Then & Now: See The Boys' Actors Before They Were Famous

written by Ethan Briggs

August 19, 2023 9:00 am

Then & Now: See The Boys' Actors Before They Were Famous — Image credit: Legion-Media, Amazon Studios

What did the cast do prior to The Boys?

Amazon Prime Video's anti-superhero series The Boys features an amazing ensemble cast, and most of the stars proved their worth as talented actors even before the hit show.

Here's where you might have seen The Boys cast members, and what they looked like back then.

Antony Starr

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Homelander comes across as an ultraviolet psychopath, but in real life, the actor is known to be a rather soft and gentle person. This just goes to show how much talent and skill Antony Starr has as an actor — his portrayal of the deranged Supe is impeccable.

Before joining The Boys, Starr first appeared in the iconic New Zealand series Xena: Warrior Princess and then achieved popularity with his lead roles in the crime dramas Outrageous Fortune and Banshee.

Karl Urban

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Another morally ambiguous, but way more sympathetic, character is Billy Butcher, portrayed brilliantly by Karl Urban.

The actor's first role was in the New Zealand police procedural Shark in the Park, which featured 18-year-old Urban in six episodes. Like Starr, he also made an appearance in Xena: Warrior Princess. But of course, his first major success came with the role in J. J. Abrams' Star Trek, where Urban played the iconic Leonard McCoy.

Jack Quaid

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One huge discovery that The Boys made for the film and TV industry was actor Jack Quaid, who plays the naive but honest and self-sacrificing Huey in the series.

The actor's career began in 2012, when Quaid took on a small role in The Hunger Games, playing the game's participant named Marvel. One of his biggest roles before The Boys was in Vinyl, a show about the 1970s music scene.

Erin Moriarty

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Erin Moriarty was no less of a discovery with her role as Starlight, the rebellious superhero with a strong sense of justice.

The actress previously appeared in cameo roles in many popular shows, including Law & Order: SVU, as well as the first seasons of True Detective and Jessica Jones.

Dominique McElligott

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Before taking on the role of Queen Maeve, Irish actress Dominique McElligott appeared in shows like Hell on Wheels, The Astronaut Wives Club, and House of Cards.

Chace Crawford

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The Deep actor, Chace Crawford, is best known for his starring role in Gossip Girl, where he played Nate Archibald.

Karen Fukuhara

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Karen Fukuhara, an American actress of Japanese descent, has played several Japanese characters before her role as Kimiko on The Boys. Notably, she portrayed Katana in Suicide Squad.

Jessie T. Usher

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A-Train's Jessie T. Usher began his career as a teenager and rose to fame after starring in Level Up and Survivor's Remorse. The actor has also appeared in several feature films prior to The Boys, including Independence Day: Resurgence.