If your performance as an unstoppable, egotistical psychopath is nailed to the point that audiences begin questioning your real-life mental state, you know you’ve done a good job. Realistically, there’s not much more anyone could ask of you, as far as getting into character goes.
But Antony Starr, who portrays such a figure in Homelander, the terror-inducing antagonist of The Boys, decided that he just wasn’t embodying the role quite enough, and took to Twitter to show off his latest rehearsal technique; consuming the essence of a beloved character that he once forced into the stomach of The Deep.
The post shows Starr dining at an upscale restaurant, indulging in an octopus-based dish, with the caption “Timothy was f***ing delicious, as promised…” This, of course, is in reference to a scene in “Barbary Coast,” the third episode of season three of The Boys, in which Homelander psychologically tortures The Deep by forcing him to eat Timothy, an octopus and a close friend of the Aquaman-esque hero.
Clever a reference as it was, it broke the hearts of many a Twitter user, who apparently still have not reconciled their grief surrounding the real Timothy’s death in the show.
After this, we can’t help but wonder what else goes on in Antony Starr’s life that allows him to embody Homelander in a way that makes us, the viewers, fear for our lives. Some secrets are just better left in the vault, it seems.
The Boys is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video. The final episode of the third season is set to release this Friday.