Here's Who Jensen Ackles Could Replace in 'Walker', But Ultimately Turned Down The Role
So, the 'Walker' fandom has recently turned into a shelter for some old-school fans of 'Supernatural', for whom the brief reunion between Jared Padalecki as a star and Jensen Ackles as a director of Season 2 episode 14 was like a return to good old days of Winchester brothers glory.
Naturally, the Ackles-directed 'Walker ' episode, titled 'No Such Thing as Fair Play', was stuffed with 'Supernatural ' Easter eggs. Eagle-eyed fans were quick to spot Ackles himself in a brief cameo, recognizing his signature legs in the shadow of Miles who is visited by Captain Fenton Cole.
But it turns out that Jensen could in fact be the one to pay that visit.
Speaking to EW, Ackles revealed that he was the one to offer Josh Hopkins for Fenton Cole – after being offered to portray the Captain himself. However, Jensen felt it would be too much of a challenge to simultaneously direct and act in a show that is new to him.
"So when that role came up, they actually asked me to play it," Ackles said. "I was like, it's too big of a role for me to do in an episode that I'm directing that's a new show. If it's Supernatural it's one thing, I know that character backwards and forwards, but creating a new character onscreen while also trying to direct might be a taller order than I'm willing to do. So I called Josh and he was like, 'Yeah man I'll come play with you."
Ackles revealed that he and Hopkins bonded well after they shared a 10-hour ride in a car to Austin during the pandemic, right after a tragic incident with Alec Baldwin on the set of the movie 'Rust'.
Well, maybe the world is not ready yet to get a full-scale on-screen reunion of Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, but the two are definitely still close and eager to catch up every now and then. So who knows what the future holds.