Supernaturalran for 15 seasons and throughout that time they had hundreds of guest stars, but some of them went on to become huge stars after appearing on the show. All actors have to start somewhere, so it’s not surprising that a well-known actor started their careers on network television shows where they had limited screen time. While many guest stars were forgettable or character actors, otherSupernaturalguest stars went on to become Hollywood powerhousesand became household names in their own right.
WhileSupernaturalis known for having a very small main cast, never getting larger than five members, there are beloved recurring characters likethe late Bobby Singer, Jody Mills, and Chuck Shurley/God. While these characters never got the nods as series regulars, they were integral in building the world ofSupernatural. Because there are over 300episodes ofSupernatural, there are many guest stars that audiences never hear from again. However, when rewatching, eagle-eyed viewers may spot some familiar faces.
10Alden Ehrenreich
Season 1, Episode 2 “Wendigo”
When doing aSupernaturalrewatch, audiences won’t have to wait long to come across a familiar face.Alden Ehrenreich portrays Ben Collins in the second-ever episode ofSupernatural, a boy who ventures into the woods with his sister, along withSam and Dean Winchesterfollowing their brother’s disappearance. Ben is shy and doesn’t speak much, but ultimately helps Sam and Dean defeat the Wendigo that held Ben’s brother Tommy captive.
Where The Supernatural Cast Are Now
Supernatural was one of the most successful shows to ever come out of The CW, but since the show wrapped in 2020, the cast have all moved on.
Since his appearance onSupernatural, Ehrenreich has found much success,most famously starring as a young Han Solo inSolo: A Star Wars Story. Ehrenreich has also starred in the 2013 adaptation ofBeautiful Creaturesand was recently part of the star-studded cast ofOppenheimer, where he portrayed a Senate Aide to Lewis Strauss as he underwent his Senate confirmation hearings. While maybe not a household name, Alden Ehrenreich’s name and face are enough forSupernaturalviewers to know he’s gone on to do other things.
9Corey Monteith
Ironically, Alden Ehrenreich wasn’t the only successful actor to appear inSupernatural’s second-ever episode. While the episode is often considered one ofSupernatural’s worst episodes, there’s no denying the sheer star-studded talent.Corey Monteith portrayed a hiker named Gary in “Wendigo”and was one of Tommy Collins’ friends who went missing and was later eaten by the Wendigo. Monteith’s appearance is short, but he is one of the first victims of the “monster of the week.”
After his appearance onSupernatural,Corey Monteith went on to star as Finn Hudson on the hit television seriesGlee.His role onGleeearned Monteith a Teen Choice Award in 2011 as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award for the entire cast in 2009. Monteith would also portray Owen Andrews in the Selena Gomez filmMonte Carlo. Unfortunately, Monteith was found dead in July 2013 of an overdose at the age of 31. Monteith’s death was a great loss, but his legacy continues through fans ofGlee.
8Kathryn Newton
First Appeared: Season 10, Episode 9 “The Things We Left Behind”
Kathryn Newton first appeared as Claire Novak inSupernaturalseason 10, though Claire’s character was introduced in season 4. Claire is the human daughter of Jimmy Novak, the man who Castiel uses as a host for most ofSupernatural’s run. Claire was a troubled teen who was largely on her own before Sam, Dean, and Castiel sent her to go live with Jody Mills. While there Claire continues to struggle but eventually finds her way as a monster hunter. Claire would be mentioned throughSupernaturalseason 15 but wasn’t seen onscreen afterSupernaturalseason 13.
Supernatural’s Canceled Spinoff Would Be A Better Path Forward Than Season 16
Supernatural’s legacy is undeniable, but the best way to honor its 15-season run would not be with season 16 but a previously canceled spinoff.
Supernaturalwas Kathryn Newton’s breakout role, as she has gone on to have a very successful career. The 27-year-old has had main roles in the short-lived Netflix showThe Society, as well as portraying Abigail Carlson inBig Little Lies. However,Newton has recently found success on the big screen, landing the role of Cassie Lang in the Marvel Cinematic Universe,as well as starring roles inLisa Frankenstein,Freaky, andAbigail. Newton’s shot to stardom isn’t surprising but it meant that she wouldn’t be attached to theSupernaturalspin-off “Wayward Sisters,” which was never picked up.
7Katie Cassidy
First Appeared: Season 3, Episode 1 “The Magnificent Seven”
Katie Cassidy was the first actress to portray the demonRuby onSupernatural. As one of the two female main cast members added toSupernaturalseason 3,Cassidy took on the emon role and was well-loved by fans.Even though she couldn’t save Dean from going to Hell, she proved to be a good ally to Sam and Dean. While the character Ruby would return inSupernaturalseason 4, Cassidy wouldn’t, as she moved on to a different project. Many fans originally preferred Cassidy’s version of Ruby over Genevieve Cortese’s, though Cortese’s offscreen relationship with star Jared Padalecki helped change minds.
Genevieve Padalecki would return twice after Ruby was killed inSupernaturalseason 4, once playing a fictional version of herself, and the other reprising the role of Ruby.
After leavingSupernatural, Katie Cassidy went on to have a successful career on other CW shows, in particularArrow.Cassidy portrayed Laurel Lance/Black Canary/Black Siren across multiple “Arrow-verse” showsand was able to show complexity in her portrayals of both heroes and villains. Cassidy also found success in films, featuring inMonte Carlo(2011), andA Nightmare on Elm Street(2010). On TV, Cassidy has also had main roles, on shows likeMelrose PlaceandHarper’s Island, though she also had a recurring role onGossip Girl.
6DJ Qualls
First Appeared: Season 7, Episode 8 “Season Seven, Time For a Wedding!”
DJ Qualls joined a beloved group of recurring characters onSupernaturalwhen he took on the role of Garth Fitzgerald IV. The dentist-turned-hunter became a good friend of the Winchester brothers and helped out on many different cases.It was revealed inSupernaturalseason 9 that Garth had been bitten by a werewolfand had joined a pack that only ate animals. During his time as a werewolf, Garth had learned to control his urges for human flesh and even got married to fellow werewolf Bess.
While DJ Qualls has been acting since the early 2000s, after guest starring onSupernaturalhis television career flourished. Qualls played one of the main characters, Billy Nugent, in the FX seriesLegit. He also had a series regular role onZ Nation.DJ Qualls also had a main role on Amazon’s acclaimed seriesThe Mand in the High Castle,where he appeared in 30 of the show’s 40 episodes.
5Leslie Odom Jr.
Season 7, Episode 8 “Season Seven, Time for a Wedding!”
In the same episode that introduced audiences to Garth,Leslie Odom Jr. made a guest appearance as a Crossroads Demon named Guy. Guy tricks Sam and Dean superfan Becky Rosen by telling her he’s a Wiccan who can get Sam to fall in love with her. When Becky eventually runs out of the elixir, Guy offers a Crossroads deal. It’s revealed that after Guy makes his Crossroad deals with one ofSupernatural’s worst demons, another demon, Jackson, kills the human, collecting on their deal early. Dean wants to kill Guy, but Crowley appears to reprimand Guy, stating that demons don’t go back on their deals.
Leslie Odom Jr. is better known for starring as Aaron Burr in the hit musicalHamilton, a role for which he won a Tony Award.
Leslie Odom Jr. is better known for starring as Aaron Burr in the hit musicalHamilton, a role for which he won a Tony Award. Before his appearance onSupernatural,Odom had already appeared on Broadway inRent.Since moving on from playing Aaron Burr, Leslie Odom Jr. has had film roles inMurder on the Orient Express, as well asGlass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. He’s also made guest appearances on shows likeThe Good WifeandAbbott Elementary.
4Ashley Benson
Season 4, Episode 7 “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester”
In a rareHalloween episode ofSupernatural, the Winchester brothers seek to stopAshley Benson’s character Tracy, an ancient witch, from raising the demon Samhain.The real twist in the episode comes when it’s revealed that Tracy’s art teacher, Don McManus, is her brother, and she is letting him sacrifice her to raise the demon. The episode is significant in multiple ways, though mainly because it is the first time Sam Winchester meets Castiel after he saved Dean from Hell.
Ashley Benson has gone on to have a great career since guest-starring onSupernatural. Audiences mostlikely know Benson fromPretty Little Liarswhere she played Hanna Marinfor 160 episodes. The role also got Benson 4 Teen Choice Awards wins, and an additional nomination. Other thanPretty Little Liars, Benson starred alongside James Franco, Selena Gomez, and Vanessa Hudgens in the 2012 filmSpring Breakers.
3Lauren Cohan
Along with Katie Cassidy, Lauren Cohan is the only other woman to be a series regular onSupernatural, though her tenure only lasted for a season.Cohan portrayed Bela Talbot, a con artist and thief who sold charmsto the rich. Bela wasn’t very liked by audiences and that was likely why her character only lasted until the end ofSupernaturalseason 3, where it was revealed she had made a Crossroads deal 10 years prior. Bela was killed by a hellhound in “Time is on My Side” when her deal expired.
Why Supernatural Killed Off Lauren Cohan’s Bela Talbot
One of Supernatural’s first major female characters, Bela Talbot (Lauren Cohan) only lasted one season before being killed off, and here’s why.
Lauren Cohan would go on to much better roles after leavingSupernatural. In particular,she began playing Maggie Greene inThe Walking Deadin 2011. Cohan would appear in 145 episodes of the show and is still playing Maggie Greene in the spin-off showThe Walking Dead: Dead City, which she also executive produces. Cohan also nabbed the main role in ABC’s short-lived comedy-dramaWhiskey Cavalier, which only ran for one season.
2Sterling K. Brown
First Appeared: Season 2, Episode 3 “Bloodlust”
Sterling K. Brown had a recurring role as Gordon WalkeronSupernatural, a fellow hunter who eventually turns on the Winchester brothers and aims to kill them by any means necessary. Gordon is shown to be a hunter without morals, making him one ofSupernatural’s most hated hunters, and once he decides something must die, it must be done without any questions being asked. In his pursuit of Sam, Gordon gets turned into a vampire, the same creature he specialized in hunting, but is eventually killed by Sam after taking a girl hostage.
Sterling K. Brown appeared four times onSupernatural, but his career has taken off since then.He starred in the hit showThis Is Usbut has also had roles in award-winning films likeBlack PantherandAmerican Fiction. In total, Brown has been nominated 91 times for various awards and has over 20 wins, many of which came from his portrayal of Randall inThis Is Us.
1Alona Tal
First Appeared: Season 2, Episode 2 “Everybody Loves a Clown”
Alona Tal brought to life fan-favorite character Jo HarvelleinSupernatural.Jo was the first real potential love interest for Dean Winchester, though the two never figured it out. Jo along with her mother Ellen, were both Hunters and were integral in makingSupernaturalthe hit it was. They grounded a show in a way few other characters have, but Jo and Ellen’s death inSupernaturalseason 5 is still one of the most heartbreaking in the entire show.
Since her days onSupernatural, Alona Tal has had recurring roles on shows likeBurn NoticeandTruth Be Told. Most recently, she returned as Stella in the CBS turned Paramount+ showSEAL Team. It’s clear that overSupernatural’s15 seasons, there were a lot of amazing guest stars, but it’s so nice to know that so many of them used the beloved show as a stepping stool to their success.
Supernatural
Cast
Supernatural is a television series that follows brothers Sam and Dean Winchester, who were raised by their father to hunt and combat supernatural entities after losing their mother to a demonic force. Traversing the American landscape in their ‘67 Chevy Impala, they face numerous paranormal threats.
