Robbie Thompson On How Jensen Ackles's First Pass At The Winchesters' Narration Gave Him Goosebumps - Exclusive
If fans got goosebumps the first time they heard Jensen Ackles narrate as Dean Winchester on "The Winchesters," they're not alone. "Supernatural" writer Robbie Thompson is helming the show, and after both producing and writing the OG series, he has an eye (and an ear) for what makes the Winchesters tick.
Ackles is in a producing role alongside his wife, Danneel Ackles, giving the series an extra dose of Winchester magic. After the series finale of "Supernatural," fans didn't exactly expect to ever see or hear Dean Winchester give a patented speech about family again. Luckily, Ackles has resumed his role as the eldest Winchester brother in a narration capacity — and we even see him onscreen in the first episode.
"The Winchesters" invited Looper to the press room at New York Comic Con, where we exclusively spoke to Thompson. He discussed working with Ackles again, what he brings to the creative process, and what it was like to hear the actor play Dean again.
A plate of hunter helper
On what the shift was like going from producer and writer of Dean to crafting this story alongside Ackles and how his deep knowledge and passion enhanced the storytelling, Thompson said, "It's incredible. We worked together on 'Supernatural,' but Jensen as a creative partner ... I was sitting there, writing the pilot, and I was like, 'What would Dean say?' And I was like, 'I guess I can just text Dean.' And I would text him." Ah, what the fandom wouldn't give to have that number on speed dial.
"All the voiceover, I'll take a pass at, the writers will take a pass at, and then he and I will talk it through, and then we'll shift it. He just does it," Thompson added. "Then he takes one last pass in the recording studio. That's the part that I probably spend the most time on, even though it's a short thing. We try to keep it as a light touch." No one can deny that Ackles knows Dean Winchesters best, and Thompson honors that expertise.
Thompson noted, "He's an amazing partner. What am I going to say to him? 'Oh, Dean wouldn't say that'? He knows Dean better than anybody. To have a partner like that is incredible, just incredible."
Hello, Dean
If you've ever heard someone describe improv, they probably mentioned the phrase "yes, and." Basically, it just means never saying no to an idea but expanding on it to make it better — which is precisely what Ackles is like to work with, according to Thompson.
"It was never no. Jensen's a "yes, and" creative person. There's always something in the language," Thompson explained. "He would do this when we worked together on the show. He crunched some things down, or maybe he'd change the wording around." The minute Ackles does his Dean voice, it's magic — for both fans and creatives alike.
"As soon as he starts doing the gravel voice, it's crazy. He sent me a temp recording of one of the first drafts of the thing, and he had made some changes as he was recording. He [was] recording it on his iPhone in Mexico, and he sent it to me, and I got goosebumps," Thompson added. "Because when you talk to him on the phone, he's Jensen, and then suddenly he's in my earbuds as Dean, and you're like, 'Oh my god.' What he does is intangible, but it's really incredible. It's really incredible." Did anyone else just get some rock salt in their eye?
New episodes of "The Winchesters" air Tuesdays on The CW and stream for free on The CW website and app the following day.