Ethan Peck, known for playing Spock in Star Trek series, and Patrick Schwarzenegger, star of The White Lotus, both auditioned for major parts in the first season of Prime Video's The Boys. Peck nearly landed the role of The Deep, while Schwarzenegger tried out for Homelander.
Prime Video's The Boys has featured intense performances from Chace Crawford as The Deep and Antony Starr as Homelander across four seasons, with a fifth upcoming. However, other actors came close to these roles early on. At Dragon Con 2022, Ethan Peck, who portrayed Spock on Paramount+'s Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, revealed his audition experiences. He stated, “I was of a smaller few [group of actors] to be considered for Captain America many years ago, which stands out,” and added, “And also, I came pretty close to the role of The Deep in 'The Boys.'” (via The Direct). Peck did not book the part, which went to Crawford. Separately, Patrick Schwarzenegger, familiar from The Boys spin-off Gen V and The White Lotus, auditioned for Homelander. On the Happy Sad Confused podcast, he downplayed the rejection: “It was nothing. We audition for hundreds of things, and we get 1% — less than a percent — of what we audition for.” Producers later cast him in Gen V.