ERIN MORIARTY: Stepping Out of The Spotlight

For nearly a decade, Erin Moriarty has lived in the skin of Annie January, better known to millions as Starlight—a character whose life has been consumed by fame in a world that expects her to show up as superhuman. Her moral compass was tested by celebrity culture, scrutiny, and the responsibility of becoming a public figure before she was fully able to step into herself.

Moriarty understands that pressure in her real life. Cast as Starlight at 23 and wrapping at 31, the actress spent her professional formative years playing a character whose identity followed her off-screen. To fans, strangers, and passersby, Moriarty became Starlight—but for the actress, there was always a desire to be seen for what’s behind the mask.

As The Boys reaches its final season, Moriarty is beginning to look toward what comes next. Saying goodbye to Annie January is not as simple as taking off the suit. She is searching for peace of mind and projects that allow her to step out from her character’s shadow—personally and mentally. As the actress leaves behind one of television’s most beloved characters, she continues her search for layered roles that challenge her.

What were some of your earliest influences across film, music, and television?

My parents divorced when I was really young, and my dad loved movies. When my parents split up, he didn’t really know how to raise a daughter on his own, especially a two-year-old. But we would watch movies, and he wanted to expose me to a bunch of the films he really loved. That became our love language, so to speak. We loved Aliens with Sigourney Weaver. He loved movies with really strong female protagonists, but also really quirky movies like Edward Scissorhands. This was happening when I was really young, which is kind of hilarious.

So your dad was a serious film buff ?

He knows everything. I’m an actress because of him. He loved movies, and he didn’t really want to sit through films that were child-oriented. Were they a little bit mature? Yes. But they also inspired me to want to be a part of filmmaking, so it worked for me. He was also a blues harmonicist, so I grew up going to see him play.

How did growing up in New York City shape you?

I would say it shaped me more as a person. We would watch any movie that my dad deemed to have good quality. And, of course, there are so many movies that take place in New York City—Taxi Driver, many of the early Scorsese films. I’m a third-generation New Yorker. Both of my parents and my grandmother are purebred New Yorkers, so I feel I inherited independence in that. Growing up in New York, I was really fortunate because from a really young age, my mom said, “I want you to be exposed to every single hobby, every single passion you possibly could be exposed to.” So I was a figure skater—I would skate at Wollman Rink in Central Park. I was a soccer player. I did everything artistic and athletic until musical theater hit, and I fell in love with acting. New York is just such a culturally rich place.

“I think there’s something to be said for operating from a mode of grace before all other judgments.”

You spent eight years on The Boys, which spans some of your most formative years. How did your relationship to the role evolve from your first audition to wrapping the final season?

Of course. As you said, I started this job at 23 and ended it at 31, and those years are so formative. The funny thing is, I would say my approach toward this character, technique-wise, hasn’t changed. But what has changed—and this is one of my favorite elements of working in television—is that after Season 1, I realized something: I had lived in this character’s shoes for an entire season, and I got to use those experiences and add them into the persona I arrived on set with for Season 2. You must have built a strong community with the cast and crew over that time. When it comes to being an actor, it’s always about the scene you’re in and the other actors within that scene. I’m so fortunate with this cast because they’re lovely, supportive, and great actors. It’s all about connectivity, community, and listening to each other. This experience that we’ve all been through together has been such a special, unique bond that it’s going to take time to fully absorb that it’s all over.

With this era coming to an end, how are you processing your connection to Annie?

That’s an interesting question, and one that I’m still trying to figure out. I don’t know if my body and brain have fully absorbed it yet. I’m even just now getting used to not using the term “hiatus.” I’m trying to figure out ways to say goodbye to this character, and what I’ve realized is that the only remedy is time. Time to fully absorb that this chapter is over. It was a long period shared among a lot of people who became really close.

Where do you go to feel comforted during periods of transition?

It’s a combination of things. But to be completely honest, it’s at home with my dogs—solo, recharging. Even though that’s in Los Angeles, I am a homebody. I really need time alone, given the overstimulation of Los Angeles and this world. Going back to New York City, even though it isn’t necessarily quiet, I find that being among others—taking the subway—grounds me.

What are you most excited about as you step into what’s next?

I look forward to good material. That’s it. I know that sounds really broad, and I wish I could be more specific, but that’s my truth. I’ve always gravitated toward good roles and good people. Being part of a project with really stellar people is my goal. There are a lot of things that can happen when you exit a show like The Boys. It’s like, “OK, you want to be the next leading lady.” I don’t feel any desire to do that. I want to work with people I admire. I like working with good people. I like avoiding all assholes as much as I can. Material that avoids clichés and pushes past formula.

The Boys has always carried a heavy emotional arc. What was your reaction when you read the final season and how everything would end?

It was less shock and more heartbreak. Our show runner has said this over and over again, so this isn’t a spoiler: No one is safe in this final season. It was the first time I wasn’t able to transcend Erin and assume Annie in those moments. It made me really reflect on how much we’ve all become a family. It really finalized the ending of the show because, if everyone lived, there would be some promise left of some version in which maybe it could continue. But that’s not the case. It’s a bloodbath of a season. No character is safe. If you’re emotionally attached to any character, you need to release and mentally prepare to release those emotional attachments.

The show taps into real anxieties around fame, power, and public perception. Have those themes started to mirror your own experiences as your visibility has grown?

Yes, in a way. Starlight and Annie are not characters who have been immune to crucifixion. Her character has been crucified, and that’s something that happens on the show. There are definitely meta moments. Annie becomes famous via Starlight, and then there’s this meta element where all of a sudden she’s being recognized as Starlight on the sidewalk, on the street. I’ve experienced that. It’s funny that there are these commentaries we make on fame. I’ve had to trust the fact that if I keep my head down, if I keep doing the work, and I keep trusting that my intentions have been in the right place for the entirety of this run, that’s all I can do. We have an amazing fan base, but we also live in a world where people love to hate. I’ve accepted that. If anything, Annie has been through so much worse than I have. She’s taught me a lot about maintaining and developing a thick skin. The series constantly challenges ideas of good and evil.

What has this story taught you about grace in the real world?

I think it’s taught me about grace in terms of realizing that everyone is coming from their own world, their own upbringing, and their own psyches. The truth is, we don’t know. The people that we often times judge, dismiss, or vilify—we don’t know where they came from. We don’t know what they went through when they were younger. We don’t know the context of their lives. I think there’s something to be said for operating from a mode of grace before all other judgments.

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