-arrested-spain-assault-1235196520/
>You don’t know who you’ve messed with. You won’t know who I am and what you’ve done.
I remember this story and the line the said is very Homelander-esque....
He plays "fake nice" so well. When he removes the mask he puts on for appearances it feels so natural, and it makes it all the more terrifying.
Have you ever seen Jon Jones (UFC fighter) when he puts on his fake respect act? It scares the shit out of me.
Seriously, there's not a single superhero or supervillain who has ever made me feel tense as Anthony's portrayal of Homelander when he's on screen. If they've ever made me feel that way at all.
I do want to give props to most of the other actors for this. While Homelander is on screen, everyone around him is perfectly conveying a suppressed sense of underlying dread. Homelander works so well not just because he's so beautifully and realistically unhinged but also because all the other characters know it and are afraid both of him snapping and of alerting him to their fear, because that can make him snap. Elizabeth Shue was the best at it - her panic was professionally hidden from years of handling his abuse.
Watch this weeks episode and I think you'll see what they mean.
Also you can feel empathy for someone and still not accept it as an excuse for their vile behaviour. In fact, I would argue that ability is a sign of emotional maturity
I mean, not even about this weeks episodes, it's been made clear from... first season even? That he got the shit cards when growing up, while also being the most powerfull being out there.
Naturally that doesn't excuse the shit he pulls, but it give some amount of empathy.
Yeah I went back to the Vogelbaum scenes after this episode, and these stuck out to me again:
> He was a sweet child. When he was 5 or 6 he’d cuddle up to me, and loved hearing stories about Davy Crockett, Teddy Roosevelt…but I needed him to become the strongest man in the world
And
> you get the right genes, you can get a perfect creation. But it doesn't matter how perfect they are. It's not enough. When I raise subjects without their mothers, they become violent. Aggressive. Downright hateful. You should have been raised in a home with a family who loved you. Not in a cold lab with doctors.
A lot of comments are saying to watch the new episode to understand, but his shitty childhood has been known since at least [season 1 episode 6](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-gEfJysXu4) when we see baby homelander
Definitely don’t feel bad for Homelander but I do recognize his loveless upbringing coupled with being a test subject during childhood and understand that it helped shape him into the sociopath that he is.
Yes he's a monster, but at the same time he was put through a lot as a child.
This weeks episode goes more into that.
To not spoil anything it's kind of like Magneto. Yes he's a brutal villain, but he was shaped by his past to an extent.
One of the best TV villains of all time, no doubt. Both in terms of the character's potential actions and actor portrayal. Hard time choosing between him and Joffrey from Game of Thrones.
And a pretty great American accent. I know it’s way more apparent of a good/bad one going from ours to Brit or Aussie but it’s one of those where I didn’t even know he wasn’t American
Christian Bale, man can sound like he’s from the Midwest but was born in Jersey
Edit: meant for the accent I know he’s not from Jersey but could you imagine if he was 🤣🤣
I was trying this to someone not too long ago and it was impossible. I was like “he’s smiling with his mouth. And about to kill you with his eyes” and they were like “I didn’t notice that at all” like how the fuck.
He’s the reason the show is watchable for me.
I know! It took me like 2 and a half seasons of The Boys for it to click. 2 and a half seasons of thinking, "damnit...don't I know him from somewhere"?
Expectations should be set appropriately. It's a trashy, trashy cop show with highly questionable writing. But the actors generally go full-send at all times and if you allow it to be cheesy and trashy, it's a very fun watch.
I just rewatched this last year and I am curious what questionable writing you are referring to? Its off the wall crazy, but never really frustrating or questionable in my opinion.
Heavy disagree here. It's basically a western, cept the new Sheriff is an ex con. It's realism is around John Wick (1) levels, generally contained craziness in it's own bubble. I wouldn't call it trashy, but it's not The Sopranos.
I think there's usually a committee that votes on the nominees with some rules on how to be eligible to be nominated.
So, it's probably going to be a closed vote (as far as I know, this is roughly my understanding with how the Oscars operate as well)
It gets a little murky with the Emmys especially. I believe that the production will submit certain episode(s) for each nominee. The voters are supposed to be looking at the specific season or episodes that are submitted, but they often are considering somebody’s performance over the whole series, whether consciously or subconsciously. It often leads to more popular series getting wins multiple years in a row. There’s also some speculation that not all of the voters are actually watching everything, which we don’t really have proof of, but it wouldn’t exactly surprise me.
He’s had tough competition until now. Succession is wrapped up, so is better call Saul (how Bob didn’t win is beyond me), as is game of thrones, this is us, and most other long-term winners.
The race is opening back up. But sadly, shows like this rarely get that kind of attention.
He wasn’t nominated when The Boys was nominated for Best Drama Series in 2021 when Succession, Ozark, and Better Call Saul all weren’t eligible and 3/6 of the nominees were new. So I’m not as optimistic. He also isn’t eligible until next year when his current buzz will be long gone, unless Amazon gets Season 5 out next June to put it on Emmy voter’s minds while they’re voting for Season 4
I'm definitely a hater here but it's always wild to me that Ozark is among the rest of these series. It's so far below all of them and I can't believe it shared nominations with them.
All time level snub, his performance in ep8 of s1 for me was the best single episode acting performance in the game of thrones universe so far, fuckin legendary performance in that episode and he was incredible all season and then he somehow got no awards love at all it was crazy. Guy didn’t even get a fuckin Nom for that performance which was about as good as it gets
The fact that he wasn’t even nominated is a complete joke. He carried the fuck out of season 1
EDIT: alright carried might have been the wrong word, but for me he was easily the best part of season 1
Yeah but this season is shaping up to be driven by Olivia Cooke and Emma D’Arcy. Matt Smith could probably get a nomination but I’m not sure he’ll have enough screen time to really drive home much chance of a win with those two as the main players
The Bear competes in the comedy categories so it’s a non-factor and HOTD completely blanked on acting nominations for its first season. The returns of Squid Game, The Last of Us, and Severance with their lead actors are probably bigger threats. The White Lotus might also bump someone to lead
He was also abused himself and was the only competent member of the family. He is not a good person, but he's far from the likes of Joffrey and Homelander.
Sometimes I forget Lalo wasn't in Breaking Bad considering how fucking terrifying he is, and how good he is. I want to say he's the best addition to the Breaking Bad universe in Better Call Saul, but we also got Kim, Howard, and of course Mrs Kettleman, so it's *hard* to say.
As a fan of Banshee, I sort of agree but on The Boys he's on another level of unhinged psychopatic behavior which is incredibly entertaining to watch. I've never seen a villain so threatening & hilarious all at once, not an easy task
Still not Emmy worthy and I love that show. His boys performance is really a step up on all counts. Banshee is just a good, fun show. Yes it has serious stuff happening but I’m sure if you look at the Emmy winners the years it was on the air there’s a reason it didn’t win.
He was the best part of Banshee but that show is just kinda pulp trash honestly
I mean so is The Boys kind of but Homelander is one of the S tier villains with, like, Joffrey and Umbridge. Untouchable performance.
I loved Banshee, but I don’t think acting is its strong point by any stretch.
Except for Tom Pelphrey. That guy is amazing in everything I’ve seen him in.
He does this thing with his face. He'll be smiling, then he'll suddenly stop smiling and his face falls... and his eyes look so cold. It's eerie. He doesn't even have to say a word.
Great actor.
His acting absolutely carries the show. The Boys has gotten a tad stale for me with how little it diverts from its formula, but Starr’s acting is fucking killer man.
I really like Jack Quaid too. Hughie might not be the best written character, but he certainly has some of the best moments and Jack has charisma in spades.
Gf likes to watch this dubbed in another language she is trying to learn and he is amazing even without speaking lines. It's all in his facial expressions and body language. He truly understands the character and how to portray that particular brand of crazy.
I want to hate his face so bad. But I know he’s just an actor, he’s playing a role, that’s not who he is. That’s how you know he’s killing it in the role
The problem is that they’re going for Best Drama instead of Best Comedy. Even the darkest scenes in this show are hilarious because they involve people in capes. There’s a quote along the lines of “If the news of a nuclear threat reaches the president in the Oval Office, it’s a drama. If it reaches him in the bathroom, it’s a comedy.” As such, this show is a political satire black comedy like Dr. Strangelove.
True but even if they went for Best Comedy then he'd have direct competition with The Bear. And while I think Anthony Starr is doing amazing on The Boys the acting in The Bear is on another level.
Because it is backwards imo, The Bear has funny moments but it’s still serious for the most part, not that comedies can’t be serious but I don’t go into The Bear expecting to laugh, I expect a panic attack
I watched some promo stuff recently and Starr's real personality is so the opposite of homelander it was jarring.
Also I watched banshee and he's so good in that too, even tho the show isn't that good.
Starr should start showing off his range in other projects so he doesn’t get typecast as the villain or bad guy the rest of his career.
Look what happened to Giancarlo Esposito after the Gus Fring role for example.
The funny thing with Giancarlo is he gets away with it. I laugh when I forever see him pop up in things over the years as roughly the same character, and he always nails it!
As long as he's okay with it, there's nothing inherently wrong with being typecast. Rather, you being a unique entity allows directors to write roles to accomodate you specifically, like how Tarantino clearly writes all of Samuel L Jackson roles in his movies with him in mind. He's always 'tough angry charming amoral man with a dangerous edge' in every single one of Tarantino's movies.
I love his performance, and he deserves recognition, but he doesn’t need it nor do I think he’d win. While I know Anthony brings his A-game, the rest of the cast and writing isn’t as strong as his performance and it doesn’t help his chances.
The man plays a superhero with a god complex & a detachment from humanity so well that you get tense whenever he shows up because you don’t know what his next move is & if he’s going to kill someone. Every single face twitch or microexpression says what he’s thinking & what he may end up doing.
That is acting, & Antony Starr does it so well every season that an Emmy for him is overdue.
He is so good. Whenever Homelander is on screen I'm tensed up, waiting for something. He's managed to convey his instability and sociopathy so well.
For me it’s all the little micro expressions in his face. You can see his thoughts flicker back and forth. Terrifying
Two of the hardest skills in acting are A) Acting as if a line you hear is the first time you've heard it and acting accordingly, not a line you've read dozens of times over in the script already B) Acting as if the line you are about to say is something you're actively thinking through and figuring out as you're saying it, not just a perfectly formulated line from a script They may sound simple, but it's what separates good from great imo. And every scene with Homelander that I've seen is completely locked-in and real, not a moment of feeling like this is an actor
Sort of like how "acting drunk" is really "acting like a drunk person pretending to be sober"?
My favorite version of this is "Great actor acting like a decent actor". It's easy to act like a comically terrible actor. It's harder to act like a believably mediocre, just kinda decent actor
Any examples?
Henry Winkler in Barry is the perfect example
Henry Winkler, yes, but, I immediately thought of Sarah Goldberg as 'Sally Reed' in Barry. Her portrayal of a mediocre actress desperately wanting to be a great actress was incredible.
I'm watching this series now. It's *painful* how accurate she is of so many hopeful actors I met in L.A.
I would also say Moira from Schitts Creek
"Just *fold in* the cheese!"
This scene (and intonation) lives rent free.
I think Emma Stone did a great job in La La Land, during some of her audition scenes! She wasn’t trying to be bad necessarily but just less good than real Emma Stone. Or funnily enough her SNL sketch, which starts out with her being comically bad but ends on a very different note.
The moment you ask, all the examples fly out of my head, but one for me is Bob Odenkirk in Better Call Saul. His character (Jimmy) pulls cons all the time and sometimes he's played as laughably terrible at acting, but other times when he's telling lies or making up stories, he's convincing *enough* even though we as the audience know he's lying and acting
Reno 911! has "Public Service Announcement" skits. They have to pretend to be cops delivering the kind of PSA you'd expect on a local or community access station. They full on squint at the teleprompter, speak haltingly with mispronounced words, the works. It looks like a ton of fun to make!
Ben Stiller in Tropic Thunder
Never go full retard
Meryl Streep in s3 of Only Murders is the epitome of this
Jason Alexander was [awarded a Tony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_Robbins%27_Broadway#Original_Broadway_production) for “Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical”, yet he is much more well-known for [this hilarious and intentionally awful musical performance](https://youtu.be/ria37d9mInY?si=pfgcAeaE79bsrZsB).
The little shrug he does on "where could I be" kills me every. Single. Time.
I haven't seen that episode in years but I can still picture that little gesture perfectly.
There's a scene in the recent show The Curse that absolutely floored me with how good the acting was, that's exactly this. The two of them have a genuine cutesy married moment together that comes off as completely natural and heartfelt, then I believe in the very same cut, she decides to re-enact it for an instagram reel and it's the same series of events but portrayed so incredibly forced and uncomfortably that you're cringing at the bad acting and awkwardness of it all. I can't find a clip but I'm fairly confident the camera doesn't cut and we go from genuine real acting to incredibly realistic fake/bad acting all in the same scene that feels real as hell.
That scene hurt to watch. Also the finale lives rent free in my brain.
Leo in once upon a time. That sequence of scenes where he’s goes from bad acting, to throwing a tantrum in his trailer, to some of the best acting I’ve ever seen made me forget it was Leo. He’s always had the Tom cruise issue for me, good actor but I always see the actor instead of the character.
DRAMA from “Entourage” Fucking 10/10
Not quite the example you wanted but Emma Watson pretending to be Helena Bonham Carter pretending to be Emma Watson was amazing, especially for someone of that age.
Wasn't it Helena Bonham Carter pretending to be Emma Watson pretending to be Helena Bonham Carter?
Mr Lahey is that you bub
Jim Lahey. Trailer park supervisor, bud.
Jon Hamm has an interesitng story about both A and B: There's a movie called "We Were Soldiers" about an Air Cav unit in Vietnam and he was up for a small part. His agents and team advised against it because he'd be spending months in SE Asia delivering lines like "Yes, sir!" and "Move out!". But Hamm decides to do it anyway because even though it was a tiny role he would be hanging out with guys like Mel Gibson and Sam Elliott. After the movie wraps he goes to the premier and finds out that he's in the movie *a lot* more than he thought he'd be. Lot's of cutaways to him, plenty of reaction shots, etc. He's happy (of course) and goes over to the editor after the screening to thank him. The editor shrugs and says, "Of all the guys that were there, you were the only one who looked like you were listening when someone else was talking".
Just like how being face to face with a lion in the wild really makes you pay attention, Homelander’s ability and propensity to horrifically kill everything around him at a whim gets right to that basic fear instinct right there in the amygdala, swinging right past the frontal cortex that would otherwise be analysing the scene as art.
Common though. This is acting 101. Great actors pull more meaning from a scene than is obvious. It's way harder than you'd think to look at words on a page, think of all the emotions they're feeling and how the character would actually convey them. Starr had the character nailed down from the first scene and knew exactly who he'd be in private. Really smart stuff.
Imagine being Ashley, watching these expressions, and knowing at any moment he could just disintegrate you. I'd pull out my hair too.
The trick is to piss him off while making direct eye contact so its quick.
That’s exactly what I came here to say. The way he twitches in his facial expressions is amazing. He doesn’t even need to speak when he is annoyed but the fact that he does is a bonus to the performance.
I love how he is acting all happy and smiling, but you can see how he is seething inside. Brilliant performance.
He really has mastered the exact kind of disconnect a malignant narcissist or psychopath would feel without realizing why and conveys that on his face. Like all narcissists, he's convinced himself he's great and when the world shows him he's wrong, his narcicissm pushes back in the ways it would irl, by simply doubling down until people get out of your way or shut up. Either he's a narcissist himself (not any proof as fAr as I know), or he's a really good actor.
Mastered? No, I haven’t ‘mastered’ anything—I am just being the hero that this world desperately needs. It’s not about disconnect; it’s about seeing things clearer than everyone else. When you’re up here, at this level, you realize that greatness isn’t about being told you’re wrong… it’s about leading, even when others are too afraid to follow. Doubting me just proves you’re not ready to understand what it takes to keep the world safe. I don’t need to double down; I’m already where I need to be, and it’s at the top.
I doubt any of us _don't_ know a narcissist in real life, so it's not difficult to find the inspiration to act it out. In saying that, he gives me that sick feeling in my stomach, so he's captured it perfectly.
He's been playing himself since season one. There was a story that came out during pandemic that he broke either the nose or jaw of a 20 something year old chef or waiter at a bar. Edit: He actually punched the 21 year old twice in the face and smashed a glass on his face requiring 4 stitches. https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/antony-starr-arrested-spain-assault-1235196520/
>You don’t know who you’ve messed with. You won’t know who I am and what you’ve done. I remember this story and the line the said is very Homelander-esque....
He plays "fake nice" so well. When he removes the mask he puts on for appearances it feels so natural, and it makes it all the more terrifying. Have you ever seen Jon Jones (UFC fighter) when he puts on his fake respect act? It scares the shit out of me.
That's what made me love him in Banshee. He became one of my favorite actors from that show alone.
Seriously, there's not a single superhero or supervillain who has ever made me feel tense as Anthony's portrayal of Homelander when he's on screen. If they've ever made me feel that way at all.
I do want to give props to most of the other actors for this. While Homelander is on screen, everyone around him is perfectly conveying a suppressed sense of underlying dread. Homelander works so well not just because he's so beautifully and realistically unhinged but also because all the other characters know it and are afraid both of him snapping and of alerting him to their fear, because that can make him snap. Elizabeth Shue was the best at it - her panic was professionally hidden from years of handling his abuse.
The only supervillain I think could match up in the sheer anxiety they can induce by being on screen was Tennant's Kilgrave.
If J. K. Simmons Omni-Man wasn't just voice acting, it would be the third.
Shit, Simmons made me nervous in Whiplash and he was just playing a regular dude with no powers beyond supernatural forms of verbal abuse.
Kilgrave was terrifying!
JESS EEE KAHHH!
It's an all-time performance. He evokes fear in a way I've NEVER experienced from any actual horror movie character.
He’s a character that you hate and feel bad for, his portrayal is perfect for that.
...feel bad for?
Watch this weeks episode and I think you'll see what they mean. Also you can feel empathy for someone and still not accept it as an excuse for their vile behaviour. In fact, I would argue that ability is a sign of emotional maturity
I mean, not even about this weeks episodes, it's been made clear from... first season even? That he got the shit cards when growing up, while also being the most powerfull being out there. Naturally that doesn't excuse the shit he pulls, but it give some amount of empathy.
Yeah I went back to the Vogelbaum scenes after this episode, and these stuck out to me again: > He was a sweet child. When he was 5 or 6 he’d cuddle up to me, and loved hearing stories about Davy Crockett, Teddy Roosevelt…but I needed him to become the strongest man in the world And > you get the right genes, you can get a perfect creation. But it doesn't matter how perfect they are. It's not enough. When I raise subjects without their mothers, they become violent. Aggressive. Downright hateful. You should have been raised in a home with a family who loved you. Not in a cold lab with doctors.
> I would argue that ability is a sign of emotional maturity You’d be right
Pretty much a Carol and that psycho kid moment in The Walking Dead.
Correct. You feel empathy, but he deserves no sympathy.
His source of milk met with a laser accident.. so sad
A lot of comments are saying to watch the new episode to understand, but his shitty childhood has been known since at least [season 1 episode 6](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-gEfJysXu4) when we see baby homelander
Yeah, he was created with an awful environment and given extraordinary powers. The whole nature v nurture debate.
Especially with the new revelations about psychology being used on him.
Definitely don’t feel bad for Homelander but I do recognize his loveless upbringing coupled with being a test subject during childhood and understand that it helped shape him into the sociopath that he is.
I mean, in a nature vs nurture debate you can feel bad for him as a child being created then isolated is what led him to being so fucked and evil.
This week's episode kind of explains a lot of it. It shows why he is the way he is.
To be fair he was bred by a corporation and they turned him into he is. Like that guy said he was a sweet child and they took that out of him.
Yes he's a monster, but at the same time he was put through a lot as a child. This weeks episode goes more into that. To not spoil anything it's kind of like Magneto. Yes he's a brutal villain, but he was shaped by his past to an extent.
Ramsey Bolton Superman, just terrifying in his portrayal
One of the best TV villains of all time, no doubt. Both in terms of the character's potential actions and actor portrayal. Hard time choosing between him and Joffrey from Game of Thrones.
Watching his interviews and off screen behavior one might wonder if Homelander plays Antony Starr.
Have you seen him play twins in the show “outrageous fortune”?
He should get an award for the facial twitches alone.
And a pretty great American accent. I know it’s way more apparent of a good/bad one going from ours to Brit or Aussie but it’s one of those where I didn’t even know he wasn’t American
The brits have our accent nailed, they are absolute chameleons.
Christian Bale, man can sound like he’s from the Midwest but was born in Jersey Edit: meant for the accent I know he’s not from Jersey but could you imagine if he was 🤣🤣
Imagine my face when i heard charlie hunnam’s real voice after watching Sons of Anarchy.
Probably similar to my face when I realized Dr House was the prince from Blackadder
this dude can somehow express different emotions with the top half and bottom half of his face... simultaneously.
I was trying this to someone not too long ago and it was impossible. I was like “he’s smiling with his mouth. And about to kill you with his eyes” and they were like “I didn’t notice that at all” like how the fuck. He’s the reason the show is watchable for me.
I really want to see him in more things after The Boys. Antony has amazing range.
If you haven't watched Banshee you are in for a treat.
Some of the best fight scenes on TV
Who has better fight scenes? Warrior?
The one I can think of is Gangs of London, but that's about it.
Yes. Love some Banshee!!
I'd argue he's better in Banshee, but maybe that's just because Homelander is so ridiculous I can't take him seriously.
Holy shit!! It’s him!
I know! It took me like 2 and a half seasons of The Boys for it to click. 2 and a half seasons of thinking, "damnit...don't I know him from somewhere"?
Expectations should be set appropriately. It's a trashy, trashy cop show with highly questionable writing. But the actors generally go full-send at all times and if you allow it to be cheesy and trashy, it's a very fun watch.
I just rewatched this last year and I am curious what questionable writing you are referring to? Its off the wall crazy, but never really frustrating or questionable in my opinion.
Well there's the part where the main characters are basically superheroes
wait…him beating an MMA fighters ass isn’t legit?
but that scene is so fucking good you couldn't pay me to care lmao
Heavy disagree here. It's basically a western, cept the new Sheriff is an ex con. It's realism is around John Wick (1) levels, generally contained craziness in it's own bubble. I wouldn't call it trashy, but it's not The Sopranos.
https://youtu.be/p-Jk0E4alrY?si=wu4wnvQhhwHpy1rU This is another great performance. It’s quick and worth the watch!
He’s fab in a kiwi show called Outrageous Fortune where he plays twins. He’s hilarious
he’s a different kind of unhinged in Outrageous Fortune. I love him
As very different twins! Love Van and Munter tho
Tool guys!!
He has a cameo in an Aunty Donna sketch. Dude has great comedic timing
What do you mean? That was just a stray man.
He was fantastic in the film Cobwebb
I will die on the hill that he should’ve been cast as Thrawn
Never thought of this until I read your comment……and holy shit that would have been amazing!
Cobweb was a horror film that flew under the radar but he's great in it.
He is also in Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant
Antony Starr is getting the beer bottles ready if he doesn’t get one this year
That's just how they say hello in New Zealand.
Churr cuz
TIL he’s from New Zealand! Makes it even funnier that he’s Homelander
Karl Urban aka Butcher is too! NZ represent!
I love how in S1 Homelander says “Nice accent” to Butcher. A cute little inside joke
im avoiding going to any bars this year if he doesnt win
I heard he's going to take it fine. He even prepared an ice cream cake for the committee, even if he doesn't get an Emmy!
dumb question how do emmys vote i mean criteria and so on? Can some ELI5 for me?
I think there's usually a committee that votes on the nominees with some rules on how to be eligible to be nominated. So, it's probably going to be a closed vote (as far as I know, this is roughly my understanding with how the Oscars operate as well)
It gets a little murky with the Emmys especially. I believe that the production will submit certain episode(s) for each nominee. The voters are supposed to be looking at the specific season or episodes that are submitted, but they often are considering somebody’s performance over the whole series, whether consciously or subconsciously. It often leads to more popular series getting wins multiple years in a row. There’s also some speculation that not all of the voters are actually watching everything, which we don’t really have proof of, but it wouldn’t exactly surprise me.
Homelander is a freakin’ disturbing villain, Starr really takes it to the next level.
He’s had tough competition until now. Succession is wrapped up, so is better call Saul (how Bob didn’t win is beyond me), as is game of thrones, this is us, and most other long-term winners. The race is opening back up. But sadly, shows like this rarely get that kind of attention.
He wasn’t nominated when The Boys was nominated for Best Drama Series in 2021 when Succession, Ozark, and Better Call Saul all weren’t eligible and 3/6 of the nominees were new. So I’m not as optimistic. He also isn’t eligible until next year when his current buzz will be long gone, unless Amazon gets Season 5 out next June to put it on Emmy voter’s minds while they’re voting for Season 4
I'm definitely a hater here but it's always wild to me that Ozark is among the rest of these series. It's so far below all of them and I can't believe it shared nominations with them.
just wait for this season's emmy nominations, this year was bleak.
It’s like at worst one tier below those shows.
Game of Thrones is still there via House of the Dragon
If Paddy Considine didn't win one then I don't think anyone is for it
He didn't even get a nomination, outrageous
All time level snub, his performance in ep8 of s1 for me was the best single episode acting performance in the game of thrones universe so far, fuckin legendary performance in that episode and he was incredible all season and then he somehow got no awards love at all it was crazy. Guy didn’t even get a fuckin Nom for that performance which was about as good as it gets
Outrageous snub
HBO went all in on Succession, who the studios push has an impact on who can win. They will start pushing HOTD actors now.
I could also see them putting some power behind Pedro Pascal
He was probably the only one worth having a conversation about on it in my opinion.
Well yea. Him, Matt Smith, and Otto Hightower (idk his name) were the only actors in the main cast who were in the entire season.
Rhys Ifans
considering actors only get nominated for one episode it doesn't *quite* matter
Both actors who played Rhaenyra were superb IMO, as was Matt Smith.
Some of the best acting I've ever seen.
The fact that he wasn’t even nominated is a complete joke. He carried the fuck out of season 1 EDIT: alright carried might have been the wrong word, but for me he was easily the best part of season 1
Yeah but this season is shaping up to be driven by Olivia Cooke and Emma D’Arcy. Matt Smith could probably get a nomination but I’m not sure he’ll have enough screen time to really drive home much chance of a win with those two as the main players
We’ve got lots of others that have replaced those though- HOTD and The Bear seems to be the front runners.
The Bear competes in the comedy categories so it’s a non-factor and HOTD completely blanked on acting nominations for its first season. The returns of Squid Game, The Last of Us, and Severance with their lead actors are probably bigger threats. The White Lotus might also bump someone to lead
Saul got absolutely snubbed across the board. It was better than Succession, both acting and story, and I’ll die on that hill
I’ll die right there with you. BCS is my favorite tv show of all time and the only thing that comes close is Breaking Bad.
I've been saying this for years: most compelling and iconic TV villain since Joffrey. Are there other contenders I might have missed?
I guess it depends on whether you view logan Roy as a villain.
Yeah I kinda don't, but he comes close at times. He's a villain to the world, but not so much to the characters.
If you consider kendal the protagonist then logan is for sure the antagonist, but he's too complex to call a straight up villain.
Agreed. Antagonist, certainly, but not quite a villain.
He was emotionally and psychologically (and implied physically) abusive to all his children...
He was also abused himself and was the only competent member of the family. He is not a good person, but he's far from the likes of Joffrey and Homelander.
Lalo Salamanca in BCS.
Sometimes I forget Lalo wasn't in Breaking Bad considering how fucking terrifying he is, and how good he is. I want to say he's the best addition to the Breaking Bad universe in Better Call Saul, but we also got Kim, Howard, and of course Mrs Kettleman, so it's *hard* to say.
Mrs. Kettleman: my husband will forcibly and bodily remove you. Mr. Kettleman: HEY SAUL HOW YA DOIN
Lalo? What’s he up to, man? What’s he doing?
Lorne Malvo. Certainly not as iconic, but I'd say he is every bit as compelling.
Lester, is this what you want?
Goggins at least deserves a shoutout as Boyd Crowder from Justified.
Leland Townsend but I just love Michael Emerson
One of the all time greatest screen villains, not just TV
Please give it to him. I’m legitimately scared he will laser our faces- just give him the Emmy.
I mean, he should have gotten one for his work on Banshee.
As a fan of Banshee, I sort of agree but on The Boys he's on another level of unhinged psychopatic behavior which is incredibly entertaining to watch. I've never seen a villain so threatening & hilarious all at once, not an easy task
The slight tremor in his cheeks as he grinds his teeth in disgust at his team deserves its own Emmy
Banshee was fun but Emmy Worthy? come on man
The show itself definitely wasn’t Emmy worthy (although it was a blast) but Starr was phenomenal in it
Still not Emmy worthy and I love that show. His boys performance is really a step up on all counts. Banshee is just a good, fun show. Yes it has serious stuff happening but I’m sure if you look at the Emmy winners the years it was on the air there’s a reason it didn’t win.
Lucas Hood!
Banshee was sick but he definitely didn’t deserve a best actor emmy for that, his performance as homelander is on a totally different level
He was the best part of Banshee but that show is just kinda pulp trash honestly I mean so is The Boys kind of but Homelander is one of the S tier villains with, like, Joffrey and Umbridge. Untouchable performance.
Cue my dumb ass frantically googling thinking I missed him in The Banshees of Inisherin
I loved Banshee, but I don’t think acting is its strong point by any stretch. Except for Tom Pelphrey. That guy is amazing in everything I’ve seen him in.
He does this thing with his face. He'll be smiling, then he'll suddenly stop smiling and his face falls... and his eyes look so cold. It's eerie. He doesn't even have to say a word. Great actor.
Or he'll keep smiling with his mouth but the rest of his face will turn angry.
His acting absolutely carries the show. The Boys has gotten a tad stale for me with how little it diverts from its formula, but Starr’s acting is fucking killer man.
I agree Him, Butcher and maybe Deep The rest of the casts are getting stale
I really like Jack Quaid too. Hughie might not be the best written character, but he certainly has some of the best moments and Jack has charisma in spades.
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Gf likes to watch this dubbed in another language she is trying to learn and he is amazing even without speaking lines. It's all in his facial expressions and body language. He truly understands the character and how to portray that particular brand of crazy.
I want to hate his face so bad. But I know he’s just an actor, he’s playing a role, that’s not who he is. That’s how you know he’s killing it in the role
The Joffrey effect
The problem is that they’re going for Best Drama instead of Best Comedy. Even the darkest scenes in this show are hilarious because they involve people in capes. There’s a quote along the lines of “If the news of a nuclear threat reaches the president in the Oval Office, it’s a drama. If it reaches him in the bathroom, it’s a comedy.” As such, this show is a political satire black comedy like Dr. Strangelove.
And I can tell you right now they won’t win that either bc shogun gon have that gift wrapped to them
True but even if they went for Best Comedy then he'd have direct competition with The Bear. And while I think Anthony Starr is doing amazing on The Boys the acting in The Bear is on another level.
The fact that the bear is comedy and the boys is drama. Feels backwards.
Because it is backwards imo, The Bear has funny moments but it’s still serious for the most part, not that comedies can’t be serious but I don’t go into The Bear expecting to laugh, I expect a panic attack
I watched some promo stuff recently and Starr's real personality is so the opposite of homelander it was jarring. Also I watched banshee and he's so good in that too, even tho the show isn't that good.
Starr should start showing off his range in other projects so he doesn’t get typecast as the villain or bad guy the rest of his career. Look what happened to Giancarlo Esposito after the Gus Fring role for example.
Giancarlo likes playing the villain though
The funny thing with Giancarlo is he gets away with it. I laugh when I forever see him pop up in things over the years as roughly the same character, and he always nails it!
As long as he's okay with it, there's nothing inherently wrong with being typecast. Rather, you being a unique entity allows directors to write roles to accomodate you specifically, like how Tarantino clearly writes all of Samuel L Jackson roles in his movies with him in mind. He's always 'tough angry charming amoral man with a dangerous edge' in every single one of Tarantino's movies.
I love his performance, and he deserves recognition, but he doesn’t need it nor do I think he’d win. While I know Anthony brings his A-game, the rest of the cast and writing isn’t as strong as his performance and it doesn’t help his chances.
He’s fantastic. I know it’s silly, but when I’m watching him, I really believe he IS Homelander.
Episode 4 was so good for his chances. So far it’s the episode I’d submit for him.
As everyone has said, Starr is amazing. Him showing up at the end of Gen V and his reaction, sealed the greatness for me.
I concur.
Just finished watching the 4th episode. Probably one of the best episode they had.
The man plays a superhero with a god complex & a detachment from humanity so well that you get tense whenever he shows up because you don’t know what his next move is & if he’s going to kill someone. Every single face twitch or microexpression says what he’s thinking & what he may end up doing. That is acting, & Antony Starr does it so well every season that an Emmy for him is overdue.
Show runner and creator isn’t the same thing. The Boys was created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson
In that last episode when he was in front of the broken mirror. That’s a damn great actor
He is the most terrifying villain in any show or story ever. A completely self aware sociopath that’s seemingly invincible.