The Boys' Eric Kripke And Karl Urban On Soldier Boy's Vocals And Jensen Ackles Stories - Exclusive Interview

This interview contains mild spoilers for "The Boys" Season 3, Episode 7.

Eric Kripke has upped the ante from what he could get away with on network TV with shows like "Supernatural" to delightfully twisted levels on "The Boys" — and fans can't get enough. Whether The Deep is getting frisky with sea creatures or a Supe is murdering a nun, the typical TV red tape is almost nonexistent on this Prime Video series.

Fans fell in love with Kripke's incredible worldbuilding through shows like "Supernatural," "Revolution," and "Timeless." However, "The Boys" is his first significant series created for streaming. Fans are getting a glimpse at just how far Kripke can push the envelope without a network peering through the back window — and it's magnificent to watch. In addition to his hefty TV portfolio, Kripke wrote the screenplay for the film "The House with a Clock in Its Walls" along with the 2005 "Boogeyman" series. 

Luckily for fans, Kripke often spotlights actors he's previously worked with on new projects, which is how "Supernatural" staple Jensen Ackles became Soldier Boy on "The Boys." Ackles debuted the wicked Supe this season, featuring numerous scenes alongside Karl Urban: The Boys' leader Billy Butcher. 

Urban is a Hollywood staple in his own right, having played Julius Caesar in "Xena: Warrior Princess," Eomer in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, and Bones in the 2009 "Star Trek" films. He even played Skurge in "Thor: Ragnarok." Urban has been around the Hollywood block more than a few times, and there was no one better to take on the lovably gruff and fairly emotionally stunted role of Billy Butcher. 

Unsurprisingly, Ackles and Urban shine together on screen, but it sounds like their offscreen dynamic was a tad less explosive than their onscreen counterparts. What better way for Soldier Boy to wade through his emotional trauma than by releasing a slew of problematic (and terrible) music videos?  Looper spoke to Urban and Kripke during an exclusive interview where the duo dished on working with Jensen Ackles. Kripke also mapped out his inspiration for Soldier Boy's vocal performances, revealed why he made Ackles a bad onscreen singer again, and even shed some light on that nun murder scene.

Eric, Jensen is a really talented singer, but this is the second time you've made his character a dicey belter, this time with Blondie. Were there any fun moments working with him on set again, and did he rib you at all for making him a bad onscreen singer again?

Eric Kripke: [Laughs] No. He can save his skilled singing for off-camera. Soldier Boy is a pompous piece of s***. It's like ... It feels wrong for him to have been an amazing singer, and what felt right is for him to completely appropriate other people's culture for his own benefit — hence, him rapping the way Blondie did [laughs], which is insane. It's insane. Wait until Episode 7 airs, but his "Calypso" number — Robert Mitchum has an album called "Calypso – Is Like So..." where he did that song. 

If you look at the album cover, we absolutely recreated it for Jensen's sequence, and it's bananas because Robert Mitchum is doing an entire album with a Caribbean Patois. He is like, "Hey, man," and it's the craziest thing for Robert Mitchum to do [laughs], and I couldn't wait to get that in the show. I'd been trying a million times this season until that was the right spot. I can't have Jensen sing well. It ruins the joke.

Karl, you had some great, intense, and comedic moments with Jensen's Soldier Boy. What was that like, and did either of you improv or ad-lib during any of those moments?

Karl Urban: I loved working with Jensen. I was warned by Krip that he was a great guy and a real solid professional player, and Jensen came to set and was immediately part of the family. He fit in like he'd been there since day one. One of the aspects that I really most appreciated about him when we were working is he has this innate ability to look at a situation. 

If, for whatever reason, there is something that's not working, he will come up with some pretty solid ideas as to how to make it work. He proved himself to be a valued member of the team, and I certainly hope that we get the opportunity to work with him again. In terms of him cracking jokes, I could always remember pretty much at the end of every single take, Jensen would do some wacky thing and crack the crew up, and he was good value, good to have around.

Eric, I wanted to congratulate you for brutally murdering a nun onscreen, because I know that's been on your bucket list since the "Lucifer Rising" episode [of "Supernatural"].

Kripke: Right?! When I was a young child growing up, I thought, "If only I could make it to Hollywood and murder some nuns." And they tell you dreams don't come true. They tell you this isn't the magic factory, but it really is.

New episodes of "The Boys" stream Fridays on Prime Video. 

This interview has been edited for clarity.