The Boys has recently become one of the most popular streaming series around as fans became obsessed with its unique and cynical take on the superhero genre. The Amazon original explores The Boys' fight against Vought, a superhero management corporation, with Jack Quaid's Hughie Campbell and Karl Urban's Billy Butcher largely leading the action.
Quaid has long been praised for his performance in the show, leading to some impressive moves in his career. The actor has since been cast in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, HBO Max's My Adventures with Superman, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and more, but his aspirations don't seem to stop there as he hopes to join the Star Wars galaxy.
The Boys' Jack Quaid Reveals Star Wars Aspirations
During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, The Boys star Jack Quaid revealed his desire to star in both a live-action Star Wars and Star Trek project, something that has only previously been achieved by a select few actors.
Having already played in several major franchises, Quaid was asked if he had any dream franchises, to which he said he would "like to be one of the first" to play live-action roles in both sci-fi worlds. With regard to who he'd like to play in Star Wars, Quaid says he would "kill to be a droid or a Jedi or a Han Solo type:"
"I don’t know if anyone’s ever been in both — and I’ll probably be very much corrected by nerds — in both a Star Trek live-action project and a Star Wars live-action project, but I would like to be one of the first. The reason why I’m into sci-fi and fantasy comes from Star Wars. I would kill to be a droid or a Jedi or a Han Solo type, whatever. I could be a blade of grass in a field, I don’t care. I’d love to be in a Star Wars project, for sure. I never thought I’d be on Star Trek show — period. That was a dream come true. So I don’t know. Maybe that could happen."
Greg Grunberg, Simon Pegg, and Deep Roy are all among the actors to have joined this exclusive club. Other actors have also come close to achieving this in having roles across both franchises, with one being in animation, including Brent Spiner, George Takei, and Ian Abercrombie.
Quaid is already halfway to his goal as he will soon bring his animated Star Trek: Lower Decks character into live-action in a special crossover episode with Strange New Worlds. On top of that and his return to The Boys, with Season 4 currently filming, the actor will soon join DC as he voices Superman in My Adventures with Superman, which has already received a two-season order.
The actor said he is "absolutely" excited to have booked the iconic role, revealing he was initially doubtful he'd have a shot at the role when offered the audition:
"Oh, absolutely. When I first got the audition to go out for that part, they were like, 'Hey, there’s this new Superman animated show coming out. Would you like to audition for the role of Superman?' And I think my first reaction was a very sarcastic. 'Sure. I’ll be Superman. Like that’ll ever happen.' So I gave it a shot. I was like, you know, why not? And I think you always book stuff when you’re like, 'Why not? This will never happen.' And then it happens."
The Boys star also noted his excitement about tackling a "pure, innocent, genuine take on a superhero" after exploring a negative spin on super-powered beings in his Amazon original series:
"There’s no big pressure, because you’re like, 'Oh, this is just never gonna happen. But like, whatever. At the end of the day, I can say that I auditioned for Superman. That’s cool.' But then I got it. And I freaked out. I never thought I’d be anywhere close to being able to play Superman like that. That never crossed my mind. But the show is awesome. I’m really such a fan of the show. It’s such a pure, innocent, genuine take on a superhero, which is so great for me coming from The Boys. I get to play two sides of the same coin — one where we’re taking superheroes down a peg and one where we’re saying that they actually are altruistic and good."
Quaid went on to explain that part of the reason he loves Superman is his ability to be "a beacon of hope in a dark world:"
"Some of them can be a beacon of hope in a dark world. I love that about Superman. I think a lot of people growing up were like, 'Oh, Batman is my favorite, because he’s dark and gritty.' And he is, he’s really cool. Superman has never really been cool. But that’s why I like it. Despite the way that the world is, whether it’s a bad time or a good time, Superman is always there protecting people. I think we need a character like that, now more than ever. That might even sound hokey, but a character that believes in the good in people and wants to do the right thing."
Is Jack Quaid Hollywood's Next Big Thing?
As Hollywood's blockbuster franchises continue to expand, the number of actors to have joined multiple is only continuing to grow. After all, there's only a certain number of cast and crew working today, particularly focusing on the A-list talent, so there's bound to be an increasing amount of crossover between them.
Jack Quaid has shot to stardom since delivering his breakout performance as Hughie Campbell in The Boys, having initially kickstarted his career with a minor role in The Hunger Games. Now, the actor has joined both Star Trek and DC in animation at least initially, which may signal a big franchise future for the actor.
The Star Wars galaxy truly has room for every kind of actor, and Quaid has already demonstrated a diverse range that could lend itself to any number of roles. With the current craze of casting Quaid as voice-over characters, it wouldn't be surprising if he were to show up in The Bad Batch or another animated project, even though his aspirations may be in live-action.
This isn't Quaid's first run-in with the Star Wars fandom; the actor trolled fans of the galaxy far, far away on Reddit last year to prepare for his role in Scream as a pop-culture-crazed geek. Clearly, the rising star is a dedicated fan of the galaxy himself as he shared his willingness to play a role as small as "a blade of grass in a field."
With regard to what's next for the actor, well as Star Wars is expanding on Disney+, perhaps there may be room for him somewhere in the galaxy soon. Alternatively, perhaps Quaid may tackle a live-action superhero role. He may not have the build to bring Superman to the big screen, but it's easy to imagine him as the MCU's Cyclops or one of DC's Green Lanterns.
The Boys is streaming now on Amazon Prime.
