Supernatural: Jensen Ackles on Dean & Jack’s Impala Joy Ride

In 14 seasons of Supernatural, Dean (Jensen Ackles) has only let a few people behind the wheel of his beloved 1967 Chevrolet Impala, a vehicle he affectionately refers to as “Baby.” (Last season, Baby even got her own POV episode, proving just how integral this car is to the show and to Dean’s character.)

This is why it was such a big deal to see Dean let Jack behind the wheel in last week’s episode. Apparently, the scene was a big deal for Ackles, as well. Den of Geek chatted with the Supernatural actor at the show’s 300th episode party celebration, where he told us about making sure actor Alex Calvert, who plays Jack, was ready for the responsibility…

“Before I had even read [the scene], I had our stunt coordinator knocking on my door saying, ‘Hey, have you read this episode yet?'” recounted Ackles. “And I was like, ‘No, it’s two episodes away. I usually try to read them a little closer together.’ And he said, ‘Well, Alex is gonna be driving the car with you in it.’ And I was like, ‘What?'”

For Ackles, the strong reaction wasn’t personal. He walked us through his thought process… 

“I haven’t had the time to have the relationship that I have built with Jared [Padalecki], obviously, and Misha [Collins], or Mark Pelligrino,” said Ackles. “But, I knew him well enough to know he wasn’t an idiot, and he was a respectful guy, and he was careful, and he was conscious about what he was doing.”

When Ackles found out Calvert would, in fact, be driving #1, the car he drives, he knew he had to take action. He told the stunt coordinator he wanted to take Calvert for a driving lesson.

“The first thing I asked Alex was, ‘What are you driving?’ Because I wanted to know what kind of car he was used to driving. And it was not a car that was anything close to the car that he would be driving,” said Ackles, pointing out just how large the engine of the Impala is.

“So I was like, ‘I want you to get in the car, and I want to sit next to you,'” recounted Ackles. “And so he and I took off. And I would say he was very safe. It was almost like … it was weird. It almost felt like a driver’s ed class, or course. And I was like, ‘Make a left here. Keep your hands on the wheel. Keep your hands on the wheel.’ But, it was like a father teaching his son how to drive. He did great. It was awesome. I never felt bad. It was a fun scene to shoot.”

And the finished product ended up as one of the best scenes of the season thus far…

Read more about Supernatural Season 14 here.

Kayti Burt is a staff editor covering books, TV, movies, and fan culture at Den of Geek. Read more of her work here or follow her on Twitter @kaytiburt.