Interview: Jessie T. Usher Dissects His Off-the-Rails Character A-Train on ‘The Boys’ — Awards Radar

Lucas Longacre
5 min readJun 13, 2023
Credit: Jasper Savage

In the morally intricate realm of Prime Video’s The Boys, where heroes and villains are far from mere archetypes, a particular antagonist often emerges as a fan favorite. Whether it’s Homelander, The Deep, or Stormfront, this outrageous series refuses to present its characters in simplistic black and white terms. Among them, A-Train, portrayed by the talented Jessie T. Usher, stands out as a character whose depravity is enthralling. Possessing superhuman speed, A-Train embodies the fallen sports hero clinging to his waning glory with every ounce of his super-powered might.

In an exclusive conversation for Awards Radar, we had the privilege of dissecting the persona of A-Train with Jessie T. Usher. We explored the show’s satirical commentary on our celebrity fixation and the intricate dynamics of power and vulnerability. Usher illuminated the essence of A-Train’s character and how he infused the typical sports celebrity with a slightly malevolent edge.

Jessie — “I didn’t necessarily model it after any sports heroes, but in talking with Eric Kripke, and the beginning development of this character, they were talking a lot about Lance Armstrong and Michael Phelps. There were these guys who were getting ridiculed for performing under the influence. Kripke

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Lucas Longacre

Co-Founder Mebot.ai, Indie Filmmaker, VR 180 Video Producer, Documentarian, Writer and Podcast Host. @lukonianlogic.