"It's Not Going to Be a Fairytale Ending": Jack Quaid Teases Crazy Final Season of The Boys

0:01 -Jack Quaid, welcome to the show, my friend.

0:02 -Hi!

0:02 It's so great to be here, man.

0:04 -It's nice to see you.

0:05 -Nice to see you.

0:06 We— This is our first time really meeting, but you and I have shared the screen.

0:10 -We actually have.

0:11 -Yeah.

0:11 You were in the very first episode of "The Boys." You were playing yourself.

0:14 -Thank you.

0:15 -Jimmy Fallon is canon in the "Boys" universe, which is great.

0:18 -Yes.

0:18 -And you— Yeah, you crushed it.

0:20 You were interviewing Translucent here.

0:22 -I was.

0:23 Translucent was there.

0:23 -And I was watching you on a screen.

0:25 So I think we've kind of shared— We're scene partners.

0:27 -Yeah, we're scene partners.

0:28 -Yeah!

0:28 Fantastic!

0:28 -Nice to finally see you.

0:29 Thanks for being here.

0:30 -Of course.

0:32 -Jack, I want to ask you a bunch of things about "The Boys," too,

0:35 but I also want— I know you're into improv comedy.

0:39 -Yeah, I do a lot of sketch, but, occasionally,

0:41 someone will have me on their improv show.

0:43 And, recently, this was really, really cool.

0:46 There's this amazing comedian named Connor Ratliff.

0:49 Does all these shows out here.

0:50 Yeah, we have some fans in the audience.

0:51 -Yeah, alright, good.

0:53 -He does this thing called "The George Lucas Talk Show."

0:55 He does this amazing podcast called "Dead Eyes." But, recently,

0:58 he had me on a show called "The Acting Class." It's like a fake acting class.

1:02 And it gave me the opportunity to do improv with my mom, which was insane.

1:08 -Who is the coolest.

1:09 The one-and-only Meg Ryan.

1:10 -Of course.

1:10 -Come on, now!

1:11 -Oh!

1:12 Cheers and applause] -We love her.

1:14 -Yeah, it was great.

1:15 She was— -How was she?

1:16 -It was— She was amazing.

1:17 She got, like— I mean, no surprise, but, like, giant laughs.

1:21 -Yeah, she knows how to do it.

1:22 -She didn't really know what it was, 'cause I wasn't pitching it well,

1:25 but she was like, "I just want to be part of your world.

1:28 I just want to see what you do." And she crushed it.

1:31 -Yeah.

1:31 -It was amazing.

1:32 -Of course she does.

1:33 When did you first get into sketch comedy?

1:35 -I first got into sketch comedy when I— Like, when I was a kid,

1:38 I would make, like, movies on my— you know,

1:40 like, a video camcorder with my friends.

1:42 -Yeah.

1:42 -I made like a 50-minute-long movie

1:45 with my friends called "Bicycle Cops." It's technically

1:49 a "comedy." And you get to watch us go through puberty in real time.

1:54 -Wow!

1:54 -'Cause we shot in sequence.

1:56 We didn't know that you could do it out of sequence.

1:57 -50.

1:58 Five-zero minutes?

1:59 -Five-zero.

1:59 -Wow!

2:00 -It's not good at all.

2:01 -No, no, no.

2:03 -No, no.

2:04 -That's good and long.

2:04 -Yeah, very good and long.

2:06 And then I got to NYU and I got into the sketch comedy group,

2:10 Hammerkatz, so every month, I was, like, doing a sketch show, which was amazing.

2:14 -I think I know Hammerkatz.

2:16 -Yeah.

2:16 There's, like, a lot of people have come from it.

2:18 Like, back in the day, it was, like, Donald Glover.

2:20 Then it was Rachel Bloom.

2:21 -Yes.

2:22 -I got there and I was with, like,

2:24 Oscar winner Steph Hsu, Bowen Yang, Matt Rogers.

2:29 And then after us were, like, the Please Don't Destroy kids.

2:32 -Oh, yeah.

2:32 -Yeah, it was a blast.

2:34 I loved doing it, truly.

2:35 -Your first thing that you ever starred

2:37 in was a show called "Vinyl," which I loved.

2:39 -Yeah.

2:39 Thank you.

2:40 You were the one person that watched it.

2:41 -Yes.

2:41 -I really appreciate that.

2:42 Thank you.

2:44 -It was by Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger.

2:45 -Mick Jagger was a producer.

2:46 Yeah.

2:47 It was incredible.

2:47 -I would do anything if they were— That's a great party to be at.

2:51 -It was great.

2:51 It took place in the '70s.

2:52 It was about the music industry.

2:54 And I remember, like, yeah, Mick Jagger was a producer.

2:56 I'm like 22.

2:57 This is my first show.

2:58 I'm so intimidated by literally everything and everyone.

3:01 -Yeah, of course.

3:02 -And I remember wrapping a scene one day, and, you know,

3:05 Mick Jagger would come by set sometimes, but you never really expected him.

3:08 And I remember walking down a hallway, just having wrapped a scene,

3:10 and then he came around the corner and just went, "Great scene." Yeah!" -Wow.

3:14 -And no one prepared me for Mick Jagger whatsoever.

3:18 -No.

3:18 -No.

3:19 -What do you even do then?

3:20 Do you just— -You go like, "Yeah." -Yeah.

3:23 "Thank you." [As Jagger] Great scene.

3:25 That was the one.

3:26 That was great.

3:27 Yeah, great.

3:27 -It's like I'm back there.

3:28 It's insane.

3:29 Normal voice] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

3:30 -But, like, in reality, he probably was like, "Great scene." -Yeah.

3:32 But in your story— -Oh, I filled in dancing.

3:35 -He's up onstage.

3:36 -Yeah.

3:36 Pointing his fingers.

3:37 -The fingers.

3:38 Yeah.

3:38 He's so cool.

3:39 You also— You posted a few video-game...

3:44 -Yes.

3:45 -...photographs.

3:46 -There's a thing called, like, photo mode or virtual photography.

3:50 This is the single nerdiest thing on the planet, and I'm very into it.

3:54 It was like a COVID hobby that I got into where,

3:57 you know, video games— You play games.

3:59 -I love games.

4:00 -Like, giant worlds where you can pause the game and then enter photo mode,

4:04 which is like you are a camera in the 3-D

4:07 space and you can play around with lenses and filters.

4:09 And this is so nerdy, I know.

4:11 -I know, but I like hearing this type of stuff.

4:13 -But it's like— I started really getting into it in COVID.

4:16 And, yeah, these are some of the photos I took of a "Spider-Man" game.

4:20 But it's nuts.

4:23 Yeah, Spider-Man's outside right now.

4:24 -Yeah, this is Radio City.

4:26 Exactly.

4:26 We know this.

4:27 Dude, these are great photos.

4:28 -Yeah.

4:29 They're fun.

4:30 Like, I'm not claiming, like, I'm the best at this.

4:31 This is a whole community of people.

4:33 -I think you're pretty darn good.

4:35 -Yes.

4:36 -That's a great one.

4:37 -You gotta have him relaxing.

4:38 -Just lounging.

4:38 -Yeah.

4:39 -Yeah, exactly.

4:39 Yeah.

4:39 -Doesn't even take off the uniform.

4:41 -No, of course.

4:41 -That's who he is.

4:42 -It's comfy, yeah.

4:43 Let's talk about "The Boys." -Yes.

4:45 -It's brilliant.

4:46 The final season.

4:47 I'm bummed that it's the final,

4:48 but I'm psyched that it's coming back, because I want— I love it.

4:51 -Yeah.

4:51 Yeah.

4:51 -It's coming out next week.

4:53 And, so, what was it like shooting that?

4:55 Did you and the cast— I mean, you obviously know that it's ending.

4:58 -Yeah, we know it's ending.

4:59 Thank God we knew going in, and this is like,

5:01 you know, Eric Kripke's intentional ending for the show.

5:04 Like, we're ending on our own terms, which is just so special.

5:07 It never gets to happen in TV anymore.

5:09 -Yeah.

5:09 -But it was great.

5:11 Like, I've known these people for like nine years.

5:13 It's like five seasons,

5:14 but it's been nine years of just being on this absolutely insane show.

5:19 -Are you totally— It is an insane show.

5:22 -Yeah.

5:22 -Are you all bonded?

5:24 -We're so bonded.

5:24 We do this thing now when— You know,

5:27 we shoot really long hours, and once we hit around 2:00 a.m.,

5:31 we're just trying to, like, keep each other awake and keep each other laughing.

5:34 So we enter this phase, which I like to call "goof hour," where we are

5:37 just trying to make each other laugh at all costs.

5:39 So there was a moment this season where I just started doing this thing.

5:43 I could sense everyone was dozing off.

5:45 Are you familiar with the Gingerbread Man from "Shrek"?

5:48 -Of course.

5:49 -Okay.

5:50 So I would just— out of nowhere would just go.

5:53 "Do you know the Muffin Man?" They're like,

5:57 "What are you talking about?" And I'd be like, "The Muffin Man!

6:02 Don't tell him anything!

6:04 And that was, like— The cast loved it.

6:08 Crew, not so much.

6:10 -Okay.

6:10 Yeah.

6:10 -But, yeah, that kept everybody's spirits up.

6:12 It was good.

6:13 Yeah.

6:13 -Yeah.

6:13 But how about the show becomes a hit and people dress up as you for Halloween?

6:17 -Yes.

6:17 It's the highest form of flattery, in my opinion.

6:21 It's like— Because when I was a kid, I had a year, when I was like 4 years old,

6:25 where I dressed up like Buzz Lightyear, like, every day.

6:28 It was insane.

6:29 I was Buzz, okay?

6:31 -Yes.

6:31 -You can't tell me different.

6:32 -Yeah.

6:33 But, no, seeing people dress up— So I know what that means,

6:35 and seeing people dress up as, you know,

6:37 Hughie, but, like, honestly, any character from the show,

6:40 like, it's the highest honor.

6:42 So thank you so much to all the fans who have ever done that.

6:45 That's insane.

6:48 -In a normal superhero show,

6:50 everyone usually lives happily ever after at the end.

6:52 -Sure.

6:53 -Is that something that we can expect?

6:55 -No.

6:55 In no way.

6:56 No.

6:57 It's "The Boys." You know, it's not going to be a fairy-tale ending...

7:01 -Really?

7:01 -...in any regard.

7:03 But, yeah, like, no, this is the final season, and we really do mean that.

7:08 There are characters— I won't say who, but who meet their end.

7:12 And it's crazy.

7:14 It's really, really nuts.

7:15 And it was emotional.

7:17 Like, you know, I'm covered in blood a lot on the show.

7:20 And it was so weird to, you know,

7:22 be covered in blood and various goos and then to just,

7:26 like, also be emotional about that where I'm like,

7:28 "I'm really gonna miss this." And I'm just drenched head-to-toe.

7:31 -You were drenched in fake blood.

7:32 -Yeah.

7:32 But it's like— It's just been the honor of my life.

7:34 Like, I truly love this show and everyone involved.

7:36 -Yeah, you and the cast are fantastic.

7:39 You knock it out of the park on the show.

7:40 You're very, very talented.

7:41 I want to show a clip.

7:42 Here's Jack Quaid in Season 5 of "The Boys." Take a look.

7:46 -Hughie, none of the FBSA people are ever getting out.

7:50 It's hopeless.

7:52 -Look...

7:53 I should be the last guy who has any hope.

7:55 I've been strangled by Ezekiel.

7:57 I've been hunted by Noir, chased by sharks inside of a whale,

8:01 shot at by Russians, almost blown up at Herogasm, and lasered at Vought on Ice.

8:06 Look, the point is...

8:07 Oh, and one time, I had to sit naked on a chocolate cake.

8:09 It's a long story.

8:10 The point is...

8:11 by all sane logic, I should be dead.

8:14 Or crazy.

8:15 Or both.

8:16 -Then why aren't you?

8:17 -Because if you lose hope in here, you're not going to make it.

8:20 -Jack Quaid, everybody!

8:23 The fifth and final season of "The Boys"

8:25 begins streaming April 8th on Prime Video.

8:28 We'll be right back with more "Tonight Show," everybody.

8:30 Come on back.