How The Boys pulled off that shocking cameo in the season 3 premiere
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Warning: This article contains spoilers from The Boys season 3 premiere.
Fans of The Boys didn't even make it to the one-minute mark of the season 3 premiere before getting their first insane curveball.
The first episode opened with footage from the now-completed Dawn of the 7, that movie-within-the-show the supes of the Seven have been filming since season 2. Homelander (Antony Starr) drops in to face Stormfront, who instead of being played by Aya Cash, is portrayed by none other than Charlize Theron.
It makes sense from a story perspective. Given everything that went down with Stormfront and her Nazi ties in season 2, the executives at Vought would never have allowed her to star in their big-budget tentpole movie of the summer. So, they recast the character in Dawn of the 7 as the villain and swapped actors. The cameo also makes sense when you think about how Seth Rogen, an executive producer on The Boys, already has a working relationship with Theron from their rom-com Long Shot.
Amazon Prime Charlize Theron makes a surprise appearance in 'The Boys' season 3 as Stormfront in 'Dawn of the 7.'
"The Charlize cameo came about by following our usual pattern of cameos, which is it's the rigorous screening process of whoever returns Seth Rogan's calls," showrunner Eric Kripke says during an interview Entertainment Weekly's On Set series, which goes behind-the-scenes of The Boys season 3. "I think she talked to Seth and [producing partner] Evan [Goldberg]. They had just made Long Shot together. She was so great. I mean, talk about the definition of an incredible sport. She's like, 'Yeah, I'll do a favor for you,' and it's like, 'Great, 'cause it's gonna involve a superhero costume fitting, coming out to see me in the Valley for a full day's shoot, and reading the most ridiculous Nazi dialogue ever with a straight face and totally nailing it. And she was game for all of it."
An extended version of the Homelander scene with Theron's Stormfront, with even more ridiculous dialogue, is currently available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.
The Boys has gained a reputation for not just being deliciously provocative, but for consistently, yet inadvertently, predicting actual cultural touchstones they are lampooning. Weeks before season 3's first three episodes dropped, Theron had appeared in a cameo role in the end credits of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Kripke started giggling to himself when he saw that cameo play in theaters a couple weeks ago. "Any time we can inadvertently duplicate what's happening in Marvel, I'm happy," he says. "It's meta on top of meta on top of meta."
Amazon Prime Black Noir (Nathan Mitchell), Starlight (Erin Moriarty), Homelander (Antony Starr), Queen Maeve (Dominique McElligott), and A-Train (Jessie Usher) star in 'Dawn of the 7' in 'The Boys' season 3.
Starr says he didn't actually get to meet Theron for this scene. She filmed her role in secret in Los Angeles, while the main cast were busy making season 3 in Toronto. "You'd never tell when you see it cut together," he says. "It's hysterical, the whole setup."
The actual Stormfront, too, makes her own surprise appearance in the premiere episode. Cash's character was last seen getting charred and grilled via laser vision from Homelander and Becca's son Ryan, losing most of her limbs in the process. It turns out, she's been tucked away inside Homelander's room in Vought headquarters all this time — and they found a way to use her remaining arm to *ahem* release Homelander's stress.
Kripke confirms he didn't tell Cash at the end of season 2 if she'd be returning for season 3. "We had to still figure it out," he says. "We very intentionally left her alive and wanted her to be a player in there, one way or another. I'm not sure we totally knew how yet. But she's the best. I'd bring her back, you know, just to hang out with her."
Episodes 1-3 of The Boys season 3 are streaming now on Amazon Prime Video. Watch EW's On Set in the video above for a thorough breakdown of the big moments from the first episode.
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
Related content:
