New Zealand-born actor Antony Starr, best known to American audiences as arch-villain Homelander from the Prime Video superhero parody “The Boys,” says that although he’s lived in Los Angeles for the better part of a decade, his busy shooting schedules have kept him far afield for long stretches.
In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.
“The Boys,” now in the middle of production on its fifth and final season, shoots in Toronto, and Starr’s new film, “G20” — which starts streaming on Prime Video April 10 — was shot on location in Cape Town, South Africa. “So whatever time I have in L.A., I like to make the most of it,” he told The Times in a recent interview. “Because it’s my home now and I love it.”
That’s why he was enthusiastic to share what he cautioned in advance was a super-ambitious ideal Sunday itinerary.
“There are going to be some ground rules,” he said. “This is a hypothetical, so there’s going to be some time-jumping back and forth like a Marvel film, because I’m going to get it all in. [Also] there are no calories and there’s no cholesterol, OK?”
With these ground rules agreed to, Starr began to sketch out the following supes-worthy Sunday.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.
6 a.m.: “Waking Up” with the sun
I love making coffee first thing in the morning [right] before the sun comes up. And I meditate every morning. It’s an incredible way to start the day. I use an app called “Waking Up” by Sam Harris. It’s basically a library of different people taking you through guided meditations. It sounds incredibly pretentious, [but] it sets me up for the day. Then I let the dogs in[to the bedroom] and have about half an hour to just chill.
8:30 a.m.: Saddle up the Sprinter
I have a 2005 Dodge Sprinter camper van, which I’ve had since just before COVID-19. It’s been fitted out by VanCraft in San Diego, and they do a hell of a good job. It’s completely self-sufficient. It’s got a good hot shower in the back, it’s got a little kitchen and it’s got surfboard storage, which is good because I’m a surfer.
I’ve got two super mutts, Maxine and her annoying little brother, Oliver, who is from Tijuana, Mexico. I just adopted Ollie last year from a place called Pups Without Borders in Van Nuys who do an incredible job [rescuing pets]. So we all load into the van and hit the road.
9 a.m.: Pop over to Uncle Paulie’s for a Prosciutto
First I head to Uncle Paulie’s on Third Street. There’s a [sandwich there called the Prosciutto], which is just prosciutto, basil, mozzarella and a little bit of balsamic drizzle. So I get that [for later] — it’s just the first of several food stops — and then I head to King’s Road Cafe, where I’ll probably get an Americano and a croissant.
10 a.m.: A side trip to Sidecar Doughnuts
After that, we’re going to head up north, but we have to stop at Sidecar Doughnuts in Santa Monica first. My favorite is the huckleberry [doughnut]. It’s pink and got all these little bits and bobs on it, and it’s absolutely delicious. So I get that and some more coffee.
11 a.m.: Catch some waves
There’s a place in Malibu where you’re right on the border of Ventura [County] called County Line Beach. [For my ideal Sunday] there are just enough people in the water that the odds are that if a shark attacks, it might not be me. And I’ll surf for maybe an hour and a half.
If I don’t go there, I’d go to [North Beach at] Leo Carrillo [State Park], which is a nice little spot because the surf breaks really well there and it’s a dog[-friendly] beach as well. Everyone will be thrilled to know that the van is solar-power ventilated so the dogs are in wonderful shape and not locked in a stuffy car. The dogs love that beach. So we might spend an hour or two there.
1:30 p.m.: Reel in some fish and chips at Neptune’s Net
They’d take a nap while I drive up to Neptune’s Net. I’d definitely get something deep-fried with a side of chips — probably the fish and chips — and then maybe get back in the water for another 45 minutes [near there] before heading back to L.A. And, since it’s a semi-road trip, I forgot to mention that there has to be music as well.
I make a playlist that feels appropriate and character-based for every job that I do, and since the premiere of “G20” is coming up, I found my playlist for that and now I’m obsessing over it again. It’s got Filter’s “Hey Man Nice Shot” on it, some Danzig, Foo Fighters, a New Zealand band called Headless Chickens, Iggy Pop, Joy Division, Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, a little bit of Rammstein. It’s quite hard and quite moody — a lot like my character in the movie.
4 p.m.: Catch a flick at IPIC
There’s a [movie theater] I’ve only been to a few times called IPIC Theaters [in Westwood]; it’s got super-comfortable chairs and a dine-in option as well. I’m not that interested in the food part, but I will completely overload on popcorn — as many refills as I can get. It’s my Kryptonite. But on this [ideal Sunday] it won’t make me feel sick.
The last movie I saw was probably “Nosferatu” — though I’m not sure if I saw it there or somewhere else. I don’t get to the movies as much as I’d like, and I thought this movie was good for all the reasons other people didn’t like it.
6 p.m. Go full Princess and the Pea
Once I get out of there, it’s probably nap time because basically, if I wasn’t going out on this particular Sunday, I would have spent the whole day watching movies in bed. I went crazy recently and turned my bed into a full nest — I think it must be because I’m getting older — so I’ve got one of those memory-foam mattresses and recently found this blanket that’s like a [cross between] a quilt and a big super-soft throw. [And] all of a sudden I’ve turned into the Princess and the Pea. If I don’t wake up from that [nap and sleep through the night] it could, realistically be the end of the day. It’s kind of a roll of the dice. [Otherwise] there are two options.
7 p.m.: More movies or motor to El Compadre
Option A would be that I wake up, roll over, flick the TV on and put on a movie. My favorites are “The Mission” and “Goodfellas,” so it would probably be one of those two. [Option B would be] I drag my raggedy butt out of bed, call a couple of friends and head to a [restaurant] not too far away from me called El Compadre [in Hollywood].
It’s simple, there’s no pretense, there’s no BS. I love their booths, it feels like it’s been there [forever] and they have a live Mexican band. They’ve got a shrimp cocktail there that, when it comes out, it’s like a meal in itself. It reminds me of the shrimp cocktail at this little chain back in New Zealand called Cobb & Co. that my parents used to take us to.
8:30 p.m: Circle back to that doughnut
Because I’m only 20% to 30% social animal, I’m done by 8:30 [p.m.]. An hour and a half is quite a long time for me to socialize. Then it’s [home and] more dogs. They come in and are allowed up on the bed.
There’s a good chance that there’s some kind of sugar at the end of the day. Probably some hot chocolate — I make my own because I don’t like it too sweet. It’s basically just cacao [powder], milk and a little bit of sweetener. And that’s probably when that Sidecar doughnut [I’ve been carrying around all day] comes in. Then it would probably be lights out at about 10:30 p.m. — I might not even finish a movie — because I tend to get up pretty early in the morning.
