The Moment Misha Collins Knew Supernatural Was A Hit
For many fans of The CW's insanely long monster-killing saga, "Supernatural" truly clicked into place when Misha Collins swung open some barn doors as the angel, Castiel. Obviously, Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) are the undeniable crux of the show, as the "saving people, hunting things" duo that started it all. But over the years, Castiel became just as crucial to the story and its dedicated fanbase.
For a solid four seasons, the Winchesters had a number of allies who went in and out of the show but after a while, it became pretty clear that no one but them could ever truly be safe — even their most consistent friends would be taken from them eventually, while the Winchesters lived on. Then along came Castiel, an angel who shared in their unkillable cockroach-like tendencies and quickly became their permanent best friend. For Misha Collins, this meant going from a recurring character to moving up as one of the show's stars. So the question is, after jumping aboard so many seasons later, how did he know the show would continue to be a success?
While speaking to E!, Collins was asked about the moment he knew the show was a hit, and his answer might surprise you. There are some obvious contenders — like the time Castiel found a liquor store and drank it. Or when he interrogated a cat. Is it when God showed his face? Or the musical episode that prompted him out of hiding? Surely nothing can top the season 5 finale, when Castiel screamed "Hey assbutt!" at the devil and then hurled a Molotov cocktail at his brother, the archangel Michael? But no, the answer is none of the above.
Supernatural's big milestone
Not only is the answer none of the fan-favorite Castiel moments, Collins' big revelatory moment didn't even happen onscreen — it happened in his real life. While chatting on the E! Red Carpet Awards Show, Collins revealed:
"The moment I realized the show was a hit was when my son brought home a game of Clue, and it was "Supernatural Clue." It had my face on it and we opened the box up and my daughter said, "I wanna be the Castiel character." I peaked at that moment."
It doesn't get much more exciting than having your TV show turned into a board game! So long as it doesn't inspire a meltdown from the series creators, of course. This was especially exciting for Collins because it was a piece of the show that his kids could actually enjoy. He went on to explain that while they know the characters and understand that he's on the show, they're way too young to be fans of the demon-filled series:
"I don't let my kids watch the show. They're young and the show is scary and no one should watch Supernatural unless they're over the age of 40. But my kids have this very vague sense of the lore of the show and they ask questions like: "what's going on with Sam and Dean? How are Cas and Sam and Dean getting along these days?" and so I fill them in."
Castiel's complicated relationship with the Winchesters
Collins' kids are obviously very perceptive if they're checking in on Castiel's relationship status with the Winchesters. It can be hard to keep track of (especially if you switch between dubs) because being like family and all, Castiel and the boys have their fair share of minor tiffs. Like the time they got mad at him for swallowing a race of ancient, primordial monsters. Or the time(s) he teamed up with the King of Hell. But in the end, there's not much their relationship can't overcome — by the time the final few seasons come around, they basically adopt a kid together. Nothing solidifies a relationship quite like co-parenting!
Ironically, the only thing more unstable than Castiel and the Winchesters might be Misha Collins and his co-stars. Ackles and Padalecki had a penchant for messing with Collins over the years: this meant everything from prank wars to pestering him in the middle of his performance. One such occasion marks Collins' favorite memory from the show:
"My favorite behind-the-scenes memory is when Jared and Jensen were messing with me — I think it was maybe season six. I could not get my coverage done because they were constantly throwing things at me, and so I had them ejected from the set. And they were ushered off the stage. I was relatively new on the show and then Jared later told me that he looked to Jensen and was like, 'Did we just get kicked off our own set? What just happened?' And yeah. That happened more than once.
This just proves the point! Where would the Winchesters be if they didn't have Castiel to put them in their place?