Jensen Ackles: Hard Work Paying Off on WB’s Supernatual

After years of supporting roles, Jensen Ackles has found success playing one of the leads on the WB show Supernatural. And, while his classic movie-star good looks have never gone unnoticed, his portrayal of Dean Winchester has shown viewers that Jensen Ackles’ good looks are more than matched by his acting talent.

In 1996, Jensen Ackles moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career after graduating from high school. And he found success quickly. From 1997 to 2000, he played Eric Brady on Days of Our Lives. In the process, he received three Daytime Emmy nominations (in 1998, 1999, and 2000).

After appearing in the 2001 mini-series Blonde, a fictionalized account of Marilyn Monroe’s life, Jensen Ackles moved on to the FOX series Dark Angel (2001 to 2002). There, he played two roles, cloned twin brothers Ben and Alec. And he did so well in those parts that both characters are still popular with fans long after the show has gone off the air.

From 2002 to 2003, Jensen Ackles did a twelve episode stint on the hit WB show Dawson’s Creek. He also appeared in two movies: Clownana (an independent short from 2003) and Devour (released in 2004).

Jensen Ackles returned to television in the hit WB show Smallville. From 2004 to 2005, he played Jason Teague, the love interest of Clark Kent’s love interest, Lana Lang. Sound confusing? It was. But not nearly as confusing as the way the character was written over the course of the season. Still, while the writing of his character may have been inconsistent, Jensen Ackles’ performance was not. He managed to make a storyline that was confusing, at best, entertaining to watch.

Supernatural premiered in September 2005, and developed an immediate cult following. And Jensen Ackles performance as Dean Winchester deserves a lot of the credit for that. At first glance, Dean Winchester is as stereotypical as hundreds of other “bad boy” characters. He’s arrogant, cocky, brash, tactless, and could easily have been nothing more than a two-dimensional, cardboard cutout.

But, beneath the stereotype, Dean Winchester is also compassionate, kind, loyal, and wounded. And, according to the creators of Supernatural, a lot of that is thanks to Jensen Ackles, who brought so much depth to his performance, the writers added more dimension to the role as a result. And it’s those dimensions (some of which we’ve only seen glimpses of) that have viewers hooked. On a network that has often been criticized (sometimes unfairly) for hiring actors based on looks rather than acting talent, Jensen Ackles has brought both to the table, and created a fascinating character in the process.

Armed with the good looks of a classic movie star, and acting talent that can tackle anything from heavy drama to light-hearted humor, Jensen Ackles is definitely one of TV’s most talented young stars.

You can see Jensen Ackles in Supernatural, Thursday nights at 9pm Eastern on the WB. The show’s second season will begin on the brand new CW network Thursday, September 28th, at 9 pm Eastern. Jensen Ackles is also appearing in Ten Inch Hero, an independent film that will be released later this year.