[Editor's note: The following contains spoilers for The Boys, Season 2, Episode 7, "Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker."]

The Boys is a show that somehow always feels ahead of its time, yet another way it reflects the comic itʼs based on, which was released way back in 2006. From the opening of the pilot, you know this isnʼt just another superhero show. Better still, itʼs not your standard edgy commentary on whatever is popular where they add a dash of gore and a couple four-letter words. No, The Boys has always been so much more.

Itʼs a welcome surprise when a show this inventive, when a team this hard-working, when something this bold and brazen is rewarded. Especially an underdog like this, there's no shared universe to fall back on. Itʼs not based on a Marvel book, nor a DC property, itʼs not even from Image Comics. The Boys has always been punk rock, launching out of the independent publisher Wildstorm and soon transitioning to Dynamite. Comic fans knew of its glory for over a decade before it was ever mentioned in any mainstream setting. Then suddenly last year The Seven were on every billboard (surreally reflecting the source material for comic fans) and the show became a sensation. Amazon had its flagship show and it was like nothing else on air (and itʼs post-2008 so the air is literally full of capes.)

Now what? How do you follow up that debut season? With a show this unexpected, how do you possibly avoid the sophomore slump? How do you maintain that punk rock flavor? Well, first of all, you donʼt fall into the typical sequel problem and go bigger! And louder! And uncut! You go broader (well in this case you go bigger too). You also trust your creators, you trust the lessons learned from Season 1, and you trust the fans. Throw in a dash of meta superhero casting, some truly insane set pieces, two talented groups of actors that now truly feel like feuding families, and youʼve got a second season that might just be better than the first.

I visited the set way back in October of 2019, back when the world couldnʼt have been more different, and even then it was obvious this show would be a fascinating commentary on the times. I didnʼt realize just how soothsaying theyʼd be regarding pop culture toxicity, an ongoing commentary on America dismissing racism, and the overall perspective on the United States... even before COVID-19, The Boys had 2020 figured out.

The Themes of Season 2

the-boys-season-2-episode-4-erin-moriarty
Image via Amazon

The entire cast and crew realize how important it is that the world is reflected, and commented on, through The Boys’s own special lens. As well as how vital it is to not just continue the conversations started in season one, but to also look at other real-life ramifications of our current actions as well. A new addition to the cast this season, Shawn Ashmore as Lamplighter was actually a fan of the show before joining the team, especially in what it was able to accomplish through its commentary:

“The thing that really, really grabbed me about season one, and it's a major thing. It's not settled but I love the idea that if the Avengers were real, and they have these abilities instead of doing good, they literally just made movies. You know what I mean? Like they wanted to be stars and then there was this PR department corporation that was government, whatever you want to call it, that is just controlling everybody. I mean, that's, I think that's the world that we're living in... That's kind of how I feel, that we're just sort of all being manipulated and everybody, even The Seven, are being manipulated too right? They do this awful shit, all this stuff. But it's like no, they're being played just like everybody.

 

“So it's this big messy system that we're all living in and everyone's trying to do their best. And I think that that sort of represents where we're at right now politically with corporations, I get all of that. So to me, I found a lot of similarities to the things that I'm asking myself now. The stuff I see on the news, the stuff that I'm reading online, who's in charge of all this? And why are we doing all this? And it seems like we should be able to do something about it. But the deeper you dig the more complex it gets. And I sort of feel for me, the Boys represent that. You know you can't really, I can't fully specifically tell you who I think the bad guy is. I don't know. It's like I think I know that, but then, no, there's kind of reasons for that and I don't know. So that to me is dramatically what struck a note to me about The Boys.”

When asked if there were any specific themes or messages in Season 2, she was particularly proud were being addressed, Erin Moriarty (who plays Starlight) spoke to one of the biggest issues plaguing the US today:

“One thing we touch on in Season 2 is that there are still aspects of our society that are very much present. Sexism was the Season 1 thing. Racism is the Season 2 thing. I think we like to think that as a society weʼre over and are not present anymore, but I think our political state right now in the United States is reflective of the fact that a lot of these things are so present. We are leaning into that. Weʼve dismissed certain things, like I said, such as racism as being over, because slavery is over. Unfortunately, these things are still present. But, by not addressing them, by letting them remain taboo, we are not doing anything to move forward and address those issues. Season 2 continues to touch on those things in our society, that are definitely problems that we donʼt like to admit are problems, but that we have to for the sake of correcting.”

Similarly, when Jack Quaid was asked about the themes he was most proud of addressing in Season 2, the actor was excited to discuss the ways the show overlaps with our real-world issues.

“Iʼm proud of it all. I think itʼs so cool that Iʼm on a show thatʼs about superheroes but itʼs so different. We get to actually say something. I give all the credit to Eric Kripke and our amazing writing team. I think weʼre exploring even more themes around today. What can I say? It was a really cool way to address the #MeToo movement with Starlightʼs story, and I think that really struck a chord with people, especially women who have been in that situation. And coming from a superhero show? Come on. This feels... itʼs just cool to be on a show that feels relevant.

 

“When I first read the script for the pilot, I thought it was a show about the world as it is today, except they put superheroes in it. I found out later it was a graphic novel that had been going on for years and I dove into that. I just think itʼs even more relevant today…One of my favorite shows has always been South Park. It was able to be super current and talk about things in a very satirical way that gets people talking. That Iʼm on a show like that is a dream come true to me.”

The Irony of Lamplighter

the-boys-207-shawn-ashmore
Image via Amazon

Keeping in line with their meta/self-aware commentary on all things Superhero; this season they brought in an OG member of the Seven (from before our time with them). And to play Lamplighter, theyʼve cast an OG Superhero actor from before the era the show is often referencing: Iceman himself from the 2000ʼs X-Men films, which helped kick off this whole wave of cape cinema.

Best of all, Ashmore was a fan before being cast in Season 2. In discussing his backstory, he said:

“A lot of the work was done for me. I mean, I watched the show before I was cast on the show, so I sort of knew this character and I was wondering about this character. So what was fun for me stepping in, it's like a lot of the mythology and the backstories are already built, and I was asking myself who is this character? What is this character?

Prior to being cast in this, and I think that's kind of what The Boys does well is that, you know, I think there's going to be a preconceived notion of who this character is based on his actions, based on how people talk about him. What the show does well, I think with everybody including Lamplighter, it sort of peels some of those layers back and we know that he's done a terrible thing, we now get to sort of discover why he did that and his motivations and how he fits into sort of the framework of The Seven and then interact with The Boys and all that kind of stuff. So, it was fun to come with that sort of backstory already set.”

Ashmore also appreciates the irony of going from Iceman to Lamplighter:

“I mean honestly, that was one of the things that I was really interesting when I read this role. I was like, wouldn't this be funny? And I don't know if this had anything to do with casting, but in my brain, I was like, you know The Boys sort of subverts the superhero genre… I was like, oh this will be such an interesting casting choice. And I have no idea if that played into it but in my brain, I was like, this would be amazing to get to kind of sort of the antithesis of Iceman.”

Aside from the playfulness of the casting, it was compassion for Lamplighter himself; his legacy, and his potential redemption that ultimately drew Ashmore to the role.

“You know, I think that Lamplighter's identity, like a lot of the supers, is based on his abilities. And he discovered his abilities very young. You know, he's like a prodigy and so I think his value and his worth to his father was this thing. They had this gift and whenever things start to fall apart for him, I think he eventually gets to a place where he can't handle it. He has a sad, tragic arc and again I think that's powerful because coming in, the audience I think is going to really want to hate this guy. And he's done some things there that make him worthy of a hating. But I think as we progress, he redeems himself or you find some redemption whether other characters find that for him or not. I think personally he finds some redemption.

 

I guess I sort of just had a soft spot for Lamplighter. I mean I really just feel like once you peel all the layers, like all these characters, like the most moving moment for me in the first season, was when Homelander spazzes on set with the blanket then it cuts back to him as a baby. It broke my heart. So, I feel like there's so much humanity in that and that's who Lamplighter is. He's this guy that's been raised on a pedestal and then just dropped to the bottom. Heʼs just scrambling to survive, to find an identity. So again, I think the thing that emotionally rooted him in all of this is just his need to make his Dad proud. Probably the four-year-old him that lit a fire for the first time. I think that he's constantly trying to go back to that moment. So that's kind of what I was trying to use.”

Frenchie and Kimiko: The Twin Flames

the-boys-season-2-karen-fukuhara-tomer-capon-interview-social
Image via Amazon

Tomer Capon and Karen Fukuhara see Frenchie and Kimiko as "twin flames" (and itʼs genuinely heart-warming). The care these two actors have for their characters, and for each other, is beautifully apparent on camera and behind the scenes, such as during a touching Episode 7 moment, in which Kimiko finally begins to teach Frenchie how to communicate with her.

We got some insight into how the actors developed the chemistry between the characters leading up to that big moment, especially since it wasn’t canon in the comics, with Fukuhara saying that:

“I think it came really naturally. The first time him and I met, we met with a few other of the cast and we just went to a place to grab a drink. And he was talking to me about this relationship of the twin flame — they're not lovers and they're not just friends, but they're kind of soulmates, but it's a little bit deeper than the word soulmate.

 

It's a twin flame... It's just this connection that you feel with someone that if you were taking an animal movement class, you're kind of just feeling it and moving as one without even touching each other. And then we watched some videos on this woman that was an animal whisper and the animal obviously can't speak, and it's a tiger. And the tiger is very feral in the beginning, but as she's communicating with him through her eyes and through everything, they create this bond. And so, I think we started off on great grounds, just breaking down and what we said we thought about our character and sharing thoughts. And now we play backgammon. I learned from that.”

Capon added,

“We took whatever we can from the comic book in terms of understanding the basic communication between them... Weʼre starting to figure out how to communicate with each other, which is a very very interesting storyline in the second season. Kimiko is definitely evolving and her story is phenomenal this season and Karen is doing an amazing job.”

As for Frenchie, Capon says fans are going to see a version of the character that’s even more himself than he was in the first season, and watching that growth is part of what makes the show so special.

“Iʼm telling you, in Season 1, he was down, he was out. He didnʼt know who [he was or what his name was]. He wasnʼt the real Frenchie. Heʼs getting there. The Boys complete him and itʼs happening. Thatʼs what I think is so beautiful about the show in terms of the Boys and every story for every character. I guess itʼs like this is their biggest most important moment in life for them in terms of their mission. Itʼs happening right now and I feel like weʼre seeing it together and revealing it together.”

New Superhero Archetypes

the-boys-episode-5-black-noir
Image via Amazon

The show goes broader with each of its characters this season, not just bigger. While Season 2 certainly doesn’t skimp on new characters and plot lines, it also does a fantastic job diving deeper into those we’ve already met, weaving even more intricate backstories and throughlines.

Black Noir may not be new to the show this season, but he gets a lot more screen time to shine, especially in Episode 7, where actor Nathan Mitchell gets to show off his action prowess, and was eager to discuss how his character plays into the Dark Knight archetype while becoming his own thing.

“You know, I think the interesting thing about The Seven is weʼre clearly archetypes of the Justice League. But one of the things thatʼs so powerful is the way we all it approach it is very specific to characters in the script and how they exist in that world. So when you look at Homelander, I think one of the most interesting questions is, ‘What would happen if Superman was a sociopath?ʼ And the show just sets it up, thatʼs kind of Homelanderʼs thing, but Antony goes at it from his now point of view. Heʼs not trying to be this anti- Superman; heʼs just looking at this character and trying to bring all the depth and humanity and complexity to it that he can. And in that same way, I think we all relate to it from the truth of the character.”

 

“So, in shape and form and in style and appearance, he is the Batman of the Seven; and at the same time, Noir is his own archetype. I think that is something really cool as we go on with the show, what weʼll discover about Noir. Is he his own being? And I think you can say that for all The Seven members. Weʼre creating new archetypes of superheroes. Thatʼs one of the most powerful things where we have our traditional Batman, Superman, Aquaman, Flash. But here, you have these new characters with new complexes and drives and desires that resonate collectively and can be the new additions to this pantheon of archetypes.”

Fans of the comic know there’s a huge twist when it comes to Black Noir, and while Mitchell wouldnʼt reveal if thatʼs the way the show is going, he is well aware of it.

“That was the first thing I reached out to Eric about and he had a pretty succinct answer and so, Iʼve known the direction that weʼre heading in since the beginning, and it hasnʼt changed. Weʼve always been on the same page about that and even when I was auditioning for the role, I looked at him and Iʼm like, ‘Ok, this is a dynamic Then I spoke to Eric and he had some things to say about it, particularly where we were aiming for in the long run of this.'”

"There's a Whole Super-Suit Team"

the-boys-antony-starr-chace-crawford-dominique-mcelligott-aya-cash-erin-moriarty-jessie-t-usher
Image via Amazon

The suits are even more intricate than you might expect. As Black Noir, Mitchell spends a lot of time in his costume, and the actor explained in-depth the process of getting his suit designed and tailored for him.

“We spent like five months putting [the suit] together. Then after that, it was still an adjustment period because making them look good is one thing and making them functional and comfortable is another thing. You always have to kind of make it adjust to how it feels.

 

"Initially, it was tough to wear, but thatʼs just because they were trying to figure it out and figure out what works for you. The more you give them feedback, the more they can mold it to be comfortable. Now weʼre in a place where itʼs super comfortable. I love it.

 

“I remember in the early stages, I was like gritting my teeth, but nobody could see. And theyʼre like, ‘Hey, if anythingʼs hurting, just tell us.ʼ And I was like, ‘Oh, in that case...ʼ But honestly, the whole team has done an amazing job on the suits. Theyʼre fantastic, theyʼre beautiful, they look so good on screen, and the best part is that theyʼre really responsive to whatever sensitivities you have to wearing it. Now, itʼs in a place where it feels like a second skin.”

Ashmore echoed those sentiments:

“I was surprised by how much detail and work and effort they put into the costumes. They're fabulous and there's a whole on-set... there's a whole super-suit team. You know, that's what they do. They made sure that everybody is on. So it's like a whole part of the wardrobe department. It's just making sure that the suits fit well.”

And as a former X-Men star, Ashmore knows a thing or two about getting fitted for a super-suit, which gave him the opportunity to reflect on the differences:

“Well, to be honest, this was much more detailed. The X-Men stuff was really like, they were custom-built and we had tons of measurements but then it was like one fitting and it was basically done. Even for Days Of Future Past, which the last one I did which was a costume with the most details, it was separate pieces and stuff. I maybe did two things for that. So they did a lot of work on their own and I came in and this was like I came up for five days initially just to do fittings, measurements, fittings, try this on, come back, try that. I mean it was really a lot of detail work. So, this was actually more complex. And when it is a much more detailed costume than even the X-Men thing, which is really just like a motorcycle-style suit. Yeah. This was much more comfortable as well.

 

“And, spoiler alert, they built me a muscle suit underneath. Thank goodness — I didn't have that much notice.”

Life on Set

the-boys-episode-5-karl-urban-jack-quaid
Image via Amazon

The Seven could honestly be its own show (in fact there’s already a Supes School spin-off in the works). And the Boys' exploits, on paper, seems like they could their own separate hour of TV. They both supply a commentary not just on genre content but the world at large coming from the exact opposite directions. In so many ways that make for a fascinating blend of a dozen leads, alternating between protagonist and antagonist simultaneously. While the show is dense and the cast is huge, theyʼve clearly mastered balancing all of the moving parts. As Laz Alonso points out, sometimes it even looks like there are two separate shows filming simultaneously.

“With us, itʼs a fuck you to superhero shows. A lot of the jokes, a lot of the dark humor, a lot of the moments that happen are ad-libs. Theyʼre just moments that come up. And the beauty is that Eric comes from a very comedic background so he encourages comedic moments to happen, and heʼs always open to that. And he kind of helps us add more than whatʼs on the page. Sometimes whatʼs on the page is gold, and sometimes whatʼs on the page is a nice pick that lays up something that we just find in the moment. We just roll with it.

"It is two shows. One is a dark, dark comedy. Moments that normally would be played as fear, we play them with a little wink. Itʼs like okay, this is a scary moment, but itʼs also cool. Oh shit, Iʼm about to die! Get the fuck out of here! That part, as an actor, is fun for me, we speak for the common, everyday man. Weʼre the people going up against gods. I love the fact that we can say that. You donʼt need powers to make a difference. Donʼt ever underestimate your importance. Thatʼs, to me, the role we play in the story. I love the fact that itʼs two totally different shows in one show. And when new directors come in, you see that some directors immediately jump in and they get it. But then other directors have to warm up to the idea that with us, thereʼs a dark humor that goes into the ridiculous.”

That dark humor translated to real-life in some funny ways. Not only did we finally add Terror this season (a staple of the comic, heʼs one of The Boys from issue 1), life imitated art as a real-world Toronto bar felt right at home for the cast. Quaid recalled:

“The Dogs Bollocks was a bar where Karl and I first met to talk about the characters, get to know each other, play some pool, drink some beer... I donʼt know if they know theyʼre the official Boys bar. I want to ask them if we can hang out there... I saw the sign and was like, “is that Terror? Dogs Bollocks, are you kidding me?” Butcher owns this bar! Thatʼs what it felt like.”

The cast tends to group up as their characters do and the Boys are more fun than the Supes (according to the Boys, at least). According to Alonso,

“So we always joke around. We personally feel that we have a lot more fun than they do on set. We play jokes on each other. Weʼre constantly bagging on each other. Karlʼs a big practical joker. Iʼm a practical joker. Frenchie, heʼs Frenchie. Heʼs godʼs gift to America. Heʼs like, when America really sees what I can do… So weʼre always bagging on each other. The few times we have been on super sets, man, theyʼre just so stiff!”

Is it the costumes?

“I donʼt know! Weʼll go out drinking on weekends, and itʼs fun. But on set, itʼs just like, theyʼre like. And then, listen. Talk to the crew. Theyʼll tell you weʼre more fun than they are.”

If anyone would know, it’s Erin Moriarty, who has had the chance to act with The Seven and the Boys. Alonso chimed in on that too.

“She has a lot more fun as a Boy. Donʼt let her tell you otherwise. Have you guys talked to her yet? Okay, wait until you talk to her. Ask her the same question. Sheʼs told me. Tell her I told you. Sheʼs told me. Sheʼs like, ‘Oh my god, Laz! I just have so much fun with all of you guys!’ And Antony, Antony hates it. He fucking hates it. Because heʼs always like, ‘So youʼre a Boy?’”

Naturally, I had to ask Moriarty herself:

“The answer to that… Itʼs true. Iʼm really fortunate because my character is the only character that kind of dips into both worlds. Even more so in Season 2. Ironically, the Boys, they are darker. They are the vigilantes. They are the good guys, but their vibe and the dynamic of their group is a little bit darker. Iʼve been having a lot of fun working with the Boys, I gotta admit. I think also because as Iʼve played this role and spent more time in her shoes, I feel like more like I am one with Annie and Starlight, and Iʼve become more and more resentful of Vought and the suits and that whole world. Itʼs also reflective in Annieʼs trajectory and her camaraderie with Hughie. Initially, her objective is to save the world. It shifts. Saving the world kind of happens to involve seeking justice on behalf of herself towards Vought. I think overall, Erin, and Annie, is inching closer and closer to the world of the Boys.”

Speaking of which, who in the cast is most like their character? Quaid had some thoughts on the matter.

“Iʼm pretty close to Hughie. He lacks a little bit of confidence. I have a little more. Sometimes he has more courage than I do, blowing people up with ass bombs. Karl isnʼt as murderous as Billy Butcher, but heʼs definitely mischievous. Karen Fukuhara is most different from the Female, in that Karen is just the nicest human being Iʼve ever met in my life and Kumiko rips peopleʼs faces off.”

As for the on-set rivalry, Quaid said it involved weaponized Birthday Cakes, and it’s led to some interesting fan interactions. As he explained:

“Thereʼs been a thing with me and Karl Urban where, last season, he brought me a birthday cake when it wasnʼt my birthday. He made everyone sing happy birthday to me. It was very weird. It was a light prank that was taken very seriously. Later, a few months down the line, on set, I made production make these birthday cakes. It wasnʼt his birthday either. Everyone sang happy birthday. Weʼve told that story at a few conventions, me and Karl, and now people are coming up to me with birthday cakes for no reason. Like, we were at DragonCon at a booth next to Karl, and someone comes up and says “I love the show,” and got caked. Thatʼs what we say. And he made the entire hall sing happy birthday to me. Itʼs never really my birthday. My birthday is April 24.

“Anyway, the fact that people are taking pranks that the cast does to each other and doing it to us in the real world is a whole other level to me. I was like… ok, I guess we struck some kind of chord with people. This is really cool.”

For Fans, By Fans

the-boys-207-aya-cash-antony-starr-social.jpg
Image via Amazon

The show is made by fans, for fans — an absolute cliche, but true.

I canʼt overstate how unbelievable it was to walk into a Darrick Robertson drawing. Thatʼs exactly what this set is, itʼs Darrick's art come to life down to the narrowest detail. Obviously itʼs a different medium, so adaptations must be made, but each and every decision comes from a place of love for the comics. Having been on a number of sets in various capacities it was one of the more surreal experiences to realize how much was tangible and practical.

To walk down the hallways of the Sevenʼs headquarters, to visit the drug den where the Boys hideout, to see and touch all of the busts and statues directly lifted from the page! (It was extra surreal because I read the comic for the first time nearly 15 years ago, so there was definitely some Eternal Sunshine memory mindfuck flavor happening). Every member of the crew from the grips, to the scripty, to the director, seemed to fully grasp that Ennis/Robertson worldview. Itʼs a very specific perspective and honestly I think itʼs one of the core strengths of the show. Everyone seems to be on the exact same page (and that page features tried and true comic panels).

Furthermore, the production offices are literally (and I mean literally) covered in Darrick Robertsonʼs art. Every department sign or poster, every spare square inch, even the kitchen labels. Not to mention that the in-universe, on camera, film storyboards and comic book store art are actually Darrick’s (most notably in eps 2 and 3). The attention to detail and love for the creators is second to none. Itʼs also beautifully apparent that the cast are fans of the books, as well as the showrunner Erik Kripke being a ride or die Boys zealot. A show like this couldnʼt exist without people lovingly translating some insane source material into one of the craziest shows on TV today.

A lifelong comic book fan, Ashmore is most interested in seeing the genre continue to evolve and was excited to be part of furthering that. When asked what it was like to be a part of this world again, all these years later, he responded:

“It's fantastic. I mean I am a genre fan. I grew up reading comic books and fantasy, sci-fi novels and stuff. So it's interesting. I mean I'm just interested to see where it continues going and I have been lucky to have to been a part of some of the more traditional, you know, comic books. I see X-Men stuff right there. So it's fun and this to me, it's not that I'm getting sick of what we're seeing, but I was excited to see change when I watched the show I didn't know what to expect, you know? I was like it's a superhero show I'll check it out. But then, the sense of humor, the sensibility, the darkness, the violence. Mashing that all together I was like, well, this feels like something different. So it's exciting to be within the genre and weʼre doing something slightly different.

As a cast member who was around since the first episode, Alonso recalled what it was like to watch the acclaim and fanbase build after the first season.

“I was really excited, to be honest with you, at Comic-Con. Because I didnʼt expect people to be on board. I thought people were going to look down at us, in a way, like theyʼre not real. Superheroes are a very delicate subject. There are superheroes that are thematically – that you look up to as you grow up. Superman was one of mine. To have Homelander, what is this knock-off shit going on? But to see people so open, just to the idea that there are new superheroes, that thereʼs a new universe that weʼre introducing to them and we hope you like it, and people to receive it. That was encouraging. I was like, okay. Maybe people are open to the idea of a whole new universe, you know?

 

“And then when the show came out, and you start like, I try to stay away from reviews. Iʼve gotten in my own head when I read reviews… Because Iʼve been in movies that you put your whole heart and soul in and then people just killed it! Just annihilated! Even Avatar, in the beginning, they were calling us Smurfs. They were calling us all kinds of fucked up shit. When I started reading the writers, the people that live and breathe this and cover everything and everybody, and theyʼre giving us good reviews, I was like, alright! Maybe weʼre onto something! And then Rotten Tomatoes started very very high. I was like, okay, things are looking good! Iʼve just gotten used to not getting excited until it comes out. When it came out, man, it was just like, people really bought in. They bought in, and they loved the fact that weʼre not the typical show. Weʼre something different.

 

“And then another thing that scared me, honestly, was how good Endgame was. I saw the movie twice, I was a big fan. I was like okay, if people are coming in expecting to see that magnitude, itʼs like, how do you compete with peopleʼs expectations of what the superhero genre should be? I think what people bought into is this story. They bought into characters, they bought into story, and they were like, we donʼt need to see $100 million per episode. We love whatʼs happening here. And that, to me, was like, thank god. That was enough. And so, this year, we did good. Sony showed us love. Amazon showed us love. Got a bit more money per episode. We got some more stuff up our sleeve. So Iʼm hoping that if we get another season, fingers crossed, we can do 'Herogasm.' Put that out there!"

For Quaid, he has a very specific memory of the moment he knew the show was a breakout hit:

“I was walking down the street checking Instagram, which is a very unsafe thing to do, and somebody tagged me. It was somebody who made fan art of the Boys as the Spice Girls. I was Baby Spice because of course. It was cool because she obviously put some thought into which Boy would be which Spice Girl, and I thought, okay, if people are making fan art, thatʼs typically a good sign. My little sister, she just went to boarding school. Sheʼs like 13, and very much not allowed to watch this show. And she had friends who saw my picture on her phone and were like, “Oh, Hughie!” And she said, “oh, you watch The Boys?” which apparently a lot of teenagers do, and they totally shouldnʼt, but thatʼs the moment I realized teenagers were sneaking the show in, and thatʼs something. I donʼt know how I feel about it, but it means the show is a success for sure.”

The success of the show has also led to some surprising (and touching) fan interactions for Quaid, including his mom (Meg Ryan).

“The fact that my mom likes it as much as she did [was surprising]. Her son is in constant peril, so I didnʼt expect her to be super into it. When I was in high school, I did a production of Godspell where I was literally crucified in front of her, and she was not ok with that. This is a little like that, but she was super into it. There was someone who came up to me at one of the conventions who said Hughie dealing with anxiety really helped her deal with anxiety and we had this very real talk – Iʼm an anxious person for sure – about how to deal with it. It got way deeper than I thought Iʼd get in a fan interaction. It was pretty cool.”

The season finale of The Boys premieres Friday, October 9 on Amazon.