Erin Moriarty Talks The Boys In Covershoot and Interview
Erin Moriarty X FAULT Magazine
Photographer: Giuliano Bekor
Stylist: Amanda Lim
Makeup: Carolina Yasukawa
Hair Styling: Aaron Light
While Amazon’s The Boys captured audience attention through its extremely violent, fast-paced, and humorous take on the superhero genre – its critique of modern-day society and character-driven moments are what captured our hearts. No character sees more of both sides than Starlight, portrayed by Erin Moriarty. While her character’s superpowers require Erin to take part in many of the shows fun massive setpieces, the role all forces Erin to draw on her acting skills and deliver vulnerable performances throughout the show’s two season.
With season 2 of The Boys currently playing out, we sat down with Erin to discuss the show, her process and of course, her FAULTs.
You’re involved in many of the large setpieces but we also got to see your character’s tender side during the road trip scenes. Which do you prefer playing?
Erin Moriarty: The superhero component of the show is super fun because it’s like living out my childhood fantasy, but my favourite scenes to film are ones that make the story as human as possible. I’m the only superhero in the show that get’s to double as a regular human who is going through very human issues. The moments on the road trip were some of my favourites because all of the scenes are about connection. On set, it was all about having real moments with each other as actors and connecting more – so it was really fun to shoot.
Starlight deals with the pressure of living up to dream she set for herself at an early age, as an actor, is this something you sympathise with?
Erin Moriarty: Absolutely. In this job, there are so many eyes on us, and it’s excessive because while we do have very public jobs, this fascination with actors and putting us on a pedal stool to the degree that we do is unnecessary. I’m someone who doesn’t gravitate towards social media, but I’ve had to play the game and be active on those channels because it’s a part of our lives now. Unfortunately, it’s one of the ways we cultivate our career and realistically as actors; we’re stuck with it in this industry. We need our social stock to be high for people to be willing to hire us. Actors who reach high success can become paranoid and scared to take risks because they’re always scrutinised under a very critical lens.
Left: Blouse: Nana Jacqueline | Earrings: APM Monaco | Heels: Shoe Dazzle | Shorts: Agent Provocateur | Right: Jacket: Collini Milano
What’s been the most difficult aspect of playing Starlight?
Erin Moriarty: I tend to get very attached to the characters that I play, and with Starlight, I’ve found myself becoming increasingly defensive and emotionally connected with her; especially after the sexual assault in season 1. The more I get attached to her, the more pressure I feel to do her justice in every scene. But with such a tight schedule it can be challenging to do and I can second guess myself at times. I spend a lot of time preparing and trying to make every scene perfect, but the pressure I put on myself can have a negative impact on my ability to enjoy the process.
I was going to discuss your budding relationship between Starlight and Stormfront, and then I saw episode 3…instead why not tell me about what it’s like to have Aya Cash join the cast this season?
Erin Moriarty: What’s awesome about working with Aya is how different she is to her character. She is one of the funniest and kindest people I’ve ever worked with, so it made it hard to hate her and later on the season I’d do something horrible to her character and then be like “oh no, I’m so sorry”. Her being so talented made it such a fun experience and when you’re comfortable with your scene partner, it makes it easier to open a discussion on ways you can both push each scene.
Blouse: Nana Jacqueline | Earrings: APM Monaco | Heels: Shoe Dazzle | Shorts: Agent Provocateur
What’s a question you’ve not been asked yet about this season?
Erin Moriarty: In season 2, Starlight is wearing a much more revealing costume, but I’ve not been asked about how we tried to ensure the outfit didn’t negatively impact our audience. When you work in the industry, you really get to see the work that people go through to look as good as they do. Privileged people can afford to reach a non-attainable aesthetic, so I made sure the audience got to see me take out the breast cutlets and fake butt padding I wear beneath the costume. If I had to wear that costume, then I wanted audiences to see what goes into creating that fake look. That was important to me, and all the things we did will hopefully negate people from believing Starlights looks are easily attainable.
Gown: Monique Lhuillier | Jewellery: Anna Sheffield | Shoes: Le Silla
I think it also helps that Starlight’s character is also rejecting the look. In comics when spiderman makes his costume it full head to toe covering but for Starlight it’s next to nothing.
Erin Moriarty: Exactly, we really want to satirise the way women are objectified to the male gaze. Starlight is only conforming in order to take down the misogyny in the corporation that she works for. It’s pretty ironic, but Starlight sees it as a worthy sacrifice to make.
When you look back on your career, what do you want it to say about you?
Erin Moriarty: I don’t gravitate to any specific kind of project. I love projects with good material where I can work with people I admire. I don’t care what character it is, it’s a very privileged place to be in, and I want to look back on my work and know that I was really mindful about all my creative choices.
What is your biggest career fear?
Erin Moriarty: Loss of privacy, it’s not a fear for me yet, but I think it’s a byproduct that comes when you achieve a certain amount of success. I think it’s a position to be grateful for because it implies that you’ve gained a certain notoriety, but it’s a scary prospect. I’m also fearful about shrinking my perspective. I try to go back to New York City and be with a diverse group of people to be reminded that the world doesn’t revolve around the entertainment industry. I like to humble myself continually.
Hat: Sensi Studio | Earrings: APM Monaco | Blouse: Nana Jacqueline | Shorts: Agent Provocateur
What is your FAULT?
Erin Moriarty: I have a deep lifelong fear of confrontation, which has made me shrink myself into someone that others want to see. Having the desire to please comes from a good intention but when I worry about what people think, it can be excessive. I’ve had to find a balance of being kind but also putting my foot down. Fear of confrontation can manifest in ways which are a disservice to me and people around me, leaving me dishonest and honesty is the most important attribute to me.