Warning: Spoilers for The Boys season 4.
Claudia Doumit typically seems like she’s in a really unique ebook membership. When the forged of Prime Video’s hit collection The Boys receives the subsequent spherical of scripts from showrunner Eric Kripke, the group chat goes nuts. You see, they’re solely given their character’s fundamental arc originally of the season, and extra data is drip-fed as filming commences.
“It’s so humorous as a result of not everybody has learn the script on the similar time,” she tells StyleCaster. “They’ll say, ‘You received’t imagine the way it ends for you,’ so it’s actually thrilling … Each forged member is so enthralled with what’s primarily the subsequent installment in our ebook membership.”
As Congresswoman Victoria Neuman, Doumit joined the forged as considerably of a secret antagonist. She’s initially portrayed as an Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez-like determine—one hell-bent on dismantling Vought, regulating Supes, and reclaiming America for us common folks. Within the season 2 finale, although, there’s an enormous twist: She’s a supe! Not solely that however the head-popper from the congressional listening to.
The next season, Vicky’s powers stay secret from the general public—they should be as a result of she groups up with Hughie (Jack Quaid) on the Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs to control supe exercise. We be taught that Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito), the previous CEO of Vought Worldwide, is Vicky’s adoptive father and he injected her with Compound V as a baby. He’s finally arrested for preserving categorised paperwork from Vought and it’s Vicky who places him behind bars.
Going into season 4, Doumit says it was thrilling to discover that relationship additional in addition to slowly reveal Vicky’s true motivations. “She’s extremely manipulative,” says Doumit. “She operates within the shadows. And she or he is a personality that wears many masks. So to have the ability to see the cracks begin to come by—these masks are such a present as an actor and it’s simply fantastic to discover.” Is she a villain? It’s simply not that straightforward.
This interview has been edited and condensed for readability.
Your character’s relationship shifts somewhat bit on this season as a result of Stan Edgar didn’t know Vicky shot up her daughter, Zoey, with Compound V. Are you able to converse to that?
I feel it’s actually fascinating as a result of the place we left it off in season three, there was such an excellent loss in that relationship and heartbreak on each side.
But in addition, Victoria Neuman has at all times had the protection internet of Stan Edgar, and this season, she very a lot doesn’t have that security internet, so she’s discovering out what it’s wish to exit into the world on her personal. It’s one thing that she wished, it’s one thing that she thought she’d be higher at, however she’s in a short time realizing that that’s not the case. She’s walked right into a shitstorm. So it’s fairly arduous for her to navigate by that with out Stan. And it solely will get worse and worse.
Vicky and Stan have a reunion in episode 5. After studying she dosed her daughter with V, Stan strikes a take care of The Boys to take down Vicky in return for his freedom. It’s one other betrayal.
She’s nonetheless fairly damage. She nonetheless doesn’t belief him, and rightfully so, as a result of he’s taken the very individuals who wish to kill her to a top-secret facility the place she’s engaged on a virus to kill supes. It’s it’s fairly a chaotic reunion.
I feel Neuman seeks out management and positions of energy to really feel secure and safe, which is a extremely fascinating factor relating to somebody who has the flexibility to pop somebody’s head.
Claudia Doumit
And we knew your character was coming as a result of everybody acquired nosebleeds.
It’s at all times a enjoyable little precursor to at any time when I get to make an entrance [laughs]. Within the arc of this episode, she comes again to Stan Edgar. And I feel that has to do with the truth that she’s misplaced Sameer, the daddy of her little one and the one man she’s ever beloved. I feel she feels very misplaced on the finish of that episode after which indifferent, like she has nowhere else to show. And I feel that’s when a whole lot of youngsters go residence.
It’s fascinating you phrase it that manner as a result of Homelander (performed by Antony Starr) went residence within the earlier episode, butchering all however one scientist chargeable for his creation. There are a whole lot of parallels to attract between Vicky and Homelander.
I feel that too! I’ve mentioned that many occasions. There’s a far deeper understanding between Neuman and Homelander and the way their psyches function. They’re the one two supes who’ve grown up as check topics, the distinction is that Neuman acquired to go to boarding college, however Edgar nonetheless used her like a lab rat.
It’s a unique atmosphere, certain, however the identical check. Neuman has simply had this false backdrop of normalcy. However between the 2 of them, that’s how they ended up. She’s had a father determine, and he or she’s had some sense of human expertise, whereas Homelander has been locked on this underground house for years and years.
On this episode, we meet Vicky’s husband and suped-up livestock. Are you able to speak me by the mechanics of the hen battle?
It’s actually humorous as a result of a whole lot of that’s simply us a spot. Generally it’s a tennis ball, however principally the primary assistant director will stroll us by the areas that we’re supposed to have a look at—”That is one, that over there may be two, there’s a spot by the door, that’s three.” Then once they name “motion,” they’ll name out the numbers so you recognize the place to look, which is hilarious. So once we’re imagined to lookup on the sky, you’re clocking everybody else’s eye line.
The ultimate scene on this sequence is Stan Edgar being pushed again to jail. Then his driver’s head explodes, so we all know Vicky’s caught as much as him. You two alternate a glance, and I’d like to know what the route was.
Shana Stein was the director and it’s a conflicting second. They’ve been by a lot they usually each betrayed one another to an intensive diploma. So, in that second, for me as Neuman, there’s a sea of feelings that I’m experiencing. And it’s actually supposed to depart you in a spot of questioning which emotion is coming by the strongest.
I keep in mind Shana saying, ‘We don’t wish to know precisely what’s happening, we wish to really feel like, ‘Is she going to pop his head? Is she going to embrace him? Is she gonna slam the door and go away?’ It’s all of these ideas and feelings all of sudden. What Neuman lands on is that she’s scared and he or she wants a mother or father.
I learn someplace that Vicky was extra harmful than Homelander, do you agree?
I don’t suppose so. Based mostly on the emotional state of those characters alone, Neuman is kind of strategic and he or she retains her feelings at bay. She’s very logical. Homelander is a fairly unstable and erratic character. You don’t know if he’s going to kill you based mostly on what sort of a day he’s having, and that isn’t actually the case for Neuman.
What are Vicky’s motivations, do you suppose?
For a big portion of her life, she has been working in a fashion that fits Stan Egdar’s wants. Primarily, what she is for him is a weapon. That’s fairly arduous for her as a result of all she ever desires from Stan is to be beloved as a daughter, however she solely ever will get reward from him when she’s a weapon.
So I feel that’s been the objective for a lot of, a few years. I feel she’s been Stan Edgar’s weapon and on this observe for therefore lengthy that on this season, she realizes the price of it. It, maybe for the primary time, begins to stir one thing inside her, and since she’s been alone for a lot of this season and since she finds herself in so many compromising positions, it truly forces her to essentially take a look at herself within the mirror and assess what she truly desires and what she’s doing all of this all.
I feel Neuman as a personality, typically, seeks out management and positions of energy to really feel secure and safe, which is a extremely fascinating factor relating to somebody who has the flexibility to pop somebody’s head.
I don’t suppose that she ever pursued politics within the first place as a way to do higher or to assist the world in any manner. I feel it’s at all times been one thing that has been in service of her personal security and safety, or one thing to make Stan Edgar approve of and love her. It’s very human. I feel a whole lot of us do issues with out truly realizing why.
The Boys is offered to stream on Prime Video, with new episodes dropping every Thursday.
