“Every season I’m shocked at the fresh chaos these characters have to endure”: Claudia Doumit and Nathan Mitchell on The Boys: Season Three
As the third season of The Boys drops on Amazon Prime viewers will see this new chapter bring series regulars back to life alongside a slew of brand new characters. The array of explosive storylines and action on this much-loved vigilante superhero show are based on the New York Times bestselling comic book of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson (who also serve as executive producers on the series).
The complex drama sees a year of calm overturned by more conflict between The Boys and The Seven, with plentiful scenes of gore, grotesque sexual themes and political satire as they all turn their interests towards the legend of the original superhero: Soldier Boy.
The Upcoming had the pleasure of speaking to cast members Claudia Doumit (Victoria Neuman) and Nathan Mitchell (Black Noir) about some of the changes to their characters in this season, grappling with their own power and feeling blasé about all the blood and gore.
Can you start by telling us about your characters and what we can expect this season?
Claudia Doumit: So at the beginning of season three you find Neuman and Huey working together, which is where we left off in season two. It’s now a year later and it starts off pretty well. She’s a great boss but then as is the theme of The Boys everything goes off the rails. Starts off great, ends horrifically! This season you get a glimpse into Neuman’s personal life too and how that part of her world operates and I’m really excited about that but on top of that, she’s got to make some pretty tough decisions that she doesn’t really want to make. First and foremost this season she’s a mother too and lots of decisions are made from that.
Nathan Mitchell: Noir has recovered from his close brush with death and he’s doing his typical thing: killing a few people here and there. Also this season interestingly we explore more elements of his past, a new side to him this season. We get to see inside his mind: he has some demons, stuff he thought he’d let go of but hadn’t and with that, he’s got to make some tough decisions.
Black Noir is quite different to how he is in the comics. Can you describe why some of those changes were made to the character?
NM: Initially I thought that was the direction we were going with. I reached out to Kripke and he said no, we weren’t doing that. Homelander is so smart, he wouldn’t just let a clone of him be in front of him, he’d take off his mask, so from that standpoint, given how intelligent, ruthless and conniving Homelander is there’s no way that could last.
CD: I think that it’s the same with a lot of these characters. They’ve changed them from the comic books, they want it to be an accurate reflection of the story they want to tell as it’s a really timely show. Even my character it’s a guy in the comic and in this, it’s a woman.
The shocking reveal at the end of the first episode in this season really sets the stakes for Victoria this season. How was it to film that action scene?
CD: I loved it, I had so much fun with the choreography. We worked on that scene for about six weeks prior to even shooting that. It was an absolute blast. We did a lot of the physical stuff ourselves too.
Taking a look at Black Noir’s back story, how do you think that will change fans’ perception of him?
NM: I think the key thing for Noir is he’s always been a mystery because you cannot see behind the mask and haven’t been able to, so anything you imagine you can project onto him, but now there’s a definitive narrative. We get to see peeks into another side of him. Noir has a sensitive soul and as ruthless and cutthroat as he is, he just wants to be loved. He wants to know who has his back.
What are the main themes at play in season three? One we see is power. How do your characters grapple with that and how does having that power affect your characters’ professional and personal relationships?
CD: Well, Neuman is in such a transitory state in this season. She’s reassessing things and her allegiance is switching up a bit. There’s a struggle for her when it’s concerned with power. She struggles with having it, where it fits in and what she can do with it.
NM: For Noir, I think he’s around such powerful people he has to deal with. He comes up against blocks. Whilst he’s a Supe his ambition is limited. Later in the season, we see what he does to make a stand for himself. It’s less about power but the desire for what he wants versus what other people want for him. He has some tough choices.
How did you feel reading the script, because there are some very gory and graphic scenes? What were some of the challenges or highlights in that respect?
CD: Well by now I’m kind of used to seeing the words blood and explode on a page. It doesn’t really faze me. But every season I’m shocked at the fresh chaos these characters have to endure. You’re just so intrigued by what will happen next.
NM: It’s such a well-told story but then you’re reading it and then something crazy happens and it’s like an added bonus on top. We are used to it being this gory though, it’s baked into our reading material.
Claudia, you have a great scene with your daughter where you do something to protect her. What was it like working with that actress for such a difficult scene?
CD: The young actress who plays my daughter is absolutely phenomenal. I love her so much and we had such a blast on set, giggling in-between takes. That scene in particular – I really like how that scene turned out.
Ezelle Alblas
The Boys: Season Three is released on Amazon Prime on 3rd June 2022.
Watch the trailer for The Boys: Season Three here:
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