‘The Boys’ Star Jack Quaid Says It Was Cathartic to Explore Hughie’s ‘Core Trauma’ and ‘Campbell Family Chaos’ in Season 4

According to Jack Quaid, Season 4 of “The Boys” will feature more background on his character Hughie Campbell’s family drama, as the the show brings Simon Pegg back into the fold and introduces series newbie Rosemarie DeWitt — who plays Hughie’s mother Daphne Campbell. The actor described the experience as “cathartic.”

“It’s really rewarding to have scenes that deal with like your character’s core trauma, or like, the thing that makes them the way that they are. That was incredibly cathartic to play this season,” Quaid told TheWrap on Tuesday. “I got to work with Rosemary DeWitt, who plays Daphne Campbell, and I got to play I got to work with Simon Pegg again, who’s a hero. So working with them was great.”

Quaid continued, saying Hughie’s family drama will be a challenge for him this season. “I’m excited for audiences to see the Campbell family chaos that comes along this year,” Quaid said. “[Hughie’s] mom comes back into the picture. We found out that she left him when he was a kid. I think around Season 2 is when we brought that up, and now she’s back in his life. It it really does test him.”

Hughie started the series as an innocent tech shop worker, but after his girlfriend was killed by a callously irresponsible superhero, he’s convinced to join vigilante Billy Butcher’s (Karl Urban) quest to destroy all superpowered people — setting off a personal journey that’s half love story and half tons of murder.

“I love the world that we are in as messed up as it might be. I love the world of the show. I love playing this character year after year,” Quaid said. “It’s crazy; I was 26 when I first started playing Hughie. I’m 32 now. I’d never thought I’d get the opportunity to grow with a character. To age alongside a character, it’s just, I’m so lucky. So that’s that’s how I feel. I just feel incredibly lucky.”

“The Boys'” expanded into its first proper spinoff in 2023 with “Gen V,” a live-action series centered around Godolkin University, a college for Supes every bit as corrupt as Vought International is on “The Boys.” The show features an all-new cast, but in addition to cameos from Homelander (Antony Starr), Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) and Butcher, the first season featured several “The Boys” stars prominently. And Quaid is totally down for a “Gen V”-Hughie crossover.

“I’d love to. I’d do it in a heartbeat. There’s a run in the comics where [Hougie] in the comic books where he goes almost undercover as a superhero. He puts on this outfit that fits him horribly and then tries to pose as a college student. That could be fun. I don’t know if I could pull it off looking the way that I do. I don’t know if I’m college age anymore. But hey, a man can dream.

He continued: “That shows amazing. I love that. We have another show that shares continuity with with ours and elements are mixing into one another. That’s so cool. I’m a superhero nerd. And I remember when I first saw like, Marvel doing that and it blew my mind, like it’s so cool that we are expanding our universe to fit all this and to see it all kind of come together is so cool. So when I found out that some characters from ‘Gen V’ would be coming into ‘The Boys’ Season 4 I lost my mind I just think it’s so cool that we’re doing that.”

“The Boys” Season 4 premieres on Prime Video June 13, and its already been renewed for a fifth season.

“’The Boys’ could be the best job I’ll ever have. What other show allows me to write about politics, capitalism, family and exploding genitalia, though not in that order?” “The Boys” showrunner Eric Kripke said in a statement on Monday. “The cast and crew are deeply grateful to Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios for the opportunity to tell this story for another season. My only problem is that since this year promises to be free of any conflict or misinformation, we’re not sure what to write about.”

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