Hugh Campbell Sr.'s Arc on The Boys Was Unexpected Even for Simon Pegg, the Actor Says
The actor never thought he would go that far on the show.
Summary
- The end of Simon Pegg's character surprised many fans of The Boys.
- The actor thought his role would be shorter when he joined the cast.
- Hugh Sr. was an original character created specifically for Pegg.
Over the course of The Boys' four-season run, viewers must have become desensitized to violence and gore, as both are abundant on the show. Based on the DC comic book series of the same name, the black comedy superhero action drama regularly sees the innocent killed at the hands of Supes, most of whom don't care about ordinary people. But some deaths still manage to break fans' hearts.
The death of Hughie's father, Hugh Campbell Sr. portrayed by Simon Pegg, in Episode 5 of Season 4 must have been one of the most heartbreaking events on The Boys. Following a killing spree by the deranged and newly V-amplified Hugh, his euthanasia was a heartfelt moment between him and his son Hughie. Their complicated relationship ended on a very moving note as Jack Quaid's character had to ease his father's suffering.
Man Proposes…
Although many characters have died on the show, few could have predicted such an end for Hugh Sr. Simon Pegg least expected such a finale for his character when he first appeared on The Boys. In fact, the actor couldn't have imagined that his courtesy cameo would turn into a recurring role.
'When I did the first season, I thought it was a kind of handoff. A little nod and then at the end, [Hugh] went off into witness protection, I didn't think we'd see him again,' Simon Pegg revealed in a recent interview.
The role of Hugh Campbell Sr. was offered to Pegg by The Boys showrunner Erik Kripke for a reason. According to the actor, Kripke wanted to pay homage to the comic books, in which Hughie is drawn in the likeness of none other than Simon Pegg.
…Supe Disposes
Interestingly, Pegg's role on The Boys is unique to the show, as in the comic books Hughie has a stepfather, Alexander Fergus, while the Amazon Prime Video adaptation gave him a biological father who has appeared in nine episodes of the show. According to Pegg, he never expected his role to be more than an homage to the source material, but then Hugh Sr. appeared in Season 3 via a Zoom call with Hughie, and Season 4 came.
'Eric got in contact before they started shooting Season 4 and said, "Oh, we want to bring you back for a storyline." I had no idea either that I would be back or that Hugh would come to such a [shocking, yet tender end],' the actor added.
Episode 7 of Season 4 of The Boys will premiere on July 11.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter.