Erin Moriarty, the actress behind Starlight, discusses The Boys' Call of Duty: Mobile collaboration

• The Boys returns to Call of Duty once more, this time on mobile
• Black Noir, Homelander and Starlight feature as playable characters
• And we got the chance to chat with Starlight actress Erin Moriarty about the collab

Whether it's the hit television show headed by Eric Kripke or the frankly pitch-black world of the comics, The Boys has taken a sledgehammer to the notion of superheroes in the public consciousness. But ironically, the tale of commercialised 'heroes' with a darker side has also been a big money spinner itself.

Case in point being their collaboration with Call of Duty. Now, fans on mobile can head into battle as Black Noir, Homelander or Starlight armed with custom weaponry based on their favourite character in Call of Duty: Mobile. So, naturally, we wondered what the original actors thought of all this.

Well, luckily enough, we actually had the chance to sit down with none other than Erin Moriarty, who portrayed plucky young superhero turned freedom fighter Starlight in the show, to find out her thoughts on the return of the collaboration for mobile.

So, to start, what was the process of appearing in Call of Duty Mobile like? How did it feel appearing in a video game after being an actor mainly in live action?

It was different because the process of acting in a video game is a little bit different. You first get your face scanned so that they can match your likeness, and then I recorded my lines. So that obviously when people are playing the game as you [Starlight], it does really genuinely feel like you. I didn't go through some of the processes that some actors do when they incorporate their own physical movement

It was really fun because any time I ever get to play Starlight or Annie in any capacity beyond the show just allows me to live in her shoes for a little bit longer. And even though the acting component of my placement in Call of Duty was a few years ago, and they're using those lines for Call of Duty Mobile, in retrospect, any time I had with her was kind of precious. So it was a cool opportunity to just play her in another world and in this very cool, collaborative worlds colliding kind of way.

Given that The Boys often lampoons superhero pop culture, was there ever any discussion amongst cast and crew about video games besides the brief cameo of the VoughtStation 5? 

Yeah, you know it's funny [but] we didn't mention video games. I feel like it's just because the world of video games felt less like a medium that we felt gave us this opportunity on a silver platter that felt very obvious to satirise. But I wouldn't be surprised [if they were ever] going back [to the topic] with certain characters at certain points, because there are many characters who are in The Seven and exploited for their super stardom.

Everyone on our show was a super fan (pun intended) of video games. So it [was more] framed like video games were one of the things that I think were the bonding points of many of our actors. 

Given the length of time that can be taken between scenes, were there any games you and the rest of the cast ever played during breaks together or alone?

You know what's so funny is we literally only played Backgammon. We didn't play anything on our screens because I think at that moment in time we were looking for something outside of our screens to [do].

But I know for a fact that many of my coworkers would go home at the end of the day and play video games, like Call of Duty, as a sort of nice way to escape. I feel like the thing about games like Call of Duty, which is a testament to how well they're formulated and how well they're made, is the intensity of them.

And I feel like if any of us were to play Call of Duty or anything adjacent, like a [shooter] mobile game, we would show up on sets so revved up based on what has transpired between takes that it would infuse the scenes that we were working on after playing the game. Do you know what I mean? Because they're so well made and so immersive, it's hard not to get sucked in. 

And you’ve actually played Call of Duty yourself, according to a previous interview. Do you still play it very often, and how are you doing at it?

I mean, I'm a novice, like I'm very new to Call of Duty Duty and Call of Duty Mobile, very, very, very new. So I would say that I am at a very, very beginner stage, very beginner stage. Like I'm still getting to know all the lingo, I'm still getting to know the concepts behind it.

Which is kind of why Call of Duty Mobile resonated with me, because I love the idea of this accessible version of it, not necessarily an easier version of it, but just like this kind that you can play on your phone. For someone who's a novice like me, it just felt like an accessible way into that world. 

And was it a surprise to hear they wanted to bring back The Boys collab after it debuted first for Call of Duty a few years ago?

I it was a surprise, but as soon as it was brought up to me, I was like, oh, that makes sense, and it's such a good idea because any any kind of platform, especially Call of Duty Mobile that has such an amazing fan base that wants to bring back The Boys in any capacity now that we're done, and it gives players an opportunity to play characters that they're no longer gonna see. 

Like, what a brilliant concept that like these characters that we've all had to say goodbye to that after this like huge run, you literally get to play them, and you get to kind of live them out in a way after we've completely wrapped production. So it was a surprise, but it was a pleasant surprise.

Obviously, the characters appearing in the collab are the big names of the show, with Homelander, alongside Black Noir, and you kind of complete the trifecta (as Starlight) in this collab. So how does it feel to have Starlight highlighted like that?

I always feel very fortunate to like be a character on a show that I think I otherwise would [definitely] have been a fan of, and to be a character that's so primary to the plot that she's thought of when it comes to these kinds of collaborations. She's thought of in a way where she feels like an obvious move to be one of the symbols of the boys.

And as you said, it's a great trifecta. I think also the contrast between like what what they they did something very cool, which is they stayed true to my character of Starlight, and they made as like exhibited in the campaign that I that I did for Call of Duty Mobile, which is they they kept her kindness as her weapon, because kindness can often be disarming in like the context of battle or in the context of the The Boys and and Vought, especially when it comes to characters like like Homelander. 

So I think using Black Noir and Homelander as kind of these symbols of the typical villain on The Boys, and then in contrast, you have Starlight, who is our moral compass, but she's still gonna, you know, kick some ass. I think that combination is really cool, and it provides a nice contrast within that trifecta.

And in universe, how do you think Starlight would react to being portrayed in a video game like Call of Duty in this kind of more violent setting? What would her attitude be to that sort of scenario?

I mean, listen, I feel like for Starlight, it's all about what the mission is for, right? So she's never gonna arbitrarily take people down, but if it's for the sake of going into a battle where the ultimate goal is something that adheres to what she wanted in The Boys, which is to make the world a better place, she's gonna do whatever she needs to do to achieve that goal, right? 

So if the context is one in which she needs to enter battle and she's given this gun, she's given this weapon that she has in Call of Duty Mobile, and the battle she's entering is to take down Homelander, [or] whatever it might be to make the world a better place. She's gonna do it, and she's gonna do it to her to the best of her ability, and she's gonna kick some ass, [in] my opinion. She's gonna nail it. 

You know, with Homelander, with Black Noir,  especially given the characters on the show, I feel it's a bit more arbitrary to be completely honest. Like if they're in battle, they're just gonna take down whoever is their opponent in front of them. She's gonna do it in a very tactical way, but it's all about the end game and what her end game objective is. 

And so, depending on what the mission is and what she is supposed to win in the end, she is going to take on any adversity that comes her way to achieve that goal, you know?

When it came to designing Starlight’s look and weaponry for Call of Duty: Mobile, did they ask for any input or come to you for any suggestions?

They didn't ask for my input, but they did do research on my own [appearances as Starlight]. So they used Starlight's persona, so to speak, and some of the things that I've said in press, to infuse that into her presence in Call of Duty Mobile and into the campaign we did together. You know, there was a very personal element to all of that. 

There's some parallels between myself and Starlight, like in the show, Starlight is a moral compass. She's much more moral than I am. Like, I wish I had her moral compass. 

That being said, she's the kind of character who would approach something like this with this kind of funny concept and an earnest concept of kill them with kindness, right? And that's what the [promotional] campaign that I did for Call of Duty Mobile was about. But one thing that I agree with Annie or Starlight on is that kindness and hope are ultimately the greatest personal currency that we can all hold. 

And so when I did the Call of Duty campaign with with them, and we went about all the various tactics you can use as Starlight one of [her] main tactics tactics is to kill them with kindness and navigate a world that otherwise, you know, like includes a lot of like quote unquote trash talk, all those kinds of things that you would normally like throw at your opponents. Her approach is a little bit different. 

With the Boys world returning in Vought Rising, are you hopeful Starlight might return in future spin-offs or entries based on the series?

I'll always welcome another opportunity to step into Annie's shoes. I also think, given the fact that we end with her being pregnant in the show, I'm just desperate to meet Annie as a mother and find out what that means for her. 

But I have yet to be approached by them. I have no awareness of future collaborations with other characters, but all I will say is that crossovers similar to Gen V seem to always happen. And I hope they choose me, just selfishly, because I love playing Annie so much, and any second I have with her has always been precious. 

And I think it's so cool that like we've had this amazing run, and now they've done these spin-offs. So I'll always have that hope, like privately in the back of my head.

And to finish off with more of a fun question, if Starlight herself were a gamer, what do you think she might play?

Well, I'm biased because Call of Duty and Call of Duty Mobile [specifically] are the only video games I've ever played, and the only ones I've ever worked with. I think maybe she would use a Call of Duty situation to be a little bit of catharsis for her to take down certain opponents because, you know, she's not one to, as I said, arbitrarily fight anyone. So maybe she would use it as a little bit of a way to get her anger out, so to speak.

---

It's certainly always interesting to get a fresh perspective on these kinds of collabs! And if you're curious about other top FPS on mobile, then check out our list of the best shooters on iOS for some of our favourite picks you can play right now!