Posted in: Amazon Studios, TV | Tagged: the boys
The Boys Season 5 "Starts Off In a Pretty Dark Place": Jack Quaid
During the SAG Awards, Jack Quaid shared insights into the intense opening scripts for Prime Video & Showrunner Eric Kripke's The Boys.
It looks like Jack Quaid and Karl Urban are taking turns when it comes to sharing updates on how the fifth and final season of Prime Video and Showrunner Eric Kripke's The Boys is looking. First, Quaid shared a bloody look at himself from filming, followed by Urban letting everyone know, "I'm on me way," in an image that showed him filming inside of car (we're assuming it's the same one he ended the fourth season with). Now, it's Quaid's turn – offering some insights into how he felt reading the first scripts for the hit streaming series during a red-carpet interview at tonight's SAG Awards.
In the clip below, Quaid notes that the scripts – especially for the first three episodes – are "intense." From there, Quaid notes that the season starts off "in a pretty dark place. In terms of the finale, Quaid reveals that he hasn't read the script but he does know overall how things will wrap up – just not the specifics on how things get there. Quaid adds that they usually keep them aware of what's going to happen a couple of scripts ahead and that he's looking forward to seeing how the finale plays out.
Here's a look at what Quaid had to share about the final run of Prime Video's The Boys:
Eric Kripke on The Boys a Being "Political Show" Now
During an interview with Forbes from earlier this year, Kripke discussed how the streaming series has leaned into being a political show and how current events impact the season's writing (but not the show's endgame). "Look, I think 'The Boys' probably, for better or worse, is a political show at this point. I think season four was political. I think the world has sort of grown to resemble the show more and more in a way that's not great. And so, we just sort of lean into it. I mean, the show is about why and how you should question your leaders. You should question anyone who stands in front of you. You should question anyone who is pitching you simple answers to complicated problems and who is saying that they're the only ones who can save you – like those are dangerous people. Obviously, we're not shy about saying that, but I take a little bit of pride in that for our bananas superhero show, we're one of the most current shows on TV in terms of like reflecting exactly what's happening in the world at this moment, and that's great. It's amazing for a superhero show to be doing that. So, I'm really proud that we pulled that off," Kripke shared, noting that over the seasons, the writers began to embrace how the series and real life were reflecting one another.
After noting that not all of the scripts were written at the time of the interview last month, Kripke shared how current events routinely impact the scripts as they evolve from first draft to filming-approved. "I mean, look – things adjust all the time. That happened in season one when like the 'Me Too' movement broke in the middle of the season, and we had to go back and rethink a lot of things. So, we're sort of used to this organic movement of the scripts always transforming a little bit, based on what's happening in the world. So, that doesn't really scare us. That's pretty par for the course. You're always rewriting these things right up until the day before they shoot and, sometimes, the day they shoot. So, we're used to changing things as the world changes – but yes, we definitely adjust scripts as new events come to light," the showrunner explained.
But in terms of where the series and characters are heading during their final run, Kripke adds that the "big picture" endgame plans don't change. "We have, in terms of the big picture of the story, like it stays the same. I mean, especially in the final season when every character has to reach their climax – like we've had those in our back pocket for a while and this season is mostly just figuring out how to get there, you know? So, it's more like the stuff that the characters talk about that's happening in society, and some of the joke targets we're taking, and some of that stuff changes, but the main bones of it stay pretty similar."
Eric Kripke Is "Working Hard to Not Sell Out"
"We're gonna look at the chips we have on the table right now. I live in absolute terror of becoming the thing we've been satirizing for five years," Kripke shared during a recent conversation with Collider, explaining why he continues to be cautious about expanding the show's universe too much, too soon. "The thing about 'The Boys' is that it's punk rock, and it hurts extra hard when punk rockers sell out. I'm really working hard to not sell out. We do these shows because we really care about them and we're passionate about them, and they can tell fresh stories that we can't tell in 'The Boys' and not just be about rapid expansion but be very careful and mindful about the choices we're making and being able to defend why we're making them. I worry about that every single day," he added. "I just want people to say, maybe it's for them, and maybe it isn't for them, but gotta hand it to them, they maintain a consistent level of quality."
