Why ‘The Boys’ Will Tackle #MeToo and Trump
By Elizabeth Taylor
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Like its comics source material, Amazon Prime Video’s new original series “The Boys” sets out to explore “what would happen it you combined the worst of celebrity with the worst of politics,” according to showrunner Eric Kripke.
At the world premiere, held at the Tribeca Film Festival on Monday night, Kripke explained that he took comics’ creator Garth Ennis out to dinner when he first got the job adapting the story for the small screen and Ennis told him of his original inspiration and interest in looking at “how f—ed we would all, as regular people, be” with such a combination.
“I was like, ‘Crazy idea, bro.’ Well, that’s science fiction,” Kripke said. With the series, he and his writers’ room took the approach of “OK we are going to take the piss out of the superheroes.” But he also specifically wanted to make the show “reflect what is happening today.
“I know it’s a superhero show and it has action and fights,” he continued. “But, in its own weird way we think we are making one of the most current shows on TV because we are really talking about where power and celebrity and politics intersect. So, all those things were reasons for doing it.”
And as the world has evolved around Kripke’s production, he has realized “the world has caught up to [the] show in a really horrific way.” His mantra in the writers’ room is “bad for the world, good for the show,” which means they want to, and in their own way will, tackle everything from politics to celebrity to the #MeToo movement and even Donald Trump.
“We want to talk about all of it,” Kripke said. “We want to do all of it in a superhero show because I think it’s the last thing people would expect.”
In the premiere episode, for example, Erin Moriarty’s character is thrilled to become one of the superhero team members, only to have her dream shattered when everyone’s favorite hero The Deep (Chace Crawford) sexually harasses her. This event becomes a catalyst that the actress feels allows the series to be about empowerment for women in the end.
“She has the most positive outcome she can have from the situation and ultimately makes her a stronger person,” Moriarty said. “I think her response to it is more important than the act itself. I am really honestly happy to be a part of it.”
