‘The Rookie’ Boss Explains Jared Padalecki & Jensen Ackles’ Cameos

The Rookie and Supernatural fans were shocked when, in the April 13 episode of the former, the leads of the latter made cameos. So, how did Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles‘ appearances come about? TV Insider asked The Rookie showrunner Alexi Hawley.

“Jensen’s daughter turns out to be a big fan of the show. And so he had reached out to Nathan [Fillion] about having the cast or some of the cast record a happy birthday video for her, which is very sweet,” he told us. “And so Nathan told me and I’m like, ‘See if he’ll do the show because that would be super fun.’ And he and Jared both ultimately said yes. And so it was just about trying to figure that out when Jensen’s the lead of four different shows, and Jared was doing a movie, I think. And so yet, it ended up being sort of self-records that we pieced together.”

Ackles and Padalecki played themselves, actors from Supernatural who had encountered the victim of a case that involved a cult, conspiracy, and a direct-to-TV horror movie about a demon. He thought they had relevant information, given the 15 years they spent on the show, including an episode involving the same demon. Interviewer Abigail (Madeleine Coghlan) likened them to KPop Demon Hunters, and while Jensen insisted, “No, not like that,” Jared allowed, “I mean, kind of like that.”

The victim asked them questions like he was testing them, as if they knew more about demon hunting than they said, at a convention, MonsterCon. But Jensen pointed out that they’re only actors and there are no real-life demon hunters.

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It was a fun scene, one that worked because of the nature of the episode — one of the show’s documentary ones, with Hawley appearing onscreen again as an interviewer.

What did you think of those Supernatural cameos on The Rookie? Let us know in the comments section below.

The Rookie, Mondays, 10/9c, ABC