“Hit Their Billion Dollar Baby In The Face”: Jensen Ackles Recalls Being Punched While Filming Supernatural Episode

Jensen Ackles, one of the two stars of Supernatural, is reflecting on the moment when he was punched in the face on set. The show was led by Ackles (Dean) and Jared Padalecki (Sam), two brothers trying to survive in a world ruled by angels, demons, and monsters. The show ran for over 300 episodes from 2005 to 2020. It had numerous bizarre plots, including a Christmas special, a Groundhog Day tribute, and an episode devoted to a shapeshifter (Todd Stashwick) with a love for classic monster movies.

While the massive Supernatural cast often delved into the bizarre, few incidents involved real-world violence. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, however, Stashwick explained that he actually did punch Ackles in the face while filming an episode. During season 4, episode 5, “Monster Movie”, Stashwick played the shapeshifter’s variant of Dracula, and he accidentally “clocked” Ackles. Check out their reactions below:

Stashwick: That’s the infamous assault scene. I’m in full crazy mode and I’m supposed to clock Jensen in his beautiful face with my elbow, and for whatever reason in that moment — I perhaps leaned in, he perhaps leaned in — we closed that gap and I clocked him. So what you see on the DVD extras is me being all Dracula and then me being mortified that I just hit their billion dollar baby in the face.

Ackles: He caught me with an elbow but he probably thought he hit me harder than he did. It was a mix between a good shot and a graze, but he immediately broke character. He was like, “Are you good?” And I was like, “Yeah, that one woke me up.”

Why Was Jensen Ackles Punched In The Face?

Supernatural‘s season 15 ending certainly hit Dean hard, but it is far more surprising that a leading actor was hit on-set during season 4. Dracula’s appearance in the episode is meant to be comedic, as the shapeshifter struggles to translate old monster movies to the world of Supernatural. Before Dean appears, a potential victim uses pepper spray against the villain, and Dean subsequently appears to punch Dracula in the face with little prompting. It is supposed to be funny, especially given that Dracula races away on a scooter.

Later on in the episode, however, the on-set atmosphere changed, as Stashwick accidentally struck Ackles in the face. After throwing Sam into a wall, Dracula is meant to turn and elbow Dean four times, before Dean gains the upper hand. Unfortunately, Stashwick explained that one of the actors leaned in too far, and one of his elbow strikes actually landed. While Stashwick was horrified, Ackles found the situation amusing and even laughed during the interview.

Stashwick’s fear that he may have hurt Ackles is understandable, especially given that Ackles and Padalecki were the faces of the Supernatural franchise. If Ackles was hurt, it would be a serious issue for Stashwick, who only appeared in a small role. The show likely could have continued filming, as Padalecki did after breaking his hand filming another episode that featured vampires, but a serious injury would have been an issue for Stashwick and Ackles alike. While unfounded, Stashwick’s initial reaction was captured in the season’s DVD extras and remains a part of the show’s complicated history.

Source: EW