The Boys Showrunner Explains Jensen Ackles Casting As Soldier Boy

The Boys showrunner revealed how Jensen Ackles was cast for Soldier Boy. This series is based on Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s comic book series with the same name, The Boys. It is currently one of the most admired superhero shows around.

The ensemble cast includes Jack Quaid’s Hughie Campbell, Karl Urban’s Billy Butcher, Antony Starr’s Homelander, and Erin Moriarty’s Starlight. This series revolves around the tale of the eponymous group of vigilantes as they strive to take down a team of superpowered individuals who abuse their abilities.

The Boys’ second season last fall had become extremely popular. It was so sensational that the show received an Outstanding Drama Series nod at the 2021 Emmys. The show also became the first non-Netflix show to appear on the Nielsen Top 10 Streaming Shows list. Even before the season’s debut, both Amazon and showrunner Eric Kripke were confident about its success.

This is why the third season was ordered way back with a spin-off series being put in development. There is not much information regarding the upcoming season 3’s plot. However, we can be sure that the show brings Congresswoman Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit) under the spotlight. Season 2 had revealed that she was the person behind blowing up people’s heads.

There will also be more characters who will be introduced like Laurie Holden’s Crimson Countess, Sean Patrick Flanery’s Gunpowder, Nick Wechsler’s Blue Hawk, and Gaston Villanueva’s Supersonic. However, fans are most excited about the debut of Soldier Boy who is one of Vought’s superheroes. It is played by Jensen Ackles and the casting was revealed as a surprise before season 2’s release.

“He just happened to call that day, is one of the big reasons he got that part.”

This was even more exciting for fans as it marked Jensen’s reunion with Eric. He had supervised the former during his early seasons of Supernatural. Kripke went into detail recently during a conversation with vanity Fair. He talked about how Jensen was cast as Soldier Boy. The showrunner revealed that he had written the character way before the star was attached to the role.

He revealed that he was looking for someone older for the role. However, he failed to find someone who would fit into the character’s shoes. This left the showrunner quite frustrated and then he got a call from Jensen. The duo had been in touch with each other since the Supernatural days.

Eric continued, “But he happened to call me and we were just chatting and I’m like well I’m prepping Season 3 of the show, and I have this character Soldier Boy, and it was a real pain in the to cast, and I haven’t really found anyone. Hey, wait a minute, do you want to do it? I sent him the script, and he’s like, oh my God, I totally want to do this. Less than a week later, he was cast. He just happened to call that day, is one of the big reasons he got that part.”

The conversation between Eric and Jensen was special for everyone. The actor and all the fans of the series have been in awe of Jensen’s updated look as a Captain America parody. Jensen’s preparation for the role and his realistic embodiment of Soldier Boy, clearly proves that the character will be a hit. However, it is yet to be seen how the character’s arc will play out.