Antony Starr’s diabolical audition for James Bond: “It’s reflective of where I was at”
Other than The Boys, Antony Starr has cut his chops in a range of different films and shows, from the more serious drama of Banshee to more comedy roles, like the kooky Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun.
However, while his face might have appeared here and there, it was undeniably The Boys that made him a household name. His starring role as the unrelenting force that is Homelander proved not only that he could play the villain, but that he also has this strange sort of charm and overpowering presence that makes even the most crass antiheroes feel nuanced.
After all, despite all the horrendous things Homelander has done – and really, there are many, manipulating his kid to be evil and dating a known Nazi being just two – he’s still a favourite character, ranked among the likes of Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy and Karl Urban’s Billy Butcher, both of whom might also be morrally corrupt but not quite as forthcoming with it as Starr’s blonde-haired spawn of Satan himself.
That said, this is also precisely why Homelander, and The Boys in a broader sense, challenge everything we know about modern consumerist culture. A satire of today’s hierarchical systems and celebrity worship culture, The Boys stands as a poignant social commentary on those we place on a pedestal. Many of whom are actually about as evil as it gets, with Homelander embodying everything wrong with the corrupted elite.
And while some have quite rightly accused the show of going too far – ‘Herogasm’ being a major turning point – Starr himself finds the whole thing quite riveting. In fact, as his first major starring role, getting to play someone so hideous has actually been a good laugh, especially as it pushes him to challenge his own thoughts about what the superhero franchise is all about and how much it would get wrong if this were what real life was actually about.
As he reflected to GQ, he doesn’t always have to venture deep to understand Homelander enough to play him. “Sometimes it’s as simple as, well, what would Superman do? And do the opposite,” he said.
“I really love being able to turn that on its head and explore the messiness of what is arguably a more realistic take on superheroes.”
Anthony Starr
Still, Starr’s interest in portraying some sort of gallant, heroic figure on screen didn’t begin when he received his first script for The Boys. In fact, Starr also tried to get a part in the iconic 2006 007 movie Casino Royale in 2005 when auditions were first taking place, even though he knew full well that the part would go to someone far more experienced than he was at the time.
Recalling the entire endeavour on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Starr compared it to the idea of “throwing a baitless hook into a very large pond, knowing you’re not gonna catch the fish”. He also realised that the tape itself was nowhere near his best work, but that it was “reflective of where I was at” back then.
All things considered, that assessment is true – if Starr, by some miracle, had actually been given the part back then, he simply wouldn’t have been ready for it. Not to mention, he only really refined his acting skills to a Hollywood level when he stepped into his iconic Homelander role, which also gave him a major leg-up in being considered for those big-hitting roles later on.
