Jensen Ackles worked with The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke on five seasons of Supernatural, so the news that they were set to reunite on the third season of the Amazon series wasn't too surprising in many ways. However, while the actor consistently impressed as Dean Winchester, it appears the streaming service wasn't immediately convinced when Ackles was suggested for the role of Soldier Boy.
"Sony was talking to some much bigger names than me [they] wanted to bring in for season three," Ackles said on Michael Rosenbaum's Inside Of You podcast. "So Erik was like, 'Look, I know you can do this, but we're going to have to convince the powers.'"
Ackles had to film an audition tape for the role and worked closely with Kripke to get it ready. Then, it was time to show it to the studio. "I was like, 'Look, if you're going to go to bat for me, I want to give you the biggest bat I can. So tell me if there's anything else I can do, and he's like 'You're good.' So he went to bat for me and then boom that was it. But I worked for it. It wasn't just like 'Hey, we want to bring you on for season three,' I had to earn it."
Many fans had assumed Ackles was offered the role straight-up given his history with Kripke, so the fact that he had to earn it - beating bigger names in the process - just shows what a talent he is.
Elsewhere in the interview, the Supernatural alum was asked if Soldier Boy will be a one-and-done role similar to Aya Cash's Stormfront in The Boys' second season. "I don't know," Ackles admitted. "The door is not closed, I'll put it that way." That definitely sounds promising, and we just hope he has time considering the actor is now developing a project with Warner Bros. and DC!
The Boys season 3 is set to premiere on June 3.
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