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The Boys: Susan Heyward Reflects on Sage's Journey Ahead of Finale

The Boys star Susan Heyward discusses her two-season journey as Seven member, Sister Sage, how love undermined her master plan, and more.

Before Susan Heyward's introduction as Sage in season four of The Boys, Homelander (Antony Starr) was already a loose enough cannon as Vought's most dangerous supe. With her unique superpower as the world's smartest person, she elevated Frankenstein's monster not only with his crown, but also with his throne as the American president by proxy. In the last couple of episodes, Homelander has become even more brazen after finally getting V1, first by assassinating non-supe President Calhoun (David Andrews), elevating supe VP Ashley Barrett (Colby Minifie) to his position, and now he is going to make his final stand, ending all resistance to his rule. Something she never calculated was Homelander's father, Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), gifting him V1, because "That's what Clara would have wanted." Now that she's refocused her efforts on helping the Boys take Homelander once and for all, Heyward spoke with The Hollywood Reporter before the finale on her journey as Sage.

The Boys Star Susan Heyward on Final Day of Filming Finale, Legacy & More

When it came to Heyward's last day on set, "Incredibly emotional and very sad, and it was very sudden. The entire season, I'd been trying to prepare myself, tracking the last times. This is the last time I'm going to get a third script. This is the last time I'm going to get a final script. This is the last time I'm going to put on this costume. This is the last time I'll meet with this crew member," she said. "And even with all of that awareness, the very last day felt like being shoved off a cliff a little bit. You work so hard, there's all this momentum to get it done, and then it seems very sudden. It's the last setup, the last scene, and then they call 'cut,' and you're shoved into the next chapter of your life. The incredibly hardworking crew was so kind. There's a ritual we have when an actor shoots their last scene. Everyone gathers and applauds the work that. So when everyone applauded me, I got very welled up and really tried to say something eloquent, and I got too emotional to say something. I think I curtsied, muttered 'thank you,' and ran back to my trailer. I was so overwhelmed and so grateful."

The main thing that eludes Sage was how love would undermine her plans, like the way Soldier Boy gave V1 to Homelander out of it, and making peace of love with purpose after seeing Frenchie (Tomer Capone) explain why he does the things he does for Kumiko (Karen Fukuhara) before sacrificing himself for the two when Homelander finds their sanctuary. As far as her time since her debut in season four, "The jury's still out on professionally. Kind of still pulling that train into the station. I think also more than ever, alongside watching the industry change, I've taken more responsibility for what I want to put out in the world," Heyward said. "I came up right at the end of a hierarchy in Hollywood, feeling like doors were shut, and that you had to go through a certain system, you had to pay your dues in a certain way. And the world's really changed. The ability to make something yourself has opened up. It's been a challenge to change my mindset around taking ownership of what I would like to put out there in the world. But after this, I want to prioritize it more."

As far as how the role of Sage allows her to live as a nihilist in the world of The Boys, "What makes sense is Sage is a go with the flow nihilist. It's someone who thinks people are not going to change," Heyward said. "I think more from the disappointed camp — people aren't going to change, so I might as well get what I can get and live my life and die as happy as I can. I think a lot of every regular day people are closer to that than they might realize. I think there are really small, sometimes simple, boring things that we can do to resist the kind of oppression that we are experiencing and that cumulatively could be incredibly powerful. But it's easier to go with the flow. It's easier to say, 'I know what's going to happen, so I might as well position myself to get what I can get and get out.'"

For more on Heyward's first day on set and her thoughts on how the experience changes in 4DX, and working on Gen V having the fling with Thomas Goldolkin (Ethan Slater, Hamish Linklater), breaking down her scenes in the last two episodes, and what Sage has learned, and how Homelander reshaped Sage's plans of extreme isolation, you can check out the full interview. The finale streams on Prime Video on May 20th.

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