John Koyama, Yvette Metoyer, Michelle Johnson, and LJ Shannon Divulge Their Work on 'The Boys'
Even in this Golden Age of peak TV, The Boys stands out as one of the best American series yet made. Just like Alan Moore’s Watchmen, the series is a satire and deconstruction of the superhero genre, even as it casts a critical eye towards an alternate society in which superheroes exist. The implications of their existence play out in a manner which feels entirely plausible, and the story becomes a mirror which reflects criticism of our own society, as any great work of dystopian fiction does.
What’s easy to forget is that this show couldn’t have been made without the several decades’ worth of superhero stories that preceded it. Universities have offered courses on the evolution of the superhero genre, and for good reason. Things have changed wildly since the 90s, when the big superhero films consisted of such varied works as Batman Forever and Blade. But not only have the stories changed, but so too have the methods by which such films are made. For proof of that, look no further than John Koyama. Having cut his teeth on the aforementioned superhero films, he’s worked on The Boys as its Stunt Coordinator from the third season into the fourth (and making a cameo in the fourth season as a stunt performer named Koy).
“Creativity and [previsualization] wasn’t really a thing then,” Koyama reflects on the early days of his career, in a recent interview with FilmSpeak. “Now… you get the pages, you read them, you break them down… and we literally create that scene… exactly how we’re going to shoot it on the day.” The show boasts many fast-paced action scenes, but the process to make them is a long, slow, and rigorous one. A big reason for that, of course, is the safety of those involved. “I always say ‘Hey man, let’s kick ass, let’s do some high-quality, high-octane stuff’,” Koyama affirms, “but I need everyone to go home at night.” Evoking an oft-repeated saying within the stunt community, Koyama adds, “Anybody can do anything once… but it’s the ability to be able to do it several times, safely, over and over.” Considering the praise he’s gotten from the show’s cast for his professionalism and his commitment to safety, it’s clear that Koyama takes his job seriously.
Koyama’s work also shows that making a show like this is a marathon, not a sprint. The same can be said for the incredible work done by Music Supervisors Yvette Metoyer and Michelle Johnson. It stands to reason that one of the show’s signature trademarks is their use of music. Like any good television series, the songs punctuate the time and place of a scene. More often than not, the songs are also punchlines which leave audience members roaring with laughter. A fitting example is Season 4’s fifth episode, Beware the Jabberwock, My Son. At the end of this episode, in which the main characters barely survive an obstacle course of mutated animals infected with Compound V, the episode concludes with a rendition of Old McDonald Had a Farm.
“[Eric Kripke] came up with that idea,” Johnson recalled with amusement during an interview with FilmSpeak. “He’s like “I want a creepy recording of Old McDonald”… We got so many versions… it was stuck in my head for at least a week.” At the same time, Metoyer made it clear that there is “a pretty healthy bit of creative freedom on our end… While some songs are scripted, or maybe specifically requested from the showrunner, they’re certainly open to ideas from us and certainly will request them, as well.”
Just like with the stunts of the show, arranging its soundtrack requires a long slog, and not just when it comes to creating original music. It isn’t just about finding the exact song, or the exact version of a song. “We get the scripts, and if the song is scripted, then we do our due diligence to try and make sure that that is, in fact, what they want and not just a model of what they want,” Johnson explains, “and if they do want it, we do clear it, or don’t clear it.”
With almost fifty film and television credits spanning twenty years (including Breaking Bad, Grace & Frankie, and Cobra Kai) Johnson is no stranger to the process. “A lot of people don’t realise that… half of this is administrative, and managing spreadsheets, and managing your budget, and managing little nit-picky details of clearances so your paperwork is all in order.” It amuses both Johnson and Metoyer how people misunderstand their job, and the scrupulous persistence which it requires. “Things can take a while, clearances can take a while, finding the rights holders can take a while,” Johnson tells us. “While we do have a very long production schedule, the window for choices of music and getting that sorted can get pretty tight, sometimes.” After that, the next big step is to find and contact the people whose permission is needed for that song’s use. “We have to not just be creative music supervisors finding the right songs,” Johnson points out, “we also have to be detectives finding the people, sometimes.”
Of course, even if one finds the perfect song, and painstakingly locates the copyright owners, they might refuse to let the show use it. That was certainly a risk for an infamous scene from Season 4 where one of the main characters is trapped in a sex dungeon over the tunes of Gerry Rafferty’s classic song Baker Street. “A lot of the songs that we were looking for were from legacy artists, very well-known songs, and a lot of those artists, obviously, have reputations, and they are viewed in a certain regard,” Metoyer explains, “A lot of the tricky parts of that was really trying to express the creativity of the show and why we think the songs work for a scene such as that… It’s really about poking fun at the character and how we use the songs to do that.”
Aside from collaborating with Johnson on Breaking Bad, Turn: Washington’s Spies, and Ray Donovan, Metoyer has also worked on other hit TV shows like Sistas and The Cleaning Lady. In the case of The Boys, Metoyer identified an added challenge to her work. While The Boys’ thrives on sharp political satire, it has proved divisive amongst certain disgruntled audience members who somehow didn’t notice the messages until the fourth season.
Still, it can prove a problem for music supervisors who are trying to fill out the show’s soundtrack. “Because we are so in line with what’s happening in contemporary times, that’s also a little bit of a tricky balance,” Metoyer observes. “Artists either taking a position that they may not necessarily want to be tied to… or they themselves lean a certain way and don’t want to be seen as supporting the other side.” “Or they don’t want to risk alienating any aspect of their fanbase,” Johnson adds to Metoyer’s point.
Speaking of fanbases, the cast and crew of The Boys have always been aware that their fanbase began with the comic series upon which the show is based. As a result, there is a need to walk a tightrope when it comes to creative liberties. As the supersuit designer, Laura Jean “LJ” Shannon knows full well how important it is to respect the source material when it comes to adaptations. “We did a deep dive into the comics,” Shannon tells FilmSpeak. “It’s always important to… familiarize yourself with the characters that the fans - the existing fans - are familiar with, while also having an eye on how to extract aspects of those characters, but also give our own visual voice to our show that’s specific to our stories.”
Few could be more qualified to take this job than Shannon. Working in costume departments since the early 90s, Shannon first began her work in the superhero genre with Blade: Trinity. Four years later, she was the Costume Designer on the film Iron Man, which launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a golden age of superhero adaptations. Shannon also contributed to DC adaptations such as Doom Patrol and Black Lightning.
Few casual fans of these superhero shows fathom just how much effort goes into the making of supersuits. Even those superhero costumes which have appeared since the beginning have undergone countless changes over the course of the show’s five seasons. Just as Koyama’s role has changed radically in thirty years, so too does Shannon’s.
“Things are constantly changing because of science and because… of other people who are creating the products that we have access to to create our suits… it’s constantly innovating, that’s something that my team and I try to do… we try to constantly [stay] on top of what the latest information is for materials and abilities to create things.” This means multiple updates to preexisting costumes while maintaining their consistent appearance.
In fact, it is a testament to Shannon and her team that the frequent changes they make isn’t noticed by those watching the series. “Even though the suit looks the same from season to season, we’re constantly keeping up with new technologies and ways of building the suit that it will become more comfortable and easy for [Antony Starr] to wear, since he’s in it all the time.” They began with sculpted latex, with fabrics physically glued onto the costume. Since then, Homelander’s suit has gone through the most changes of any costume in five seasons. It should also be worth noting that for every costume which has appeared across the five seasons change, three costumes have to be made each time (one for stuntwork, two for the actors).
For Shannon, her job is its own reward. “Being able to have a job where you get to innovate and be an architect for new things is really exciting,” she exclaims. It is easy to be swept up in her joy over such an accomplishment as The Boys. “If I were to say what I’m most proud of, it’s just being part of that team,” Shannon declares fondly. “When I look at what I do, I come at it checking my ego at the door, because it’s a collaborative art form.”
Shannon’s enthusiastic sentiment is shared by Koyama. “Everybody’s involved,” he affirms. “The entire crew is involved… behind the scenes, it takes seven, nine, ten departments. Between stunts, VFX, special effects, props, set deck, construction… just to get the prep going, let alone on the day!” Above all, though, these artists reserve their highest praise for the man who oversees the entire production. “You could easily just get crazy with superhero stuff, but especially The Boys,” Koyama acknowledges with a smile. “With Kripke, I think, one of the main things I learned was the investment of the characters, storytelling, it’s always got to be first. That drives the action and the stunts.”
While storytelling is certainly at the heart of a show like The Boys, one cannot deny how much these four artists have done to create the show’s look, sound, and identity. The music choices, the action scenes, and the supersuits all play their part, no matter how overlooked or misunderstood the processes behind them might be. And the excellence of this show is the ultimate proof of these artists’ impact on the entertainment consumed by billions around the world.
Check out the full interviews with LJ Shannon, Yvette Metoye & Michelle Johnson and John Koyama below:
