When Asa Germann started working on Gen V, it was only his fourth day on a film set — ever. He had worked on Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story with Evan Peters for three days, but that was it. Germann had theater experience and always felt “very committed to training as an actor,” but he still had to wait for his big break on the screen to come through. It may have taken time — six years, in fact — but Germann finally booked a game changing TV role playing Sam Riordan in The Boys spinoff series. While it took time for Germann to finally book a role, it took nearly none at all for him to prove that he was made for the screen.

Germann absolutely sizzles as Sam. Whether he’s bubbling over with rage, desperate for Cate (Maddie Phillips) to calm his mind, or yearning to be his best self, Germann captures the complexity of the character’s situation to the fullest, showing off immense range via a single role, especially in Season 2. At the end of Season 1, Sam turns to the dark side and plays an especially big part in the massacre at Godolkin University. Can a character ever come back from something like that? Had you asked me that question in November of 2023 when Gen V Season 1 wrapped up, my answer would have been a resounding no. However, thanks to Germann and the Gen V writing team, Sam makes the turn quite successfully in Season 2, not by quickly wiping the slate clean but by challenging the character to face his mistakes, acknowledge that there’s no quick fix and sort through the wealth of emotions that come with such a situation.

With Gen V Season 2 now available to stream in full on Prime Video, Germann swung by the Collider Forces studio for his very first solo longform interview. During the conversation we touched on his parents’ influence as experienced actors themselves, what it was like powering through six years of auditions before he finally scored Gen V, the difference between what he thought was in store for Sam in Season 2 and what wound up happening, what the future could hold for the Sam and Emma (Lizze Broadway) relationship, and so much more.

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