Exclusive: 'I brought a prop to The Boys junket. Karl Urban's reaction made it all worth it'

EXCLUSIVE: Karl Urban is known now for his role as Billy Butcher on The Boys, but to many he'll always be Éomer.

It's hard not to picture that god-like blonde wig from his Lord of the Rings character 24 years ago.

So, of course, I took a printed photo of a young, blonde Urban with me when I interviewed the New Zealand star. And his reaction was everything.

Watch the video above.

We were talking about the fifth and final season of The Boys when I whipped out the photo mid-interview.

Urban's face lit up as he looked back on "such an extraordinary experience".

"I think, out of the many things I've been involved with in my life, Lord of the Rings has lingered with me like no other project," he smiled.

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"Every now and then I definitely pinch myself and go, 'Wow, you lived in Middle Earth, you got to hang with Aragorn. How cool is that?'"

The actor could appreciate how loved the franchise still is today.

"I'm continuously blown away by the reverence that film series receives from the public, it's a very special thing to be a part of."

While special, Urban admitted one other project comes close to the impact Lord of the Rings had on his life – his latest role in Prime Video's critically-acclaimed superhero satire.

"The Boys has come the closest in regard to the length of time we've been shooting it," he admitted.

"It's bittersweet, I've had such a great time playing playing the role of Billy Butcher and I love him dearly.

"I've lived his life for the last nine years."

Urban makes one last return as the "fun, twisted, mischievous" anti-hero Butcher in the series as The Boys comes to an explosive end.https://www.tiktok.com/@ninecomau/video/7628413184377900308

"There were a lot of tears, a lot of tears," he said about the last day on set. "It was emotional."

Urban said as much as you can try and prepare yourself for the end, you can't help "but get the feels" knowing that's the last time you're going to be working as certain characters, with other actors and a crew "who has had your back for the last nine years".

"You become like a family and out of this whole experience that's what I'll cherish and miss the most."

And just like the Lord of the Rings legacy, Urban has one wish for fans of The Boys.

"I hope they continue revisiting this show and spending time with characters for years to come," he smiled.

Just like he will, now he's scored Butcher's iconic jacket from set.

"Oh yeah, you know it," he grinned.

"I was like, I'm not going to take anything... but when I finally got to the end of the show on the last day, I was like, 'You know what? I am just going to take that jacket.'

"And every now and then I will confess, I will just go and put it on and feel Billy for a second or two."

The Boys Season 5 is out now on Prime Video, with new episodes weekly until the series finale on May 20.

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