‘The Boys’ Star on Unmasking Black Noir & Potential for

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for The Boys Season 4, Episode 6, “Dirty Business.”]

The Boys finally let one of its long-running stars show their face onscreen with the recent Season 4 episode, “Dirty Business,” as the new Black Noir unmasked his face, revealing star Nathan Mitchell.

While fans haven’t seen his face onscreen until now, Mitchell has portrayed Black Noir in both iterations: the silent soldier who got off on violent assignments and the actor version who was hired to portray Black Noir after Homelander (Antony Starr) killed him in Season 3. Without much to say onscreen until now, Mitchell is finally getting a chance to open up about bringing the curious character to life. Below, he opens up about his reaction to learning he’d continue on in the role of Black Noir, whether the actor he’s portraying has a name, hopes for a possible Gen V crossover, and much more.

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Black Noir fully died in Season 3. What was your reaction to learning you’d return as the new Black Noir?

Nathan Mitchell: When I first got the news [that Black Noir was going to die in Season 3] my heart dropped, but the good news [was] they said, “We’re going to do something new with the role, and you’ll still be here regardless, but you have two choices: You can be Noir under the mask in Season 3, or you can be Noir under the mask in Season 4 and going forward after that. So initially, having been so connected to old Noir, to Irving, I was like, “I’ll be the Season 3 version of Noir. I’m going to go down with this character.”

And then I took a day and [decided I] should be the new Noir. So I took a day or two to mourn old Noir and accepted [the] new Noir. And it’s been so much fun because I get to take my experience as an actor in this role and [ask questions like] “How do I get into this role? What do they want me to do here? How do I approach this character?” There’s no conflict in the same way that there is in the story, but it is fun to get to play with those questions you have as an actor and externalize them.

An audition tape for your character was unveiled. Does he have an official name yet? And what was it like getting to embrace new physicality with the role?

There is no character name at all yet. He’s just new Noir to me. But yes, that tape was a fun [behind-the-scenes] thing that we did. But in terms of the mannerisms, it’s funny because it is like I get to bring more of my mannerisms to this character because he’s more of a normal, everyday person. Getting to highlight his unique brand of quirkiness is fun because with old Noir there was more of a stillness. I loved that the more still you are, the more meaningful a tilt of the head is, every single motion matters. New Noir is a little freer, he’s able to flow some more. So it’s fun being more expressive and getting to do that with this character. The old one was still fun, but this is just a little more freedom of expression.

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This new version of Noir is narcoleptic. Am I right in believing this is a character trait pulled from your own life?

Yeah, it is. It’s funny because [when I] talk to my friends who are now seeing the season, they’ll laugh with me and they’re like, “Yeah, I remember when we were in high school and you’d come to parties and just nap on the couch.” So it’s something I’ve been doing my entire life just taking little naps here and there. And I even forget these things. So when my friends tell me these stories, I’m like, “Oh yeah, that really is me.” The writers are so great. They see us and take unique parts of our personality and they insert them into the roles in really fun, creative ways. It’s a cool character trait that I’m glad we get to explore.

Did it feel foreign speaking while wearing the mask?

Yeah, it was, I’ve always wanted to do it. I remember the first few episodes I’m like, “Wait, I’m speaking, am I supposed to be doing this?” So it took me a little while to adjust, like, “Oh yeah, I can be here and take up this space and voice this character.” And what’s also funny is when I read my dialogue, I was like, “Wow, Eric [Kripke] knows me better than I thought he did because this is exactly what I would say at this moment.” He’s really on point in terms of how he writes to us and for us and merges the character with who we are as people.

New Noir really nailed the audition pic.twitter.com/9ioEwhP246

— THE BOYS (@TheBoysTV) July 6, 2024

In your character’s audition tape, he mentions being a God U alum. Any hope to pop up in Gen V? Or does your character not get any time off from The Seven?

It’s definitely possible. We’ll have to wait and see. I think now that he’s unmasked, there are a bunch of possibilities and a lot of different avenues we can explore with Noir and the other characters in the show and in the universe. So yeah, I’d love to see that too.

What has it been like getting to build Noir’s relationship with The Deep (Chace Crawford) this season?

It was so much fun. I love Chace. I love working with him. He’s such a great guy. And just as friends, we have a great camaraderie and relationship. As an actor, I admire his work so much. His work, it’s so specific, he’s so funny, he’s so good. And when I found I was going to have as many scenes with him as I did. I was overjoyed. I think you can see our real-life relationship leading into the scenes. You can just see that bond and I love that dynamic. I love that duo.

Your character mentions that he can fly more than once. Do you have any desire to explore that onscreen or do you want to avoid the discomfort of filming in a harness?

Well, being on a harness is a rare experience, so there’s always a part of you that wants to have those experiences. People often describe it as very uncomfortable. And when you think about it practically, you don’t necessarily get to take a break when you’re on the harness that’s just digging into your legs with gravity pulling you down. There’s the balancing aspect. Being good at being on the harness is its own thing.

It’s definitely an art form. What can you tease for the remaining Season 4 episodes?

Oh, man. I think  The Boys are pushed to a place that they’ve never been before. I think The Seven and Vought are growing into the most power they’ve ever had. So as we get towards the end of the season, we’re getting into a more and more chaotic and unpredictable place where the stakes are the highest they’ve ever been. And also the challenge of taking down Homelander and the rest of The Seven and Vought is as hard as it’s ever been. We are in the end game now and it’s going to be a ride.

The Boys, Season 4, New Episodes, Thursdays, Prime Video

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