For over two decades, Sean Patrick Thomas has carved out a career defined by versatility and staying power. From his breakout role in Cruel Intentions to fan favorites like Barbershop and the legal drama Reasonable Doubt, Thomas has consistently proven he can thrive in any space Hollywood offers him.
Now, he stepped into an entirely new arena, the superhero universe of Prime Video’s Gen V.
A spinoff of The Boys, Gen V has quickly earned a reputation for outrageous special effects, over-the-top violence, and biting cultural commentary.
In the middle of all that chaos stands Thomas as Polarity, a superhero with the power to manipulate magnetic fields. For Thomas, the role is more than just another credit; it’s the fulfillment of a childhood dream.
“Obviously, when you’re a little kid, you’re always going to play a superhero,” he said with a smile. “That’s the coolest thing. And so there’s always this feeling of, like,’ oh my God,’ I’m finally actually getting to do this thing that I was doing when I was six. To get to live out your childhood fantasies now is just a beautiful thing. I’m loving every second of it.”
A Character With Purpose
While the thrill of donning superhero powers is enough to make any actor light up, Thomas is especially excited about how Polarity’s story unfolds this season. Unlike some side characters who orbit around the larger narrative, Polarity’s abilities are central to the group’s survival.
“What I was very excited about in this particular season is that Polarity’s powers are really what allows everybody to [take on] the main bad guy, Cypher,” Thomas explained. “He’s really wreaking havoc on everybody. And nobody really seems to know how to handle him or what to do with him. And it’s very cool that Polarity is the one that actually has the power to deal with this guy.”
Honoring Chance Perdomo
But Season 2 carries a heavy emotional weight. Last year, fans and castmates were stunned by the sudden loss of Chance Perdomo, who played Andre Anderson, Polarity’s son on the series, after a motorcycle accident.
For Thomas, the absence of his on-screen son was deeply felt both personally and professionally.
“I really believe that everybody just channeled all of that [grief] into the work of commitment and seriousness,” Thomas said, reflecting on how the cast chose to move forward. “Everybody felt the same sense to make sure that Chance’s passing didn’t go in a way that was unremarked about, that wasn’t given the greatest possible resonance that we could give it. The writers did that; the actors did that; we went out of our way to really just try and dig in and do everything we could to make sure Chance was elevated and remembered and honored in a way that he deserved to be.”
Still, it’s the lighter moments that linger in Thomas’ memory. He recalled playful debates with Chance over music, teasing his younger co-star about not knowing “real music.”
“We had a 27-year age difference between us,” Thomas said with a laugh. “I would start off with, ‘I’m thinking of a Master Plan’… and then he would pick up the next bar and continue the rest of the song. We went back and forth like that. He knew things that I never, ever would have expected. He was a brilliant, brilliant young man. And our little rap battles are something I’ll never forget.”
When Fiction Mirrors Reality
Beyond the action sequences and shocking plot twists, Gen V has a deep message: to reflect society back to itself. Like its predecessor, The Boys, the series thrives on pushing boundaries and exposing uncomfortable truths about power, corruption, and inequality.
“That’s what this show really is trying to get at,” Thomas said. “They’re trying to get at, ‘Look, this is the worst-case scenario of what could happen if we keep going down the path that we’re going.’ So if you’re okay with racial supremacy, if you’re okay with fascism, if you’re okay with abuse, this is the world we’re going down. What you’re seeing here on Gen V—this is the world we’re going down in real life. Is that what you want?”
It’s a sobering observation, and one that Thomas believes is particularly impactful for younger audiences who might not otherwise engage with these conversations.
“A lot of people, especially young people, they might not pay attention to current events. They might not even know what fascism is, how dangerous it can be to our American way of life,” he explained. “And so you can watch a show like Gen V and be like, wait a minute, none of this is cool. And if you can make the connections between that and what’s going on in the real world, that’s an amazing thing.”
Joy in the Chaos
Despite the heavy themes, Thomas is quick to remind us that Gen V is still a joyride for him as a performer. Each script surprises him as much as it shocks viewers.
“When I read the scripts and I see these things, I’m thinking, oh my God! Oh man, I don’t even know how they’re going to pull that off. And I can’t wait to see how they pull that off,’” he said. “In that sense, my enjoyment of it is the same as the audience’s. I’m like, oh my God! I can’t believe they did that! And so in that sense, it’s a joy to be on this show because I enjoy it just as much, if not more so, than the audience does.”
Check out the full interview below. Gen V releases new episodes every Wednesday on Prime Video.
