The Boys returns for its long-awaited fourth season tomorrow and ahead of the big launch, we were able to sit down with leading ladies Erin Moriarty (“Annie January/Starlight”), Karen Fukuhara (“Kimiko Miyashiro/The Female”), and Claudia Doumit (“Victoria Neuman/Nadia Khayat”) to talk all things season four and what's to come in the show's darkest season yet.
Unlike previous seasons, the action is a bit dialed down this year as Annie and Kimiko both face their own existential crises, while Victoria Neuman finds herself stuck in between a rock and a hard place as she does her best to maintain the upper hand on both Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) and Homelander (Antony Starr).
Watch our full video interview with Erin Moriarty, Karen Fukuhara, and Claudia Doumit and below and/or keep scrolling to read the transcription. Plus, please remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more exclusive content!
ROHAN: Erin, Annie is no stranger to the spotlight, but finds herself in a slightly different spotlight this season, leading to a bit of an existential crisis. Where is her head this season and how can she get out of her funk?
ERIN: She's really vulnerable. She's in a place of cyclical thinking, and that's the issue, and that's why she can't transcend the funk, right? That we all, or not necessarily all of us, but there is, I think, for myself, at least, a component of that that I can immensely relate to, which is like you start becoming. There's a reason why it's an overly used term, the concept of becoming a self fulfilling prophecy, right? She's in a state that is immensely fragile, and immensely, I would say traumatized, and even the word trauma, I feel like is a word that's lost its gravity of meaning - I use that in the very technical definition of the word in terms of the gravity that it relays.
I do think she's got PTSD, she has been sexually abused, and she's been mentally abused, and even though the external circumstances are heightened, I think that that's something that she needs to really work through in this season, and so, she's in a very traumatized vulnerable state to begin with. And, when she leaves The Seven, you think that she's going to be okay, she's going to find herself, but compound that with the constant crucifixion, and just burning her at the stake that's happening in the outside world compounded with the intrinsic constant self-crucifixion. You are going to ultimately, likely crack. I mean, it's inevitable, right? There's a book called The Body Keeps the Score, and I keep thinking about that - her mind, her body, everything has kept the score, and it plays itself out in this season. Big time.
ROHAN: All three of you have to deal with some boneheaded decision making from the men in your lives from Hughie to Frenchie and then Billy and Homelander - when reading the scripts, is it frustrating, or do you find it authentic especially in comparison to other superhero fare where the characters don’t necessarily have realistic relationships
CLAUDIA: Yeah, the show doesn't shy away from any kind of dark corner of any person or all the issues surrounding them. So, yeah, I think just innately we'd like dig more.
ERIN: I would say it’s the primary goal. No matter how ugly it is.
ROHAN: Karen, Kimiko is also reconciling with her past this season, but she tackles things a bit differently. What would you say is holding her back in moving on and who she can become once she’s over her guilt.
KAREN: She used to think that everyone else was holding her back from reaching her full potential, but she quickly realizes that it's also herself and she has no one to blame for some of the faults that are her own. Yeah, and I think her inability and unwillingness to face her inner demons is what's really keeping her from reaching that happiness and fulfillment, especially this season. It's tough to always face things when you're the one at fault.
ERIN: You don't really want to talk about it. I don't want to deal with it.
KAREN: And, yeah, I mean, it's a difficult thing to tackle, but I think it's a lesson learned that everyone has their own truth and their own perspective and you're not always right.
CLAUDIA: Certainly, it’s a hard truth. It's hard to follow.
ERIN: We haven't been able to face these things. I think if we had been able to earlier - I don't know about your character, but my character would have, you know what I mean? It's like self-accountability, but not like - I do think we would have confronted these things, but we’ve just been going, we've been bulldozing.
KAREN: We haven’t had any time.
CLAUDIA: My girl will ignore all her problems till the bitter end.
ERIN: Fair enough, by the way, she’s like it's fine. Everything’s fine.
CLAUDIA: She's that meme of the dog sitting in the fire and everything’s fine.
ERIN: I love that one!
The Boys will premiere its fourth season on June 13, 2024, with three episodes, followed by a new episode each week, ending with the epic season finale on Thursday, July 18. The eight-episode season will stream exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
In Season Four, the world is on the brink. Victoria Neuman is closer than ever to the Oval Office and under the muscly thumb of Homelander, who is consolidating his power. Butcher, with only months to live, has lost Becca’s son and his job as The Boys’ leader. The rest of the team are fed up with his lies. With the stakes higher than ever, they have to find a way to work together and save the world before it’s too late.
The Boys stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit, and Cameron Crovetti. Season Four will welcome Susan Heyward, Valorie Curry, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
The Boys is based on The New York Times best-selling comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, who also serve as executive producers, and developed by executive producer and showrunner Eric Kripke. Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, Phil Sgriccia, Michaela Starr, Paul Grellong, David Reed, Meredith Glynn, Judalina Neira, Ken F. Levin, and Jason Netter also serve as executive producers. The Boys is produced by Sony Pictures Television, Amazon MGM Studios with Kripke Enterprises, Original Film, and Point Grey Pictures.
The Boys season four starts streaming on Prime Video on June 13!