The Boys - How Antony Starr Perfected Homelander

This video essay analyzes Antony Starr's acting as Homelander in The Boys (Amazon Prime Video). Antony Starr is a New Zealand actor who brought something new to the table with his comedic, narcissistic and insecure performance as Homelander. This video reviews and critiques the patterns in his acting choices over the first four seasons of The Boys. Antony uses a lot of hand gestures to gain attention and control, as well as conveying a lot of emotion through the micro-expressions in his face and eyes.

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Music Used:
Blue Danube by Strauss (YouTube Audio Library)
Doll Dancing by Puddle of Infinity (YouTube Audio Library)
Sinister by Anno Domini Beats (YouTube Audio Library)
Waltz of the Flowers by Tchaikovsky (YouTube Audio Library)
Cumbia City by An Jone (YouTube Audio Library)
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Timestamps:
0:00 Antony Starr
2:07 Physicality
4:40 Intimidation
6:35 Externalizing the Internal
11:48 Public vs Private

#theboys #homelander #antonystarr

[thegunslinger]

Antony Starr is like Christian Bale in regards to that he does such a good American accent. I'm taken aback when I hear his real accent. Antony plays the part so well. He never fails to make me nervous in any scene he's in.

[OmnipotentSpud]

His immaturity makes him more unpredictable. Every time he's on one, you can feel the tension all the way into the 5th dimension.

[jameslough]

I saw Homelander in the thumbnail and instantly clicked. In my opinion Anthony Starr as Homelander is probably the greatest and most terrifying villain performance I have ever seen on television (with only Giancarlo Esposito as Gus Fring being comparable). It never ceases to amaze me how Homelander can switch from his friendly amiable superhero facade to a selfish and bloodthirsty sociopath in the blink of an eye.

[Cerialos]

the thing about homelander and antony's preformance- is that it is done so flawlessly that homelander feels like he is actually real, like hes out there rn and he might be able to hear you

[Nonoskf]

Why hasn't he been nominated for an Emmy or a Golden Globe yet ? that's a genuine mystery to me. Iconic and subtle performance.

[TheDutLinx]

I already knew Starr was amazing as Homelander (as did anyone who’s watched The Boys), but this video really makes it clear just how exceptional he is. The dissection of his microexpressions was fascinating

[sebhall]

One thing about the writing that's always struck me is that, to me at least, Homelander rarely seems to enjoy violence. He certainly finds it cathartic, but he always seems to be having the most fun wrapping people around his finger. Like in S4 ep 4, he gets seems to be enjoying himself the most when the scientists are all squirming, whereas he looks almost relieved in the elevator when he leaves

[locobob]

Those huge sharpened fangs Anthony star has contributes a lot to that sense of unease you get from his smiling

[margarethmichelina]

Whenever I see Antony Starr is getting interviewed, I can't believe that he's actually a chill dude who looks like he's an introvert in real life. He's even looking different than Homelander with brown hair and beard.

[geeeorilla]

6:25 looking at homelander in the eyes is like looking down a barrel of a gun great analogy.

[justjoshua]

It’s his facial ticks and emotional instability that comes across as insanity masquerading as human and is barely contained within the human form of ego

Starr for me manages to make that role fit in such expressive range like the “he’s mine” scene that garners interest so spectacularly.

[ZxybzzYT]

Antony Starr as Homelander is some of the best acting I've ever seen and Homelander is one of the best villains ever in my opinion. He's up there with villains like Darth Vader, Doctor Doom, Joker, etc

[JM-qlmh]

14:20

"Not just hungry for more, but terrified of less."

Dude, your content is meticulously crafted. Another exceptional watch.

[kaogao]

What do you even mean? It has always been Homelander acting as Anthony Starr.

[TheLewinator]

Everyone is getting The Homelander's psychology wrong: A male Borderline, NOT (technically) a "Narcissistic Psychopath"

When discussing Personality Disorders, it's obvious the Homelander has features across the Cluster B spectrum. However he is often described even by even professional writers/critics as just a which is surprising because no one identifies him as what he most likely is: a very obvious male Borderline (as in, Borderline Personality Disorder), albeit one who happens to have some grandiose and anti-social tendencies as well. There is actually a very easy way to distinguish the three and it changes his motivations massively.

The Homelander can not actually subsist on just any form of narcissistic supply (attention from a position of "superiority") as a narcissist can. If he could he would have already enslaved the world or, at the very least, would be content in being feared by those he privately knows. He would also not particularly mind being hated, since this is a form of attention that is closely related to fear and feelings of "omnipresence" (indeed narcissists often self-destructively invite hatred for this very reason). In extreme contrast being widely hated is one of the Homelander's greatest fears and he barely tolerates it even interpersonally. This alone rules him out as a typical psychopath or narcissist IMO (though below the notion will be further debunked).

The Homelander is overtly miserable even when being feared or attended to despite his sadistic tendencies. The Homelander's primary motivation instead is to be *unconditionally loved*. This is the defining feature of a borderline, not a narcissist. We see time and again the Homelander seeks to escape his unstable sense of self-worth by basking in the love of others, and he is intensely afraid of and reactive to perceived abandonment (again, a prime feature of the Borderline). He obsesses over his goal of finding love and not simply receiving attention, i.e. he would rather stalk a potential partner or other potential source of unconditional love unnoticed than go out and seek a more material goal (as a pure psychopath may) or narcissistic supply. He desires someone to love him following which he can show them his many vulnerabilities and "fuse" with them in some form. While the narcissist can quietly have a somewhat similar complex with partners in seeking "ideal love" or a "shared fantasy" they would rarely desire the forms of intimacy or displayed vulnerability the Homelander desperately seeks, nor would it be their only means of gaining emotional stability. When the Homelander IS loved he somewhat stabilizes, whereas he remains far more unstable when unloved even when he is receiving plenty of adoration in other forms. When he discovers he is feared and NOT loved he rages as opposed to being comfortable with either dynamic as is the case with psychopaths/narcissists.

Further, like many Borderlines, he has overlap with "secondary psychopathy" and appears to be more emotionally unstable/intense than the typical narcissist who despite also being unstable is more emotionless in comparison to the wider range of emotions we see from the Homelander/Borderline. Likewise when with someone he *actually* trusts he seems more capable of empathy than one would expect from the narcissist/psychopath as well. Finally, a common difference between a female and male borderline (to speak in very broad strokes) is that male borderline is more likely to be more "psychopathic" (aggressive, less empathetic and more consciously calculating) while attempting to receive love at all costs. The Homelander perfectly meets all of this criteria.

The Homelander as presented so far is a borderline with only two choices: to be loved or to be miserable. If he fails in his first goal he may not really bluffing that he would want to destroy "everyone", he would have nothing to lose and would not be particularly content with simply lording over everyone while being a hated tyrant (unless the writers suddenly change his character, but I find him being a Borderline more rare, interesting, sympathetic and three dimensional than the usual narcissist/psychopath villain).

[dracrorasco]

As an amateur actor these videos have been a lot of help in perfecting my craft and I hope you keep making great videos

[krombopulos_michael]

He's a lot like Lalo Salamanca from Better Call Saul in that he's scary because he's acts so ghoulishly happy about getting to kill or hurt people. It's not even that he's manic, he's just really cheerful and chipper about it.

[fitzofpassion]

I’m so delighted when I find a true video essayist. Your thoughtful scene cutting with the onscreen notations and an actual thesis is so appreciated!

[mister-pinkman]

Even people who don’t like where this show is going can admit that Antony Starr never lets up as Homelander. His presence is always entertaining.

[haretn]

he was a complete scene stealer in outrageous fortune years ago as well. and also brought massive complexity and comic force to that role. he is a brilliant actor.