Antony Starr trades capes for combat in G20, diving into a grounded villain miles apart from Homelander

Antony Starr is no stranger to playing characters who disturb and fascinate in equal measure. While audiences know him best as the terrifyingly unhinged Homelander in The Boys, the actor’s latest role in G20 swaps the bombast of superpowers for something far more human — and arguably more unsettling.

In G20, now streaming on Prime Video, Starr plays Rutledge, a former soldier scarred by war and fuelled by disillusionment. Far from the swaggering sociopath of his superhero fame, this new antagonist is shaped by grief, trauma, and a dangerously sincere belief in his mission. For Starr, that distinction is what makes Rutledge so compelling.

“Villains rarely think they’re in the wrong,” Starr explains. “Rutledge truly believes he’s doing what needs to be done. There’s pain behind it — a kind of broken logic — but it’s coming from a very real place.”

Unlike Homelander, whose villainy thrives on ego and control, Rutledge’s menace is quieter, more intimate. His crusade is rooted in personal loss and post-war alienation, which Starr tapped into while building the character. “I saw him as someone haunted by what he’s been through,” he says. “He’s trying to make sense of a world that doesn’t make room for people like him anymore. That emotional weight made it a fascinating role.”

Asked what might happen if his two most notorious characters ever shared the screen, Starr paints a vivid, if chilling, picture. “Rutledge would get inside Homelander’s head,” he muses. “He’s calculated. I imagine him like Wormtongue from The Lord of the Rings — whispering in his ear, nudging him without ever showing his hand. A master manipulator.”

Directed by Patricia Riggen and led by Viola Davis, G20 blends high-stakes action with political intrigue. The ensemble includes Anthony Anderson, Marsai Martin, Ramón Rodríguez, Douglas Hodge, Elizabeth Marvel, Sabrina Impacciatore, Christopher Farrar, and Starr. Behind the scenes, the film is backed by Amazon MGM Studios, MRC, Mad Chance Productions, and JuVee Productions, with Davis also serving as producer.

G20 premiered on 10 April and is available to stream in over 240 countries and territories, only on Prime Video.