Supernatural is one of those rare shows that seems to gain a bigger following with each season. Their fans span generations, and each season welcomes a new batch of hunters to the Supernatural family.
When a show has been on for over a decade, the cast and crew develop a dense repertoire of stories from set and off the set. This is especially true for the cast of Supernatural as, in addition to filming together for most of the year, the cast goes to dozens of Supernatural conventions together. That’s in addition to press junkets and big conventions like Comic Con.
All of this is to say that these actors spend a lot of time together. They know each other well, and they have a lot of stories about each other – mostly embarrassing ones.
In addition to embarrassing each other, they also work together off-camera to help those in need.
Many of the cast members have come together to help relief efforts and to help bring awareness to a number of illnesses, and whenever one person from the cast starts a charitable venture, the rest of the cast is quick to lend a hand.
The secrets on this list aren’t really secrets because the Supernatural cast is one of the most open and welcoming casts out there. They invite fans into their lives and have even worked closely with them on a number of philanthropic projects.
That said, some of the items on this list might surprise you.
Hop into the Impala with the rest of the Supernatural family, and check out these 25 Secrets About The Cast Of Supernatural!
16. Jared Padalecki And Jensen Ackles Married Their Co-stars
This isn’t really a secret, especially since Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles are all about supporting and regularly gushing about their wives, but casual fans might not know that Padalecki and Ackles ended up marrying their co-stars.
Jensen was friends with actress Danneel Harris before the two co-starred in the romantic comedy Ten Inch Hero. The two got hitched several years later and have gotten the chance to work together again, this time on Supernatural.
Padalecki ended up marrying Supernatural’s season 4 guest star, Genevieve Cortese.
In true Supernatural fashion, the show out-meta’d itself by bringing Cortese back in season 6 to play Padalecki's wife.
11. Jensen Ackles Was Offered The Role Of Hawkeye
Even though Jensen Ackles wasn’t offered the role of Captain America, Marvel liked him so much that they offered him another role – Hawkeye.
You have to admit, there’s a a bit of a resemblance between Ackles and Jeremy Renner, the actor they eventually chose to play Clint Barton.
According to sources, Ackles turned down the role because filming would conflict with his Supernatural schedule.
There has been some speculation that perhaps Ackles would have worked something out if he were offered the role of Captain America, but Hawkeye was maybe too small of a role to give up a leading part in a popular show.
15. Misha Collins Was Only Supposed To Be In Three Episodes
Given his fan-favorite status and how integral his character has become within the show, it might surprise some fans to learn that Misha Collins was only meant to be in three episodes.
Collins was signed on for just three episodes, but the cast and crew liked him enough to bring him back for a few more and a few more after that until they signed him on as a series regular.
While he was demoted to a guest star for a few seasons, he is currently a series regular again.
When asked about his fluctuating status on the show, Collins said, “We dated. Supernatural and I dated before we got married."
25. Jared Padalecki Struggled With Depression
Jared Padalecki has been very open about his battle with depression. He’s talked about it in interviews and at conventions in the hopes of drawing attention to mental health issues.
He’s even spearheaded a t-shirt fundraising campaign, Always Keep Fighting, and donated the proceeds to To Write Love on Her Arms, an organization that provides support for people dealing with mental illness.
In an interview about the campaign, the actor said, "You might not win every battle. There are going to be some really tough days. There might be several tough times in any given single day, but hopefully, this will help somebody to think, 'This isn’t easy; it is a fight, but I’m going to keep fighting.'"
24. Jensen Ackles Owns A Brewery In Austin
Although neither of the actors were born in Austin, both Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles decided to put down roots in the city.
Ackles, along with his wife, Danneel Harris and her family members, opened up a business – a brewery called Family Business Beer Company.
Back when he lived in California, Ackles would brew his own beer, so he decided to share his passion for craft beer with others.
The 15-acre brewery also has live music and a food truck run by Jep Robertson of Duck Dynasty fame.
“We want people to come not just to enjoy the beer,” Ackles said in an interview, “but also enjoy the experience.”
23. Misha Collins Renewed His Wedding Vows In A Grocery Store
There are a dozen words we could use to describe Misha Collins: generous, compassionate, whimsical, witty, strange.
In fact, take a moment to treat your self by Googling the keywords “strange Misha Collins pictures.” You won’t be disappointed.
Another word that’s frequently used to describe the actor is "unconventional."
Case in point, years ago, Collins and his wife renewed their wedding vows in a grocery store aisle. Not only that, but everyone’s favorite fallen angel wore a wedding dress for the occasion and even had his makeup done.
The smeared eyeshadow really brings out his eyes.
22. Jensen Ackles' Face Resembles The Vitruvian Man’s
We can all agree that Supernatural boasts one of the best looking casts currently on air, and while each cast member has unique traits that highlight their individual beauty, mathematically, Jensen Ackles might be the prettiest of them all.
As shown by some devoted fans, the angles and proportions of Ackles' face match those of the Vitruvian man’s, Da Vinci’s idea of physical perfection.
In addition to his perfect facial features, Ackles also has perfect ear canals. When someone on set came to make a mold of the actor’s ears, he told Ackles that he had “never seen a more perfect ear canal.”
21. Misha Collins Is A Skilled Carpenter And Built His Home
When he was younger, Misha Collins purchased a rundown home and gave it a makeover, rebuilding it from the ground up.
Collins learned much of his carpentry skills when he was growing up in Massachusetts.
During his youth, he sought out woodworkers and learned from them and eventually got some work in construction.
In addition to building his home, he also rebuilt a barn on his mother’s property.
He’s also built furniture – he built a bed for his wife out of a maple tree that blew down on his property.
10. Misha Collins Started A Major Non-Profit Organization
Misha Collins’ non-profit organization, Random Acts, was born on Twitter when Collins asked his fans to help him raise money for non-profit initiatives during the 2009 economic recession.
Since then, the organization has grown, and groups of amazing volunteers (including several members of the Supernatural cast) have accomplished remarkable feats.
Some things that the organization has done include building a high school in a rural community within Nicaragua and helping to rebuild communities in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.
According to the site, Random Acts’ goal is “to conquer the world one random act of kindness at a time.”
20. Jensen Ackles Was In Days of Our Lives
Before Supernatural, and before Dark Angel, Jensen Ackles starred in the daytime soap opera, Days of Our Lives.
He played the character Eric Brady, a saintly young teen who eventually grew up to become a priest.
Ackles was on the show for three years and was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series for all three years.
Supernatural playfully made fun of Ackles' time on Days of Our Lives in the season 6 episode “The French Mistake” by airing part of an episode in Ackles' trailer.
19. Misha Collins Has Helped Break Several Guinness World Records
Along with the help of some devoted and amazing fans, Misha Collins has broken at least three world records.
In 2013, Collins broke the Guinness World Record for the largest media scavenger hunt through a GISHWHES (now just called GISH) event.
Thousands of people took part in the hunt, and the tasks varied from making a recreation of Ackles' face out of Skittles to taking a picture of yourself completely covered in cheese.
Other records include making the world's longest safety pin chain and creating the largest online photo album of hugs.
6. Jensen Ackles Was Almost The Lead In Smallville
It’s impossible to imagine anyone else playing the role of Dean Winchester. Jensen Ackles and Dean bleed into one another more often than not.
Similarly, it’s hard to imagine anyone other than Tom Welling playing a young Clark Kent in Smallville, but, interestingly, the show’s second choice for the role was none other than Ackles.
Jensen definitely has the acting prowess to pull it off, but we would have been robbed of the perfect Dean, and, for that matter, the perfect Clark.
5. Jared Padalecki Also Almost Played Superman
Apparently, Jared Padalecki was on the shortlist of actors who were going to play Superman in a J.J. Abrams penned script called Superman: Flyby.
According to people in the industry, the script was epic but slightly overwrought. The movie was supposed to be directed by McG, who helmed the Charlie’s Angels movies or Rush Hour director Brett Ratner.
It is said that Warner Bros. even filmed some test footage of Padalecki as Superman.
Henry Cavill, Ashton Kutcher, Jason Behr, and Justin Timberlake also read for the part.
18. Osric Chau Once Dislocated Jared Padalecki's Shoulder At A Convention
As many fans noticed, at the beginning of season 10, Sam was sporting a shoulder sling that he didn’t have in the season 9 finale.
According to Osric Chau, he was the one responsible for that sling. Backstage during a convention, some of the cast decided to wrestle to pass the time, as people do.
At one point, it was Jared Padalecki versus Chau, and while Padalecki, at 6’4”, supposedly had the upper hand, unbeknownst to him, Chau practiced wushu.
He placed Padalecki in a hold and asked him to tap out. Padalecki didn’t, there was a loud pop, and the rest was history. The cast has learned to give Chau a wide berth.
17. Misha Collins Is A Skilled Tibetan Throat Singer
In the fan-favorite résumé-off between Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins, fans learned a lot of interesting trivia about the actors’ various talents.
In addition to learning that Collins has some skill in Appalachian clogging and bicycle touring and that he is a certified lifeguard and EMT, it was revealed that the actor is also skilled at Tibetan throat singing.
According to an interview, Collins has spent time at a Tibetan monastery and used to attend yearly 10-day meditation retreats.
Presumably, he learned overtone singing during one of these retreats.
14. Jeffrey Dean Morgan Wants to Come Back
Most cast members whose characters have been cut off on the show frequently voice their desire to come back. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is no exception.
The actor has repeatedly discussed wanting to reprise his role as John Winchester.
When asked about it at a convention this year, the actor said, “If that show ever ends and they're on like season 400, I said I would love to go back and have some resolution with that character."
He continued: "I think that Sam and Dean need to have some closure with this guy. And I think that John would like the opportunity to have some closure, and I think you, the audience, deserves it."
13. Misha Collins Was An Intern At The White House
Sometimes it seems like there’s nothing that Misha Collins can’t do (except maybe a decent cowboy walk).
After his sophomore year at the University of Chicago where he studied social theory, Collins took a year off during which time he got a job at NPR headquarters, became an EMT, organized a summer camp, and interned at the White House during one of Bill Clinton’s terms.
Collins wrote about the experience for the Chicago Tribune, noting the celebrity worship culture that surrounded the president and how it had seemingly taken hold of the White House interns.
According to Collins, “politics were rarely discussed.”
12. Jensen Ackles Auditioned For The Role Of Captain America
While we can all agree that Chris Evans is the perfect Captain America, it’s fun to imagine how other actors would have interpreted the role.
According to one source, Jensen Ackles auditioned for the role of Steve Rogers and was on the short list for the part.
He certainly looks the part and has the acting chops to pull it off, but Chris Evans was Marvel’s first choice and the actor finally caved and accepted the role after turning it down several times.
In the end, it was probably for the best because it’s doubtful that Ackles could have kept his commitment to Supernatural while playing the First Avenger.
9. The Cast Has Been Involved In Numerous Charities
It seems like there’s always drama surrounding the SPN family (like most families), but, say what you will about the fans, when things get tough, they’re capable of banding together and helping others.
When Hurricane Harvey hit in 2017, Jensen Ackles' brewing company Family Business Beer Co. and Misha Collins’ non-profit organization Random Acts partnered with the CW and rallied their fans who helped them raise over 400,000 dollars for the relief effort.
As mentioned earlier, Ackles started the Always Keep Fighting campaign to raise awareness for mental health issues. These are just a few of the many charities the cast has been involved in.
Together, the cast, crew, and fans of the show have accomplished a lot of good together.
8. Jensen Ackles Started Off Modelling
The cast members of Supernatural love to mercilessly tease each other. One favorite topic that comes up over and over again is Jensen Ackles’ early modeling career, or what the fandom now calls Ackels' “Jenny Thunder” days.
Before he got into the world of acting, Ackles did some modeling. His modeling career started at the age of four and he appeared in ads for Ralph Lauren and the Boy Scouts.
Growing up in Dallas, Texas, Ackles landed a lot of cowboy themed photo shoots – enough to give his relentless cast members material for years to come.