The Boys stars Antony Starr and Chase Crawford have just revealed that their co-star Nathan Mitchell—Black Noir star of the hit Prime Video series—has narcolepsy in real life. That tiny character detail actually reared its root from a real-life order Mitchell has, adding an unintended layer of authenticity to his portrayal.
Antony Starr and Chase Crawford say #BLACKNOIR actor Nathan Mitchell is narcoleptic in real life
“He legit falls asleep during scenes”
It was then written into the show PIC.TWITTER.COM/EKNVBNHFCX
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) JULY 16, 2024
Crawford, known for his role as The Deep, revealed,
“We’ll be in scenes and he’s literally asleep. He’ll fall asleep.” Starr, who plays the formidable Homelander, chimed in, saying, “He legit falls asleep. There’s a line in there – ‘Is Noir asleep?’ – and he goes, ‘I’m narcoleptic’. Which Nathan [Mitchell] is in real life. He’s fallen asleep at that table in that suit in real life.”
The scene in question happens during The Boys season 4, where Black Noir—one of the powerful superhero members of The Seven—falls asleep while a critical Vought/Seven briefing is going on, spearheaded by the very strong Homelander. This plot twist not only adds to his character but gives an inside look into what a person suffering from narcolepsy has to endure.
Narcolepsy has been something Mitchell has lived with since his high school days, and he has spoken about how it folded into his routine. It made him fall asleep at parties, which is now being comedically attributed to his character Black Noir. In a really bizarre case of art imitating life, there are scenes where Black Noir dozes off during meetings as a nod toward real-life experiences of Mitchell.
The choice to execute embedding Mitchell’s condition into the character gives Black Noir an air of realism and makes him, with stunning turnabouts, relatable and human. It was a sherpa creative move that can deepen the character while also raising awareness on narcolepsy in an interesting and fun manner.
Kripke also shared,
‘You know, we should give that weakness to Black Noir,’ and I just thought that was brilliant. When you think of superhero kryptonite, you think of things like kryptonite… I was just tickled by the idea that someone as strong and powerful as Noir could be taken out by something so simple and something that so many people suffer from.”
Narcolepsy, despite all odds, has not prevented Mitchell from forging a rather impressive acting career. He started in 2007 with the recurring role in the series “Aliens in America.” Ever since, he has appeared in guest roles or arcs on several TV shows: “Arrow”, “The Tomorrow People,” “Timeless,” “iZombie,” and “Supernatural.”
However, it’s his role as Black Noir in the series “The Boys” to Amazon Prime that really caught attention. His portrayal of a taciturn, mysterious superhero has been so captivating that including his actual life-threatening tree nut allergy into his character’s storyline has been all the more believable.
As well as “The Boys,” Mitchell has appeared in shows like “Ginny & Georgia,” where he portrayed the role of Zion Miller. He also shows up in movies such as “The Marine 5: Battleground” and “Scorched Earth.” Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder to the brain’s link, which controls sleep-wake cycles; Mitchell battles it every day.
Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by excessive daytime somnolence, with abrupt sleep occurring in the course of any action. Cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and hallucinations are the most common symptoms. While not yet precisely known, a lack of a brain chemical linked with the regulation of sleep, hypocretin, seems to have a broad relation to narcolepsy
Mitchell’s narcolepsy in “The Boys” is pretty prominent and works toward normalizing and promoting this condition. The shifting on films can call to mind certain aspects of the personal challenges becoming off-screen and on-screen strengths. This representation one can provide to those who are going through similar conditions is that it is possible to live a successful life full of promise against such challenges.
