What does it mean to be a superhero? This has been the question since season one of The Boys, the Prime Video hit about what happens when superheroes are made (unknowingly) and monetized by corporations. What does it mean to step into role of another superhero after their brutal death?
Black Noir had a secret he was carrying for years. He knew Solider Boy was Homelander’s father despite knowing how much Homelander needed and longed for a father figure. It wouldn’t take long for him to uncover the truth in season 3 and brutally kill Black Noir. It was one of the most shocking moments (in a show filled with shocking moments), that raised a lot of questions about the dynamics of The Seven going forward. Clearly, The Seven would discover what Homelander did? Clearly someone would question Black Noir’s disappearance?
Instead, Black Noir’s death covered up with an explanation that he was overseas, and Vought would hold auditions for a new Noir, settling on an actor, a graduate from Godolkin University with a habit for talking and a love for acting. Homelander was once again untouchable when it comes to his crimes. But with a new Black Noir, will this version hold his actions accountable or fold under the threat of the death?
In celebration of The Boys season 4 and the new Black Noir, The Koalition spoke to Nathan Mitchell who stepped back into the Black Noir role as the struggling actor trying to find his purpose in The Seven. We discuss the acting process and psychologically behind playing a different version of Black Noir, Black Noir’s connection to God U, the overarching themes in The Boys season 4 and Gen V, the dark consequences of joining The Seven, Black Noir’s connection to The Deep, and more.
Noir is a graduate of Godolkin University. Had he known what was really going on with the university as seen in Gen V, and how it ties into the overall plot of The Boys, what would be his overall thoughts? Especially regarding Supes vs Starlighters?
“I think it’d be like, ‘This a little too deep for me.’ He would obviously not want a virus that kills Supes out and about. Also, he doesn’t have that strong of a bone in the greater fight. If Supes are under threat, he’s under threat. He doesn’t want that to happen, so he would fight against that but at the same time he’s much more concerned with doing a play or being in an indie movie or being involved in theater. His interests are much more directed towards the entertainment and acting avenue than they are into the world of Supes versus humans. He didn’t sign up for this. ‘I’m not here to be tested. I just I just want to make art.”
Being deeply involved with The Seven and killing people at Homelander’s demand, does he regret this decision to join The Seven?
“When we’re at the beginning of the season he definitely regrets it and I think his journey through the season is struggling with the fact that he killed people and with the fact that he has to continue to kill people to do this job. The question [for him] is, ‘Am I going to be a good actor or am I going to be a good person?’ At the end of the day he says, ‘I’ll be a good actor and I’ll take this check.’ The arc in the journey of the character [is] realizing that to get into this role he has to commit to everything that it entails and part of what it entails is killing people.”
Does he lose a sense of his humanity by killing?
“What is humanity? Humanity, [if we’re] really being honest is the spectrum of all thing’s humans can do and unfortunately that includes killing people. He lets go of some of his morality. He realizes as uncomfortable as I am and as much as I may not have done this if I knew what I was getting into, I’m in it now. I’m in. I’m here, so I might as well make the most of it and that’s what he does. He learns to embrace that requirement and lean into violence because that’s what the role entails. That’s the direction that he goes in with his relationship with The Deep. It seems to be honest and true, which is weird because I don’t know which to trust and what’s going on, but it seems to be really honest and true.”
Why do you feel Noir gravitated to The Deep as opposed to A-Train or the others?
“Deep offers him guidance and it’s the one thing he’s been asking for from everyone. He’s like, ‘Hey I need some help and everyone’s like shut the fuck up. Deep is the only one who’s really giving him the time of day and there’s a care and a respect that’s shown in that and that’s all he was looking for. So, it’s like, ‘Oh this guy says he’ll be my buddy, might as well. I’ll be his buddy.”
You played the original Black Noir. Can you tell me about the process of becoming the new Black Noir?
“I feel like I have a lot of experience for this role because I’ve been playing an actor playing Noir for three years or three seasons, so there’s a lot of that experience I can like use to inform this role. There’s not the same level of conflict. I can talk on set. I can share my ideas. Eric [Kripke] and everyone is fantastic and at the same time, internally, on my own, I have always had those questions of, ‘How do I get into this character? What do I do? What would he do here? How can I make this the best that I can be, so I could take those internal thoughts that I’ve had personally and put them into the role, dramatize them, kind of exaggerate them, create conflict and dynamics in the scene out of them? There’s a quote on Twitter I read the other day or yesterday where someone said, ‘Black Noir is an actor is playing an actor playing Black Noir.’ It’s a huge meta thing. I have this experience. When playing old Noir there’s an emphasis on body language so I would give him thoughts and then I’d verbalize those thoughts but then I’d put those sentences into my body. So, if you could say it say a sentence, how would I say that with my movement? How would I express that with my movement. With the new Noir it’s a much more traditional approach to how you play a regular character, but it is informed my experience of trying to play old Noir.”
So, there’s more freedom within a literal expression as opposed to the body language expression?
“Absolutely right and even more freedom in body language expression. One of the special things about old Noir was because he was so still every movement meant something. Every tilt of the head, every breath, every leaning in of the shoulder. With new Noir, if he moves, his hands matter as much because he moves them more than old Noir did. But I do feel freer in that I can use more variance in my vocal expression, my body language and even in my facial [expression] because I can speak and reveal my face. I do feel some more freedom.”
What do you wish for the character?
“My wish is that we get to see Noir in different situations. We get to see him without his mask a little more and he continues being an actor just exploring the questions that actors have. Being this kind of meta character in a show that’s partially about the entertainment industry really gives us a great opportunity to explore being an actor at the same time as being a Supe.
Is he grateful that he was given V?
“I think it’s one of those things where it’s his life now right and it’s just one of those things where [he’s] an actor, so he’d be acting, whether he had V or not. It’s one of those things where it’s just a part of who he is. He is grateful but not in a way where he thinks about it. With some of these Supes, their identity is tied up in being a Supe. That’s not his identity.
Why haven’t we seen him fly?
“I think the reason is he’s just not supposed to. It’s not in his job description and he could but I feel like I’m going to get in trouble.”
The Boys is now streaming on Prime Video. To learn more about The Boys and Nathan Mitchell, check out our full interview in the video above.
