Jack Quaid X FAULT Magazine

Photographer: Raen Badua

Stylist: Evan Simonitsch

Grooming: Stephanie Hobgood

 

Interview: Miles Holder

It’s challenging to pinpoint where The Hunger Games, an improv comedy sketch group, a Star Trek-inspired animated series, Dungeon & Dragons and a gruesomely violent superhero series intersect…until you read you the resume of Jack Quaid.

Involved in a wide variety of projects during his career, each of Jack’s roles allows audiences to see a wholly different side to his artistry. This is certainly true for his role on Amazon’s highly successful series The Boys.

With Season 2 releasing this week, we caught up with Jack to find out more about his role, his process and of course, his FAULTs.

Did you feel added pressure to match the success of season one this time around?

Jack Quaid: We started season two before the first season had aired, so we felt a different kind of pressure. The pressure was, “Oh God if people don’t like the first season and we’re halfway through making the second it’s not going to feel good. I remember the first day that I was on set after episode one had aired, and we were all trying hard to avoid seeing the audience’s reaction. Everyone from cast and crew had become like a family at this point, and we just felt incredibly lucky to be doing this job.

 

What should people expect from season 2?

Jack Quaid: You’re going to get a lot more insane moments that the show is known for. What I love about this season is that it’s still very topical. Yes, it is about superheroes and people exploding, but we can talk about real issues. I love being on a fantastical show and not having to pretend that the real world isn’t on fire too. I think audiences can expect to get even more in-depth with all the characters that you got to know in season one, and a few new additions.

The Boys is very Starship Troopers in its fantastical telling of real-life issues – it never feels preachy, but the message is certainly there.

Jack Quaid: I saw Starship Troopers once when I was a kid and when I rewatched it recently I realized how satirical and amazing it is. It’s from the perspective of people that don’t know they’re being brainwashed and that they’re an evil empire but at no point are they like, “maybe we shouldn’t just kill!” It’s so brilliant. I’m recommending it to everybody now, especially in America.

 

Do you ever worry about audiences reactions whenever the show diverges from the comic-book story?

Jack Quaid: Absolutely. I was terrified of it specifically for my character because if you read the comics, Hughie looks nothing like I do. But knew that people, enjoyed Hughie’s character, so I made it my mission to read as many comics as possible, to best understand the lore. I wanted to get the spirit of Hughie right and find out why it is that people like him and then would bring that to light as much as possible.

What would you say was the hardest scene to shoot this season?

Jack Quaid: There’s a scene this series which isn’t necessarily the most difficult, but it was the most uncomfortable because I’m covered in blood a lot! In season one, if I were splattered with blood, there’d be a time cut, so I’d move on the next scene right away. This season I get covered in blood, but we stay with my character, which means filming the scene involved weeks of me coming into work and getting blood applied all over. I couldn’t touch anything and flies and bees were particularly attracted to me, which was a very odd experience.

 

 

It’s interesting watching Hughie’s reaction to gruesome scenes change between season one and two; he seems to have grown more numb to the gore.

Jack Quaid: I find that so interesting as well, especially with the crazier moments. I think Hughie feels trapped and sad that he has to see all this stuff repeatedly. I want to get to a point in future seasons, where he’s just upset because his favourite t-shirt got ruined with blood. It’s not a good reaction, but I think it’s needed to protect his sanity.

 

If you could kill a mainstream MCU or DCU superhero, who would it be?

Jack Quaid: I’m going to go for the gold and say, Superman. I’ve got nothing against Superman, but if I had to kill one and have people be impressed, it would be him. The only thing that kills him is a rare mineral from another planet, so if The Boys could figure that one out, I think we’d probably be…thrown in jail, but you know, aim high.

 

What’s a question no one has asked you yet?

Jack Quaid: “Have your parents ever given you any advice?” I’m kidding. I do have a Dungeons and Dragons Podcast called hero club that I’m excited about. It’s one of those things that we’ve been filming during our time in quarantine, and I’ve just really enjoyed it. I liked Dungeons and dragons as a storytelling tool because you create journeys with your friends. We add our original music and sound effects, so at the end of the day, it sounds like a radio play.

What have you learned about yourself in quarantine?

Jack Quaid: I think quarantine forces you to learn a lot about yourself, which I think is a good thing. You don’t have a ton of things distracting you. You have to look at yourself, your patterns and find out what you can improve on. I hope I’ll come out of this a more well-rounded person. I’m lucky enough to have my girlfriend in my quarantine bubble, so it’s been great to be able to spend quality time with her.

You’ve said you wanted to be an actor since middle school when you’ve had a dream that long, how do you traverse the challenging early years when it’s hard to find work?

Jack Quaid: What helped me, in the beginning, was creating my own work. I was in a sketch comedy group called Sasquatch and for a while that we were just putting up videos every week on YouTube. The videos didn’t all have to be masterpieces, but we were in the process of doing something which let people see that we were willing to put the time in and go the extra mile. Also just understanding that not getting a part doesn’t mean that you’re a bad actor. It just means that you’re not right for the part. Understanding that makes it less personal when you get rejected.

What’s the role that you’d love to play?

Jack Quaid: Somebody tagged me in like a fan cast for Shaggy in Scooby-Doo, and that would be kind of amazing. I would 1000% do that be either a cartoon or live-action because I grew up on Scooby doo and that’d be incredible.

When you look back on your career, what’s a message you’d like to send with your work?

Jack Quaid: The message I want to get out there is that it’s okay to be yourself. Hughie is a character that despite how much he doesn’t want to be himself, sometimes he has to be he’s unabashedly himself.

I want to play like a wide variety of characters. So I don’t know if I can boil it down to a singular vision, but maybe ask me in 50 years. What I do hope is that I’ll be apart of a project that unites people and inspires them to create a better world.

 

What is your FAULT?

Jack Quaid: I apologize way too much. It’s been a thing I’ve done forever. I’ve gotten a little bit better at it, but it’s just one of those things. I think, especially when you’re younger and feeling less secure, you tend to apologize for your existence in a lot of ways. I try to do it a little less because there’s no real practical response a person can give you if you keep saying sorry.