The Boys season 3 star Jensen Ackles and showrunner Eric Kripke want Jared Padalecki to cameo on the show. Amazon Prime's subversive, darkly comic superhero series The Boys has finally returned for its third season after the second earned the show six Emmy nominations in 2021, including in the Outstanding Drama Series category. In the new season, series regulars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, and many others are back for more action, in addition to some newcomers like Supernatural's Ackles, who is playing the role of Soldier Boy.
A satirized version of Marvel's Captain America, Ackles' Soldier Boy is a legendary Supe created by Fredrick Vought during the Second World War. On The Boys, Soldier Boy's powers and backstory have been slightly tweaked from the comics, although he still possesses superhuman strength and speed, and is quite capable of upsetting the power dynamics with The Seven, as well as for Billy Butcher (Urban) and his gang. Ackles had landed the role of Soldier Boy during a chance phone call with Kripke, whom he previously worked with on Supernatural, and now the two are hoping to get another colleague on board as soon as he is available.
In a new conversation with Variety, both Ackles and Kripke express their desire for having Padalecki cameo on The Boys. Kripke in particular voices his support for bringing Padalecki on board, but also cautions that there may be one big reason for why he can't ever cameo. Read what Kripke and Ackles said below:
Kripke: “I would love a Jared cameo! He’s always welcome on the show. Up to now, the guy is on a network show that has however many episodes — like, a lot more than eight. So he’s working all year and now he’s producing his spinoff and he’s got a whole empire going on over there. He’s been a busy man. And it’s been hard to even figure out any time that he’s free. But if he was free and found himself currently unemployed, I would put him on ‘The Boys’ in a heartbeat.”
Ackles: “As I think we all know, Jared’s pretty busy starring in his own show, producing a spinoff of that show. He’s certainly got his hands full.
There is little doubt that Padalecki is a busy man. The Supernatural alum currently leads the Walker reboot on the CW, and in addition to that, he is also executive producing its prequel series, Walker: Independence. Logistically, he likely wouldn't have time to stage a guest appearance on The Boys. It's still heartwarming to see that Padalecki and Ackles are hitting it off after the situation regarding Supernatural's prequel show The Winchesters, where Padalecki called out Ackles for keeping him out of the loop about the show's development. The stars were quick to resolve the issue then, and Padalecki has since been supportive of The Winchesters, which Ackles is producing and narrating.
Padalecki isn't the only other Supernatural vet Kripke has been interested in bringing over to The Boys. The showrunner has been trying to coordinate a role for Jeffrey Dean Morgan for a while, though Morgan has been quite busy with his role in AMC's The Walking Dead franchise. It isn't yet clear if Morgan will get to cameo in The Boys season 4. Meanwhile, getting Padalecki to star in The Boys isn't just the question of his availability. Kripke would likely want him to play a role that suits his pedigree. Once an opportunity comes up where Padalecki fits the bill, Kripke will likely try his best to get him on the show. Considering The Boys' rich source material, an appropriate opportunity might arise soon enough, assuming Padalecki's busy schedule lets him visit the raunchy superhero show.
The Boys season 3 releases new episodes Fridays on Amazon.
Source: Variety