That ‘The Boys’ Season 2 Finale Reveal Blew Claudia Doumit’s Mind, Too

The Boys Season 2 sure did end with a bloody bang! But really, you didn’t expect a season filled with as many twists as The Boys‘ sophomore outing to end with all debts paid and the dust settled, did you? We know Season 3 is coming, and the final moments of Season 2 promise that the next batch of episodes—whenever they may drop—are gonna be wilder than ever.

In the aftermath of Season 2’s grand finale, Decider got a chance to speak with the actor at the calm in the middle of the show’s storm: Claudia Doumit. Oh—and SPOILERS from here on out, okay? After previously working with showrunner Eric Kripke on the cult hit Timeless, Doumit joined The Boys in the recurring role of Congresswoman Victoria Neuman. She’s young, she’s fearless, she’s full of conviction, she—is a supe?! Yeah—I warned you about spoilers!

The final moments of Season 2 tie up one of the show’s biggest mystery: who’s the supe going around blowing up heads from a distance, like a sinister version of that Kids in the Hall sketch? Turns out it was none other than the Boys’ unlikely ally in taking down Vought, Victoria Neuman! Doumit obviously had lots to say about that big reveal, as well as her approach to playing a character that is basically Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, but in a world with a sociopathic, egotistical Superman on the loose. What was it like sharing a stage with Homelander and buckets of blood? Claudia Doumit let us know.

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Decider: How did you get involved with The Boys? Were you into season one?

Claudia Doumit: Oh, god yes. [Laughs] I devoured Season 1 in a day and a half, which is probably not the healthiest thing, but it was a fun ride. I loved it. I loved it from the very beginning.

And you worked with Boys showrunner Eric Kripke before on Timeless.

Yeah, I’m a fan all around.

How did you get the role of Victoria? Did Eric just call you up? 

No! [Laughs] It was definitely something I wanted. I originally came in to audition for Season 1, for the PR woman [Ashley]. I rightfully didn’t get it. I could never be a PR person. I’m terrible at it. Never hire me as PR! Colby Minifie does that brilliantly and perfectly. And then I got the audition for Neuman and I thought, “This is the one. This is it. I can tap into this. This is brilliant.” And I just went in and wore this suit and did my thing, and then I got the call.

In the comic books, Victoria Neuman was Victor Neuman and resembled George W. Bush. Of course, a lot has changed in the past 15 years, and your character is drastically different. How did you approach playing a version of Victor Neuman? Did you pull anything from the comics?

No. That sounds so depressing! No, I didn’t know the comic books at all! [Laughs] No, I didn’t look at it from a comic book standpoint. I don’t read the comics. I know I’m terrible. I’m fake, I’m false, I’m a phony! But I also didn’t approach Victoria Neuman from a political standpoint, either.

I drew certain mannerisms and attributes from politicians, of course. And of course, AOC falls into that. I watched a lot of her speeches and how she carries herself and all that stuff. But I approached Neuman more from a humanity standpoint, which is what I do with all my characters. I think what makes a person tick and what drives them is the most interesting thing. I want to know the why. Like, why she is a politician is far more interesting to me than her being a politician. The why behind what she is, and what she presents to the world is what I really like to dig into with a character, so I just kind of go from that.

The Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez similarities are definitely there. Homelander mentions Neuman’s viral dance video. How close did you want your performance be to the real AOC? 

I think I wanted to draw specific things from AOC, more what she represents, which is, you know, she’s a young, progressive woman in politics. She has a certain voice that people love and are drawn to. She’s kind of this lovely new niche in politics this very current voice in politics. And I think that’s what the show is going for more so. I mean, yes, AOC is the model that they would use for [Neuman], but I think it’s more what she represents that [the writers] want to communicate because the show was so timely. I think they want voices and characters that are also timely and represent those issues.

What was it like shooting that big political speech scene in front of a big crowd? And on top of that, you have Antony Starr there as Homelander.

Honestly? All I was focusing on that day was how cold it was. [Laughs] Which is actually amazing because it is such a big scene.

There’s so many people and it feels so grand of a moment, but honestly, it was the coldest—god, I don’t remember what the date was. Let’s just say it was like, the coldest July 14. I have no idea when we were filming. I have no concept of time. It was the coldest July 14 on record in Toronto in the past 20 years, so literally all I was focusing on in that scene was trying to keep my teeth from chattering. I was like, “Just get through this, just do it.” So a lot of my enthusiasm was just to keep warm!

The Boys is a very practical effects heavy show and a very gory show. What was the grossest thing that you saw on set while you were filming?

Just the prosthetics. The bodies that they used in the hearing, seeing their heads pop and then exploding everywhere, was so lifelike. So it wasn’t gory. It wasn’t like, “Oh! Oh God!” I was like, “Ah! This is a little too real.”

Were dummy heads actually exploding around you during that scene?

No. I remember we came back from lunch and there was just blood all over the floor, and bodies decapitated. And I was like, “Okay, all right, cool. This is what we’re doing. Sweet.” So they had pre-set it. And also, a lot of it is CGI, I would assume. The blood splatter was from a gun, though.

I remember they said, “Look, we’ve only got one good take at this. So we’re going to shoot you in the face. Don’t anticipate it.” And I was like, “Okay, we’ve got one shot.” I’m like, “Great! Okay, cool.” That was really how they did it. And I was very proud of myself, because I didn’t anticipate it. So thank god. I only got shot with blood.

Season 2 ends with a big reveal that’s tied into that head-exploding scene: you’re the head exploder! Victoria Neuman is a supe. Can you just talk about what it was like finding that out—and give any hints about what might be next for your character?

Um, I have no idea what’s coming next! And I had no idea that my character was the one exploding heads until I read it in the script. I had no idea! I booked the job, and I just thought she was this cool congresswoman coming in. And then I got the episode—I got the script and I was like, “Oh, she’s a fuckin’ supe!” So I had no idea. I was completely clueless. I just remember everyone being excited about it. They’re like, “Neuman! Yeah, we’re so excited. We’re so excited.” I’m like, “Yeah! Me too! So excited too.” [Laughs] And then I found out that she’s blowing up heads. And I was like, “Oh, yes! That is exciting!” So that was great news. And it also worked very well because up until the end, you’re not supposed to suspect that she’s doing any of that. And so I think that worked very well, because it was the reality of my situation. Season 3, I have no idea. I’m completely in the dark. I probably won’t know what happens until Episode 6 of Season 3, you know? I’ve got no idea, but I’m very excited.

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