Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, and Misha Collins reply fan questions and talk about the present’s lasting legacy
We’d say “the boys are again,” however let’s be actual — they by no means left us. Whether or not it’s reruns, DVD binges, streaming rewatches, or their post-Supernatural exhibits, Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, and Misha Collins proceed to maintain us entertained 20 years after their collection first premiered on September 13, 2005.
And that was by no means extra evident than at their New Jersey cease on Creation Leisure’s “The Street So Far…The Street Forward” tour. A touring conference dedicated to the present and all issues SPN (together with superb distributors and particular friends), this Might 2025 occasion was crammed with followers from throughout who lined up for photograph ops, fast chats, and panels with the fellows. And, it seems, the actors had been there simply as a lot for the followers. As they instructed us in between appearances and our unique photograph shoot, everybody there — and at every of the con’s dates—is a part of the ever-growing SPN household.
Right here, Padalecki, Ackles, and Collins welcome us into their world.
Celebrating 20 years for the reason that pilot is a giant deal. And this fandom has all the time been so devoted. What’s it that retains you doing these conventions for the followers?
Jared Padalecki: The fandom doesn’t appear separate from the present itself. We began out on The WB after which by the top of Season 1, we had been on The CW. However very early on, we had been this little engine that might, and so the fandom from the get-go — I feel it was Season 2 or 3 once we began coming to those [conventions] — they really feel like such part of it. And nearly all of folks I’ve met who watched the present, once I ask, “How’d you discover out about it?” they’re like, “Oh, my greatest good friend…then we went to a con.” Having been a fan of various issues like sports activities groups, bands or totally different exhibits and flicks, and genres rising up, I get it.
When did you first discover that the fandom was one thing totally different?
Jensen Ackles: I did a conference within the U.Okay. after Season 1, and it was the primary one representing Supernatural that I used to be part of. There have been folks from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Smallville, and quite a lot of genre-esque exhibits, and we’d solely been on for one season. However they’d carried out a very huge advertising and marketing push within the U.Okay. for our first season, so once I confirmed up, the response from the followers there was stunning. I got here again and was like…
Padalecki: “Dude, we’re well-known!” [Laughs]
Ackles: Yeah, like, “We would get one other season out of this!” [Laughs]
Misha Collins: I used to be completely shocked there have been followers in any respect. Truly, my first conference was a Creation conference in New Jersey 16 years in the past. I keep in mind popping out onstage and being completely astonished. After we’re filming, we’re performing for the crew, who’ve seen us do 100 thousand scenes, and so they’re bored stiff by our antics. We’re actually solely getting the response of the glass on the digital camera. At these exhibits, we get to see an actual viewers response from followers who actually love the present. There’s one thing concerning the suggestions we get from coming to those that’s really fairly gratifying.
Padalecki: As I’m listening to us converse, it seems all of us have an insatiable starvation for flattery and reward, which in all probability began once we had been younger, from being ignored. [Laughs]
And then you definately realized you might harness the ability of the fandom to do good…
Padalecki: The followers have raised thousands and thousands of {dollars} for charities around the globe, which is excellent. But additionally, to see the relationships, the help, and care they offer one another? I don’t spend lots of time on social media, however right here and there I’ll get an alert or somebody will say, “Hey, did you hear that this particular person [is going through] this or that?” And I’ll go and see feedback from members of the SPN household who’ve by no means met one another, which might be simply sending love. The web may be such a hell- gap at instances, social media particularly, so to see our fandom going, “You bought this,” “We imagine in you,” “You’ve been by worse, and we’ll see you on the opposite aspect” and “Hope to satisfy you” — it’s actually superior.
Collins: At instances, it appears like we see one another greater than our household — we’re a surrogate household for each other. However there’s additionally this prolonged Supernatural group that capabilities like a household. A dysfunctional one, however folks actually do care for one another.
Ackles: As a result of we’ve a lot historical past collectively, and we’ve a 20-year relationship and friendship, we get to pop into these totally different cities, and it actually is sort of a band [going] on tour. We’re like, “OK, we’ll see you in Cleveland, see you in Tulsa, see you in L.A.” We get to return collectively, placed on a present for the folks that every one have a typical love for Supernatural, and it’s simply this little household reunion that occurs each few weeks in several cities across the nation.
Talking of followers, we’ve a few of their questions! First, who broke character probably the most, and the way typically was it Misha?
Ackles: There was a considerable dedication to breaking Misha.
Collins: You guys constantly f**ked with me. And I by no means developed the ability of preserving it collectively. Dave Riopel, who was our dolly operator, very earnestly got here as much as me and was like, “Misha, can I give you a suggestion? Once they’re doing that, simply assume in your head how a lot you hate them.” And he stated it like, “Clearly, you do hate them.” [Laughs]
Padalecki: That’s simply good recommendation. [Laughs] On the flip aspect, after years of all of that, you probably did win first place in that query.
Collins: So it paid off!
One other fan query: After taking part in these characters for therefore lengthy, did you choose up any of their habits or mannerisms?
Padalecki: Nice query. We performed these characters for therefore lengthy, it’s arduous to parse out what components of Jared turned Sam…
Chris Schmelke
Ackles: The place one begins and one ends.
Padalecki: Yeah, it’s so fluid. Each once in a while, once I’m placing the youngsters to mattress, they wish to hear a narrative. And never an actual story; they need me to make up a narrative. And I’m like, “Positive. A narrative about what?” They’ll say whales, and I don’t know something about whales, however I’ll discover myself going, “All proper, so get this….” Which Sam stated fairly a bit. [Laughs]
Ackles: You simply made me consider at any time when I’ve to make use of “dad voice,” it sounds so much like “Dean voice.” And it’s not on objective, by any means.
So the voice you used to yell at demons?
Ackles: Sure. To yell at my beautiful kids. [Laughs]
Collins: I did my Castiel voice, which was like, [growls] “Hellloo, Dean.” I had a really deep voice, which, as you might intuit, isn’t my pure voice. And I used to be a 12 months into filming Supernatural — I assumed that I used to be solely going to do a pair episodes.
Ackles: We did too, Misha.
Collins: [Laughs] So I went to the physician and was like, “I don’t know what’s happening, however I’ve a sore throat that’s not going away.” I received checked for strep, and it’s not strep. I used to be actually inflicting injury to my vocal cords. So, that’s one thing that I carried with me from Castiel. Precise bodily trauma
How was it for you on the set of The Boys, taking part in a special set of characters round one another?
Collins: Regressing. [They all laugh]
Ackles: Whole regressing! We had been requested that query on set by folks there going, “What’s it like for you guys being again collectively?” However we nonetheless see one another on a regular basis, and we all know what’s happening in one another’s lives. So once we had been again on set, it was simply very pure and really acquainted.
Padalecki: Tremendous pure.
Ackles: It was supernatural! [Laughs]
Images By: Chris Schmelke
Muscle reminiscence didn’t kick in, the place you’re like, “Wait, you’re not taking part in the particular person I’m used to you taking part in?”
Ackles: We don’t play our characters with one another usually. So it was simply one other iteration of each other that we received to play with.
Padalecki: It was superb. My muscle reminiscence, frankly, having probably not acted in a 12 months, was that I didn’t keep in mind methods to act! [Laughs]
Ackles: Jared, I don’t know that you simply ever did.
Padalecki: [Laughs] That’s the nicest factor anyone’s ever stated to me. Thankfully, the dialogue was so totally different than one thing Sam or any of his iterations ever would’ve stated or carried out. However it felt unusual.
Collins: We did find yourself doing a soak up character as Cass, Sam, and Dean. And that’s in all probability the one they’re going to make use of.
Padalecki: I hope so.
Ackles: Search for that on the enhancing room flooring. That’s the place that will probably be. [Laughs]
If Supernatural had been to return again, what sort of format would you need it to be? A characteristic? A restricted collection?
Collins: A puppet present.
Padalecki: Anime.
Ackles: Marionettes?
Padalecki: Like…
All collectively: Workforce America! [Laughs]
Padalecki: We’re all so much older than we had been 20 years in the past. I don’t know if I’ve 22 episodes of Supernatural in me. I feel a restricted collection could be nice.
Images By: Chris Schmelke
Would you need it to get grittier, or would you wish to preserve the identical tone?
Ackles: I’ve considered this as a result of we’ve been requested what would the present have seemed like had it been on a streamer. And it could’ve been totally different. It could’ve been a bit extra R-rated. However a part of me appears like, due to what we did for therefore lengthy and what the tone is, I really feel like altering that now is likely to be doing it a disservice. I may see the profit in preserving it like a broadcast present.
Padalecki: I like the principles that broadcast tv placed on us as a result of we nonetheless performed.
Ackles: And we pushed the envelope.
Padalecki: We pushed the envelope a lot inside these boundaries. There’s an artwork to that.
Collins: I requested [series creator] Eric Kripke, “In case you ever did a reboot of Supernatural, what do you assume it could be?” And he stated he would need it to be as horrifying as attainable.
Padalecki: Massive shock.
Ackles: He’s doing that. It’s referred to as The Boys!
And final query: What was it like for you at every of your series-wrap moments?
Collins: My goodbye scene was the final scene of filming on the finish of a protracted week on
a Friday evening. It additionally ended up being proper earlier than the pandemic hit, [when] the whole lot shut down. However we didn’t know that then. I used to be filming the goodbye scene, Castiel’s declaration of affection to Dean, in addition to my goodbye to the entire solid and crew, so it was tremendous emotional. A number of crew members had been in tears, and it was actually candy. We’d f**okay round so much on set and made a sport of making an attempt to mess one another up throughout a scene, however we additionally had an actual consciousness of when to sanctify moments and type a protecting bubble round each other. And that evening was a reverent evening. All of the facets of it wrapped up in a
method that felt actually significant to me, and I carry that with me.
Ackles: Ours sucked.
Padalecki: It sucked.
Ackles: It was after COVID hit, so we got here again, and all these those that we’ve been working with had been all there with masks on. Sure teams couldn’t mingle with different teams. And that was actually powerful, that final day, not with the ability to actually embrace and…
Padalecki: And go, “Let’s all exit tonight.”
Ackles: Or see their faces. Folks had been wiping tears away underneath their masks. So we missed what Misha received. I look again and maintain his day particular, as a result of I felt like that’s what it ought to have been.
Padalecki: The whole thing of the pandemic lockdown state of affairs was tougher than when [director] Bob Singer stated, “And lower!” which you hear — that’s actually him saying it when the episode airs and we’re on the bridge. The buildup to that was so arduous; I cried so many instances. I couldn’t learn the barn scene as a result of I’d simply begin crying. Listening to Bob say “And lower” after which come out to the bridge with us all taking a look at one another was a sense I’ll always remember. And a sense I do know I’ll by no means have once more. As a result of a lot occurred between 2005 and 2020 in all of our lives. However it felt actually good. Jensen and I’ve talked earlier than about how we’re not the sort to pat ourselves on the again, particularly alongside the best way. It’s like we had work to do. The finale felt like a completion. It was superb.
For a deep-dive into 20 years of Supernatural, from behind-the-scenes scoop to unique solid interviews, photographs, and fan tales, choose up a replica of TV Information Journal’s Supernatural Afterlife: twentieth Anniversary Particular subject, obtainable on newsstands July 25 and for order on-line at Supernatural.TVGM2025.com.