Antony Starr Shares His Unexpected Fear of Heights While Playing Homelander
Antony Starr recently revealed an ironic truth about himself, considering his iconic role as Homelander in ‘The Boys’. Although his character effortlessly soars above cities, Starr admits to having a significant fear of heights in real life.
This topic resurfaced after behind-the-scenes footage from the spin-off ‘Gen V’ began circulating online.
In the footage, Starr is seen suspended in the air on wires for a flying stunt. Contrary to the calm demeanor of his character, he appeared visibly anxious and frequently signaled that he wanted to descend. His strong reaction while being lifted high above the set turned into a viral blooper.
Later, Starr humorously reflected on the experience, expressing surprise at how intense it felt. He joked about being “genuinely” surprised he “didn’t pee the suit. Or worse.” He also acknowledged that he probably should have let a stunt double handle the scene instead of attempting it himself.
He shared behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram, humorously captioning one with: “Face of regret. The place I went that caused the regret….high….The boss, [who] also regretted putting his actor that high.”
In a separate interview with Wired, Starr discussed his fear more seriously. He noted that portraying a flying superhero does not alleviate his fear of real heights. When asked about managing that fear, he stated, “I think the more you do something, the less afraid you get.”
However, he admitted that this strategy hasn’t completely worked for him. He recounted a recent flight where turbulence caused him to panic, saying, “I’ve been flying a lot lately, and I just flew in yesterday, and there was a big bump, and I grabbed the little old lady next to me. I literally grabbed her arm because I don’t like heights and I thought I’d dealt with it, but I haven’t.”
Starr elaborated on the Gen V stunt, explaining that he was informed he would be harnessed with thin wires and lifted for a shot. He described his reaction upon realizing how high he was, stating, “I never thought (…) that’s a long way off the ground. So they clipped me in, harnessed me up about 40 feet up, which was halfway. I started going, ‘Oh, this is not good.’ And I started swearing a lot.”
He revealed that the highest point reached was around 85 feet, which made him fully aware of his fear. “I was freaking out. That was actually a moment that really enlightened me as to, like, I really do have a fear of heights that I didn’t realize I had. Look, I’m still here,” he remarked.
This contrast between his on-screen persona and real-life reactions highlights a more relatable side of Starr. While Homelander is portrayed as one of the most powerful characters on modern television, Starr’s candidness reveals a much more human experience.
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