Israeli actor Tomer Capone, known for playing the role of Frenchie in The Boys, has found himself in the midst of an online backlash after a 2016 interview about his military service resurfaced amid the buzz for the fifth season of the show.
The actor has come under fire for describing several operations during his time in the IDF in raw and disturbing details. Following the backlash, he shared a cryptic post on his Instagram story in response to it.
In a previously published interview with Ynet, Capone spoke candidly about his experiences of dealing with Palestinians, recounting a series of operations in a matter-of-fact manner.
“In the middle of the night, you enter a family’s house… the family doesn’t let you get their 18-year-old daughter out easily, and a fight starts,” he said. “Pushing, cursing, and we tear her apart and drive off.”
He continued, “We arrive, we take her out of the car, she’s handcuffed… Her eyes are of course covered with flannel… I see eight other girls inside who look more or less the same.”
He also reflected on duties at checkpoints, where strict orders sometimes meant denying passage even in urgent situations, including cases involving ill civilians.
“You stand at the Huwara checkpoint, not letting a father pass with his daughter who is sick… because they announced not to let anyone pass,” he said.
In another account, he said, “Someone is arrested… You and your friends attack him, you beat him up.”
He also mentioned tense encounters with youths throwing stones. “Children threw stones at us… my friend fired a bullet. Pressure, chaos,” he added.
Beyond these incidents, he pointed to everyday actions that, while considered routine, have drawn scrutiny. “Someone is transporting fruit, so you disassemble the entire truck and open all the watermelons… Or take him a bag of fruit… and tell him, ‘Come on, drive,’ just because you’ve been there for hours and you feel like dying.”
The interview resurfaced on Reddit, following which netizens, including fans of the show, burst into an outrage.
“Yeup I had a feeling he was like this when I heard he was with the IDF. But when I watch the show he’s the one when he’s on the screen I tune out the most,” one of them wrote.
“Crazy that the guy who they give a huge arc about his guilt over past actions is the guy who feels no shame in the real life terror he helped inflict, terror he seems to feel pride in given his attitude after Oct 7,” came another comment.
Another Redditor shared, “The fact that so many Israelis feel confident enough to admit to crimes like this is utterly abhorrent- the world has failed Palestinians in so many ways.”
Capone stars in the final season of The Boys, streaming on Prime Video. The series also stars Antony Starr, Claudia Doumit, Erin Moriarty, Jack Quaid, Laz Alonso, and Karen Fukuhara.