Supernatural star Misha Collins admitted in the days ahead of the show's series finale that he originally expected his portrayal of Castiel, an Angel of the Lord, to be a one-time appearance.
"I'd never done a show like Supernatural," Collins told TVLine. "I really hadn't watched the show, so I didn't even know what the tone was, and I didn't know what really was happening. I just sort of saw it as another guest spot that wasn't a big deal, and I was kind of not putting a lot of stock in it, I guess."
Collins went on to explain, however, that he immediately recognized he was in for a special experience upon arriving on Supernatural's Vancouver set.
"One thing that just took me back a little bit about coming up to set for the first time was how warm and welcoming the production and crew was," the actor recalled. "Supernatural did this thing, which is they had a welcome binder for guest stars, and it was a three-ring binder with menus and restaurants and a map of Stanley Park and suggestions of things to do and see while you’re in town, and it was just this strangely welcoming thing that they did." He continued, "And then [late producer] Kim Manners had me come to set and just meet him while he was shooting another scene that I wasn’t a part of. It felt welcoming in a way that I had not experienced on TV before."
Collins made his debut as Castiel as part of the 2008 episode "Lazarus Rising," which served as Supernatural's Season 4 premiere. During the scene in question, it was revealed that angels existed and God sent Castiel to resurrect Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles). Collins was promoted to a series regular in Season 5. He had a recurring role during Season 7 and Season 8 and rejoined the main ensemble in Season 9 for the remainder of the series. Collins made his final appearance as Castiel in "Despair," the penultimate episode of Supernatural's 15th and final season.
Supernatural stars Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins and Alexander Calvert. All 15 seasons are currently streaming on Netflix.
Source: TVLine