Catching Up at the Con: ‘Supernatural’ Stars Share Favorite Fan Memories, Episodes & More
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For 15 seasons, Sam and Dean Winchester (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles) saved people, hunted things, the family business on Supernatural, but they didn’t do it alone. They had plenty of help from family and friends they met along the way.
And the legacy and love for the show itself has grown over the years as well, still going strong thanks to fan support as they watch on streaming, meet up at conventions, and much more. And so, at a Creation fan convention in May, ahead of the 20th anniversary this month, we checked in with some of the Supernatural stars on their favorite fan memories, the best episodes, and more. Scroll down for more. (Plus, be sure to scroll through our Supernatural page for some extended Q&As with stars and much more to celebrate the show.)
For a deep dive into 20 years of Supernatural, from behind-the-scenes scoop to exclusive cast interviews, photos, and fan stories, pick up a copy of TV Guide Magazine’s Supernatural Afterlife: 20th Anniversary Special issue, available on newsstands and for order online at Supernatural.TVGM2025.com.
Alexander Calvert
He played: Winchester ally and Nephilim Jack Kline, who later steps in as God.
Do you remember your first SPN con?
“It was San Francisco, and you always remember your first one because they just throw you onstage with a microphone. [Laughs] I remember there was one girl who had been in a really bad car accident, and she told us, ‘My goal was to walk up and meet you guys today.’ She worked for over a year to learn to walk again. It was very humbling.”
Favorite on-set memory?
“When we were working in pouring rain in winter in Vancouver. It was me, Samantha Smith, Jim Beaver, and we’re all in this alternate world and getting beat up. Sam’s getting thrown to the ground, tossed in mud, and the crew was just so resilient. No one complained all day.”
Did you steal anything from set?
“No, I didn’t know we were allowed to steal. [Laughs] Turns out Misha had been taking things for years.”
Briana Buckmaster
She played: Well-liked sheriff of Stillwater, Minnesota, Donna Hanscum.
Do you remember your first SPN con?
“It was Washington, D.C., and I didn’t know that the actors often stay at a different hotel than the convention. When I walked into the hotel, it was packed full of fans, and I got very nervous. I walked into the elevator to go up to my room, and a gentleman who was a fan asked me, ‘Are you here for the Supernatural convention?’ He was so nice. And I said, ‘Oh, what’s that?’ [Laughs] I tell that story, hoping that one day he’ll out himself to me.”
What do you love about SPN cons?
“Kim Rhodes and I started the Pajama Party about eight years ago. We order pizza, try to do a little advice for the con newcomers and then we have a part we call Puddin’, where we get to gossip. [Laughs] Then we have a dance party.”
If Supernatural returned, where do you see Donna?
“I think she would still be hunting, and I think she would still be with Jody [Rhodes]. They definitely would be in a platonic partnership. They’d be tight, you know?”
Matt Cohen
He played: Young Vietnam vet John Winchester.
What do you love most about SPN cons?
“Everything that I am now as a 42-year-old man was discovered on a convention stage in the comfort of the fandom.”
If you could write a letter to fans, what would it say?
“I would express gratitude to them for listening to my stories, crying and laughing with me, dancing with me, and being part of my community.”
Favorite on-set memory
“Doing a scene in the episode ‘Baby’ [Season 11, Episode 4], which was told from the car’s perspective. I was with Jared inside the car, being directed by Thomas J. Wright, who had worked with Alfred Hitchcock, and was one of the coolest cowboy directors.”
If Supernatural returned, where do you see your John?
“I am super interested in exploring a darker version of John in a prequel, covering John’s struggles after his return from Vietnam and, eventually, Dean’s birth.”
Samantha Smith
She played: Mary Winchester, the boys’ badass hunter mom.
Favorite episode?
“I really loved ‘Baby’ [Season 11, Episode 4]. We heard about the car being the main character, and I thought, ‘How good could this be?’ I had no idea.”
Your Supernatural secret?
“My nightgown in the pilot is actually pink, not white!”
Favorite con memory?
“In Vegas, we got all four Winchesters onstage, and that was just a moment. It had a huge crowd. Jared and Jensen were onstage with Jeff [Dean Morgan, who played her husband, John], and I just wandered out and they’re like, ‘Where did you come from?’ ” [Laughs]
If you could write a letter to fans, what would it say?
“We’d be nothing without you.”
If Supernatural returned, where do you see Mary?
“I think that her and John [in Heaven] have repossessed the Impala from the boys and they’re on adventures.”
David Haydn-Jones
He played: Arthur Ketch, a slippery former member of the British Men of Letters who switched allegiance to the Winchesters.
What surprises you most about the fans?
“I’ve met people at cons who have discovered Supernatural in the last six months and binged it all. And I had a great-grandma, a grandma, a mom and her daughter telling me that this is the show they watch together. Talk about the legacy of storytelling.”
Your Supernatural secret?
“I stayed in my proper English gentleman accent for the show’s entire first season. There were bets on set, and it was 9–1 that I was a Brit. [He’s really an American with U.K. lineage.] I even passed as British at my first SPN con in Blackpool, England!”
If Supernatural returned, where do you see Ketch?
“Hopefully tending a nice garden, wearing his wellies and growing pretty peonies.”
Richard Speight Jr.
He played: The powerful archangel Gabriel, sometimes disguised as demigod Loki, the Trickster.
What do you love about SPN cons?
“On Saturday nights, we do a concert and I get to play with Rob’s band, Louden Swain. People from the show join us and something special happens—we make the audience laugh and bring them in on the experience.”
Favorite on-set memory?
“My first network directing was on Supernatural in Season 11, and Jensen and Jared weren’t shy about giving me heaps of grief about being captain of the ship. Because I wanted to be right, I might have ‘overshot,’ so they started calling me ‘Speighteen Takes.’ ”
Favorite episode?
“’The French Mistake’ [Season 6, Episode 15] is pretty fantastic.”
Rob Benedict
He played: Writer Chuck Shurley, who was later revealed to be God.
Favorite episode?
“I loved how dark it was when it started, episodes like ‘Fresh Blood’ [Season 3, Episode 7]. Cinematically dark, it was gruesome how they killed Sterling K. Brown‘s Gordon Walker by decapitating him with razor blades.”
If you could write a letter to fans, what would it say?
“Thank you for keeping this all alive. I’ve been on other shows that have fandoms, but I’d call this a family. One that kept the show on the air for 15 seasons, then kept these conventions alive five years after the show ended.”
If Supernatural returned, where do you see Chuck/God?
“I picture him at an abandoned gas station, sleeping in the bathroom, and maybe he’s writing again. Or…there’s a world where he’s still in total control, and he wrote himself not being God anymore, and the position goes to Jack. In the end, there’s a book to close and Chuck going, ‘What do you think?’”
Jim Beavers
He played: Bobby Singer, a father figure and hunting mentor to Sam and Dean.
Favorite con memory?
“There have been wacky things, such as finding out that someone has tattooed your face on their upper arm, so that their armpit hair forms your beard! I was flattered, and very mystified.”
Favorite episode?
“’Weekend at Bobby’s’ [Season 6, Episode 4] because it was all about me. [Laughs] It was also Jensen’s first episode as a director; I had a superb experience working under his direction.”
Your Supernatural secret?
“When I knew that the set for Bobby’s house was going to be demolished, I took home a little ceramic frog that was on Bobby’s kitchen counter,
and it’s still in my house.”
What do you hear most from fans?
“They ask me to say something—usually ‘idjit’ or ‘balls.’ I wasn’t crazy about those terms until they turned into catchphrases, and then I wished I’d trademarked them!”
Mark Sheppard
He played: The demon Crowley, King of Hell.
Favorite episode?
“The end of Season 8 [‘Sacrifice’] is my very favorite. Crowley was having the human blood injected into him, and we were in a church. It starts with Abaddon torturing him and then Sam injected him with the blood and finally the angels falling from the sky, which was mind-blowing. We were so into what we were doing that I sat chained in the chair for two days and barely got up.”
What do you love about SPN cons?
“My life would not be the same without this, without the Creation conventions. I’ve known [Creation Entertainment cofounders] Gary and Adam since the late ’90s. People care. People want to make it good. I don’t want people to think it’s a commercial stripping of a fan. It’s not. It’s providing a place for fans to grow.”
If you could write a letter to fans, what would it say?
“I love you. And thank you. That’s it.”
Ruth Connnell
She played: Rowena MacLeod, a powerful Scottish witch who eventually became the ruler of Hell.
Do you remember your first SPN con?
“A Scottish lady, who I still see, said, ‘Welcome to the Supernatural fandom. Once you’re in, you kind of get it.’ That’s proven true. It’s such a safe environment where people come together to celebrate a show that may have supported them through a bad time.”
Favorite episode?
“I love ‘Regarding Dean’ [Season 12, Episode 11], an episode about memory loss. Jensen played it so beautifully and got the humor, and Jared was particularly funny.”
If you could write a letter to fans, what would it say?
“Thank you, you changed my life. I met my partner, Rob Benedict, on the show, and I now have a daughter. The character and your support have been the biggest blessings of the last decade.”
DJ Qualls
He played: Hunter Garth Fitzgerald IV, who turned into a kindly dentist, family man, and werewolf.
Do you remember your first SPN con?
“Even though we were both on Supernatural, I met my partner, Ty Olsson [who played vampire Benny Lafitte] in 2012 at the Birmingham, England, convention. I was walking past the place where all the actors’ headshots were up, and I’m like, ‘Who’s that?’ And it was Ty dressed up as Benny.”
What do you love about SPN cons?
“On Saturday nights during conventions, I take some staff and fans out to see the city we’re in. If we’re going to a bar, I’ll say, ‘Please don’t tell a thousand people!’ ”
Favorite episode?
“‘Party on, Garth’ [Season 7, Episode 18]. The monster was amazing, and we did a stunt where they pulled me out of a sugar glass window, which was really great.”
What do you hear most from fans?
“How tall I am. I hear it 50 times a day. I’m 6-feet, 2-and-a-half-inches, but a lot of my characters are meek, which projects small.”
Kim Rhodes
She played: South Dakotan Sheriff Jody Mills, an old hunter friend of Bobby Singer and a Winchester ally.
Favorite episode?
“Besides [Season 13, Episode 10’s backdoor pilot] ‘Wayward Sisters‘? I’m a sucker for the musical ‘Fan Fiction’ [Season 10, Episode 5]. I loved watching the kids sing.”
Your Supernatural secret?
“All our costumes had magic pockets. There were a few times when I was decidedly not animated because I was busy holding a machete inside my coat. I had to remember, ‘Don’t gesture with that hand!’”
What do you hear most from fans?
“‘Can I have a hug?’ And I love it.”
Felicia Day
She played: Charlie Bradbury, a genius hacker, and in the alternate world, a skilled hunter. “Dean called Charlie the little sister the Winchesters never wanted,” says Day.
What do you love about SPN cons?
“There’s nothing better than seeing a parent and their kid come up to talk to us at conventions, because it means that we’re transcending the first generation that watched Supernatural.”
What do you hear most from fans?
“That Charlie was an honorary Winchester and that she has inspired women to go into tech, come out to their parents, and be more confident as a weird woman.”
Favorite episode?
“‘LARP and the Real Girl’ [Season 8, Episode 11], where Charlie got to fall in love and kiss a fairy. When the show wrapped, producer Jim Michaels gave me the oil painting of me dressed as a queen from the episode.”
Julie McNiven
She played: Fallen angel Anna Milton, who became human and was briefly Dean’s lover, before tragedy struck.
What do you love most about SPN cons?
“I’ve been told by many at conventions how Supernatural helped them through tough times. It feels good to be a part of a show that could help people.”
Favorite on-set memory?
“My first day, I watched when Jared and Jensen were leaving that evening, how they shook everyone’s hand and said good night. I knew then that being on Supernatural was going to be great, because they led with such kindness and teamwork.”
Favorite episode?
“The first of my six episodes: ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer,’ [Season 4, Episode 9]. I was on set with Jensen, Jared, and his future wife Genevieve [who played the demon Ruby]. That was my first bigger guest star role, so everything was exciting and new. I built stomach muscles from laughing so much!”
Gil McKinney
He played: Henry Winchester, a legacy Men of Letters who was John’s father and the grandad of Sam and Dean.
What do you love most about SPN cons?
“Supernatural and the conventions changed my life. They helped me support my family for a long time, while I’ve made lifelong friendships with cast members and connections with the fans. My wife and I built our honeymoon around a convention in Rome.”
If you could write a letter to fans, what would it say?
“Thank you for accepting and supporting me and funding several albums that I recorded with Louden Swain.”
Favorite Episode?
“‘As Time Goes By’ [Season 8, Episode 12]. We meet John Winchester for the first time through time-travel flashbacks. He’s in almost every scene, and it was like getting to shoot my own little movie.”
Emily Swallow
She played: Amara, God’s sister, also known as “the Darkness.”
What do you hear most from fans?
“You mean after they’ve asked me what it’s like to kiss Jensen? [Laughs] Many are a little hesitant to approach me, and I realized it was because I was busy smiting people and sucking their souls as Amara.”
Favorite on-set memory?
“I had so much fun when I finally got to meet Rob. I loved his work on the show, and I knew Amara and God were siblings. It was so satisfying when we finally got to shoot together. I feel like he’s my kid brother, even though he is older than me. And we just naturally have a very silly dynamic.”
If Supernatural returned, where do you see Amara?
“I’m sure she would take another trip to Reno because she seemed to really enjoy that. [Laughs] I’d also like to see her and Rowena have a Thelma & Louise romp—I had so much fun doing the episode where they got to meet [in Season 11].”
Jake Abel
He played: Adam Milligan, Sam and Dean’s half-brother, who spent most of the series trapped in Hell but was later let out, and willingly shared his body as a vessel for archangel Michael.
Do you remember your first SPN con?
“It was in Vancouver after it was revealed that I was the third brother [in Season 4], and I was nervous because even back then, I knew the fans really loved the boys. I walked out on the stage and the room broke out into cheers and applause and acceptance.”
Favorite on-set memory?
“During ‘Swan Song’ [Season 5, Episode 22], it was the season wrap, and we were on location. The sun was going down, and Jared and Jensen were both like, ‘Hey, come with us.’ They grabbed a couple of beers, and we climbed the ladder to the top of one of their trailers while Jared’s dogs were running in the field.”
If Supernatural returned, where do you see Adam?
“Living this really domesticated life with Michael as the odd couple.”
Alaina Huffman
She played: Abaddon, a demonic Knight of Hell, anointed by Lucifer.
If you could write a letter to fans, what would it say?
“Thank you! We’ve been able to work with you in so many philanthropic endeavors. We did a Supernatural women’s calendar that supported a Haitian orphanage; we built a school in Nicaragua, and a lot of us partake in Random Acts, Misha’s charity.”
Favorite scene?
“In Season 8’s finale ‘Sacrifice,’ Crowley was tied to a chair, and Abaddon punches him, kicks him and knocks him over. I’ve known Mark Sheppard a long time, and it was always fun to work with him.”
Favorite onscreen death?
“In my audition scene, they stabbed me in the back, shot me in the face and chopped my head off. But Abaddon’s final death [in Season 9] at Dean’s hands was one of the most epic.”
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