It’s finally upon us, the final episode of The Boys. With season five, the series comes to a close, and many have been waiting patiently to see how things end – especially what the end of the show means for some of our favourite characters, like Black Noir II, portrayed by Nathan Mitchell.
If you’ve been following the series, you’ll know that The Boys has been quite the journey for Mitchell’s characters, Black Noir and Black Noir II. Ahead of the series finale, I had the opportunity to chat with him about saying goodbye to both versions of Black Noir, storytelling without words (for the most part), and what he will miss most about stepping into the suit.
Watch the full interview with Nathan Mitchell below:
When asked about what it was like setting foot on set, knowing this would be the last time he would play Black Noir, Mitchell said, “It was nostalgic. It was a little sad. You know, because you know it’s the last season, and like you come in with all the experience and all the knowledge, and of the first four, knowing, it’s only gonna be going for so long. And there’s like a gratefulness you have, and a joy, but also you know it’s gonna end, and it’s tough.”
Mostly masked and without much dialogue for most of the seasons, Mitchell learned a lot about acting and telling a story without words.
“What it’s taught me is that it’s so important, from an acting perspective, to have a clear want, you know? To have inner thoughts, to have opinions about things, you know? And, I think, as an actor, it’s so easy to just kind of rely on the words and get lost in the words or your face. When you don’t have that, it’s like, what are the structures that actually make up a character, you know? Like when you’re not doing anything, how do you still stay compelling in some way, you know? So, it’s really forced and allowed me to really explore those questions, and connect the deeper underlying things that make a character,” Mitchell shared.
Throughout The Boys, Mitchell has portrayed two versions of Black Noir. He told me about his approach to playing both Black Noir and Black Noir II.
“You know, I think you know with Noir One, it’s like I had to A: dig, but B: follow my instincts, and like how I feel in this suit, what parts of myself does it bring out, you know? How do I subvert expectations from what we think we’re going to get with the persona like this to who he actually is, right? And then, when we get to season four, and we’re dealing with a new Noir, it’s like, yes, it’s a totally different person, but we’re also building on this foundation of this Noir we know, and we’re expecting. So, how can I again subvert expectations of what we think we’re going to get, what we think we’re going to see, and how do I flip that, right?” Mitchell began.
Mitchell continued, “So it’s like, okay, Noir one was stoic and badass, and he had aura, and he just had the swagger that you’re like, ‘Oh, cool, like this guy could cut you up in a second,’ you know? Then how can I create something different with new Noir, and so when with OG Noir being experienced, new Noir was inexperienced with OG Noir being okay with killing, and like, no, like totally fine with it. New Noir’s like, ‘I don’t know if I want to do this.’ How do I do this, right? And so, like, cool versus a little bumbling stoic versus like, can’t stop, you know?”
Of course, there’s something about a superhero suit that will always be hard to forget. Mitchell told me about what he will miss the most about suiting up as Black Noir.
Mitchell said, “Bad ass. What I’ll miss? Yeah, just being in a superhero ninja costume, you know? Like, eventually you kind of feel at one with your suit, you know? It’s like you feel like you’re in this cozy thing, and then you look at yourself in the mirror and, like, ‘Oh, I look badass and terrifying,’ you know?”
Mitchell went on to say that being a superhero has always been a dream since he was young.
Mitchell shared, “And yeah, being a superhero has been a dream of mine since I was very young, so to get to be one in such a cool character that has, like, you know, become iconic in his own way is really special, you know? And, I think these superheroes, these characters, are going to just live on, you know, after these roles and exist in their own right, and be there for people to appreciate. And it’s so great to have been a part of that, and to be able to see that they’ll have, you know, this show, and these characters will have their own legacy.”