The Boys Character Claudia Doumit Auditioned For Before Playing Victoria Neuman
Before the tragic events of the season 4 finale, Victoria Neuman was one of the most exciting characters on "The Boys." Sure, she had a questionable habit of blowing up people's heads, but she looked cool doing it and she held her own against Homelander, so it's easy to forgive. Claudia Doumit in particular deserves credit for her portrayal of the character, elevating what could've been a one-dimensional villain into a fun, complicated figure. But before she was cast to play Neuman, Doumit originally tried out for a completely different part: she auditioned for Ashley Barrett, the high-strung Vought assistant turned high-strung Vought CEO.
"I remember I originally came in for the role of Ashley the publicist," Doumit explained in a recent interview. "I came in for that role originally and I knew I wasn't right for it, and I didn't get it, obviously, and then the first season of the show came out. I was such a fan! Then the auditions came for the second season and this character Victoria Neuman found its way to me."
The rest is history. Although Doumit was famously not told about the big twist around her character until she reached the season 2 finale, she still played the character to a tee before and after the reveal. "It's been a fantastic journey and a fantastic character to really sink my teeth into," Doumit said. Sure enough, her performance was so compelling that she ended up being one of the few "Boys" cast members to stop by "Gen V." Neuman's interactions with Marie (Jaz Sinclair) offered Doumit an opportunity to give viewers a glimpse of the softer side of Neuman's personality, making for one of the most compelling episodes of an already strong spin-off series. Rest in peace, Neuman; you may have been torn apart by a bunch of giant tentacles, but at least you gave a struggling teen supe some much-needed encouragement before you went.
Would Doumit have made a good Ashley?
Although this story makes for a fun little "what if?" thought experiment, ultimately it's hard to disagree with Doumit's own assertion that she wouldn't have been right for Ashley. She plays the cunning, cool-headed Neuman so effectively, and Ashley is almost the exact opposite sort of character. Ashley's still a delight in her own special way, but she's never been smooth or cunning in the way that Doumit can play so well.
Regarding Colby Minifie, who got the role of Ashley instead, Doumit called her "phenomenal" and "incomparable." She added, "The amount of improv that woman does in that role is so outstanding! It's just fun to be on set watching her."
It's easy to understand the praise. Much like Doumit with Neuman, Minifie has notably elevated her role, turning Ashley from a potentially one-note corporate stooge to one of the funniest characters on the whole show. And whenever Homelander's in the room with her, she's also often one of the most sympathetic characters; Minifie makes us fully believe that Ashley would pull all her hair out in this sort of environment, that she'd turn to questionable BDSM activities to blow off some steam.
We don't know what'll happen to Ashley after she's taken that Compound V in the season 4 finale, but here's hoping she gets a happier ending than Neuman. Ashley probably won't survive the finale, but maybe she'll get to at least take some of her enemies down with her.