The bond between an actor and a showrunner can make or break a TV series. For The Boys star Antony Starr, that relationship with creator Eric Kripke turned into something special. As the Amazon Prime Video show airs its fifth and final season, Starr opened up about how much freedom Kripke gave him to shape Homelander into one of television’s most talked-about villains.
Starr shared a simple but powerful comparison to explain their working dynamic.
“It’s Eric’s car and I get to drive it around. I can take it down different roads. He’s really let me drive it wherever I wanted while he makes sure my GPS works.”
That level of trust does not happen often in television. Most actors follow the script without much room to change things. But Kripke allowed Starr to take the character in directions he felt were right, while keeping the main story on track.
The Car and the GPS: How the Collaboration Works
Kripke and Starr developed a process that focuses on open conversation. When Starr receives a script, the two sit down together and talk through what Homelander is feeling at that point in the story. This is not a simple notes session. It is a real discussion where Starr shares his thoughts on the character’s mindset.
According to Kripke, Starr often says things like “I see what you’re trying to do for Homelander here in the writing. But could I play it like this?” If a line feels slightly off for the character, they work through it until they find the right approach. Kripke described Starr as “hyper aware” of where Homelander is at all times, which makes the showrunner’s job much easier.
This partnership produced some of the show’s most powerful scenes. During a Variety FYC panel, Starr talked about two moments that stood out for him. The first was the mirror scene in Season 3.
“I remember reading it and then saying to Eric Kripke, ‘I think there’s somewhere we can go,’” Starr said. “I saw another lane to go down and I pitched it to Eric and then we sort of cobbled it together, and it ended up really twisted and dark.”
The second was Episode 4 of Season 4, which showed Homelander’s dark origins in a Vought laboratory. Starr recalled, “That was another one of those moments where what was on the page was great, but sometimes you see an angle or a way through or something that you can lock into. Again, pitched it to Eric and we knocked it together and it was amazing.”
Why Starr’s Gratitude Runs Deep
When filming wrapped on The Boys Season 5 in July 2025, Starr posted a long emotional message on Instagram. He called the show “the highlight of my career” and thanked Kripke directly.
He wrote, “We created a monster, sir. And I will miss him, and you.” He also referred to Kripke as his “co-parent” for Homelander, saying the character “allowed the space and range to discover and push boundaries in a way I never expected.”
The actor ended his note with a simple promise to fans: “Okidoke people. We cooked for the last time. Can’t wait to show you what we made.”
Kripke has also spoken highly of Starr in interviews. He told Gold Derby that it is “criminal” Starr has not received more award recognition for his work as Homelander. He added that the entire cast is doing career-best work in the final season, but singled out Starr for special praise.
Creative Freedom That Shaped a Villain
Homelander in Season 5 is not the same character from Season 1. That growth happened because two people worked together to build something real. Starr pushed for Homelander to be more than a simple villain. He wanted depth and complexity.
That desire showed clearly in Season 4’s “Wisdom of the Ages” episode, where Homelander returns to the lab where he was raised. Starr told Entertainment Weekly that the script originally had Homelander being cruel “top to bottom.” But Starr wanted more. He suggested a different approach.
“I think the first take of one of these scenes — and I had it in my head, I’m gonna laugh hysterically, maniacally,” Starr recalled. He did it, and the crew went silent. “And I was like, ‘It’s not gonna work.’ But I think it can and I really wanna. I’m gonna give it a shot.”
That scene became one of the season’s most talked-about moments. Starr admitted he was nervous the whole day because he did not know if his choice would work. “That’s to me the most rewarding place to be,” he said.
More Than Just a Character
The impact of Homelander goes beyond the show. Starr recently appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live and talked about how fans constantly bring up the character’s strange love for milk. Waiters at restaurants often ask him, “How about you, sir? Milk?” as a joke.
Starr takes it in good humor. He even revealed that he and Kripke deliberately leaned into the milk jokes as the show went on. “I called Eric and I said, ‘It’s really funny, we’ve got to do more with that,’ and he went, ‘Way ahead of you, I’m writing it into every episode.’”
The actor also had to correct fans who started glorifying Homelander as a hero. He told Entertainment Weekly, “We had a bunch of guys that we all kind of knocked them down a little bit on social media to say, ‘This guy is not the hero of any story.’”
Kripke acknowledged that the show reflects real-world culture, saying, “We’re making this fun-house mirror of what’s going on in culture.” But Starr always pushed back against making Homelander a simple cartoon villain. He wanted a real person, built from the ground up.
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The Final Season Arrives
The Boys Season 5 is now streaming on Prime Video. New episodes drop every week. The show is available in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, India, and worldwide on the platform.
Fans can expect the same wild energy that made the show a hit. Starr promised during a meme recreation interview that the final season “is gonna give you guys so many … it’s gonna be a memefest.”
The cast includes Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Erin Moriarty, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, and Chace Crawford. Production on the final season began in November 2024 and wrapped in July 2025.
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