Nearly two and a half years after the end of Supernatural, Misha Collins has finally returned to The CW for his highly-anticipated role as Batman villain Harvey Dent/Two-Face on the network’s newest DC superhero series, Gotham Knights. On the surface, taking such a role on a high-profile show on the network that you once called home would seem like a no-brainer. However, Collins reveals that he was actually hesitant to sign on at first -- and it's because of his son that he ultimately said yes.
Misha Collins portrayed angel Castiel on Supernatural for 11 of the show’s 15 seasons. The series filmed in Vancouver, Canada for about nine-ten months of the year (breaks included), meaning that the majority of the cast and crew were away from their families for much of the year. Considering all of that, it's no surprise Misha told Us Weekly that he wasn’t ready for that type of professional commitment again:
In all honesty, the only thing that made me not want to take this job was the fact that my kids are in Southern California. The show was gonna film in Toronto and Atlanta, and it was gonna take me away from them quite a bit. Yeah, I had a really hard time wrapping my head around that, and I broached it with my children.
That has to be one of the hardest parts about being an actor with a family, as having to leave your your loved ones for months at a time sounds tough. Clearly Misha Collins has his priorities in check since he wrestled with whether or not to take this new gig. But while it was hard for him to make the decision, the same wasn't true for his son, West, who was as excited as ever that his dad had been offered the chance to be on a DC series:
My son in particular — who knows well who Harvey Dent/Two-Face is — I said, ‘You know, I’m gonna be filming in Atlanta, and I’m gonna be gone a lot if I take this job.’ And he was like, ‘Do it.’ And I was like, ‘Well, honey, listen, I’m not gonna be able to be around as much.’ And he said, ‘Dad, do it, please.' He was so eager for me to take the role, and it actually hurt my feelings. He thought it was cool enough that it totally trumped wanting to spend time with his father. I think both of them are harboring some excitement about maybe potentially having some small feeling that their dad is, in one way, cool for the first time.
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It’s both funny and ironic that young West had no problem at all with his dad being away from him for so long. But then again, one can understand why the kid would be jazzed about his father being in a DC production. Being able to brag about your dad playing a well-known comic book character is a big flex. And it’s a good thing he was able to convince his papa bear to do it because he definitely makes the Supernatural alum makes the perfect Harvey Dent.
It was a year ago that Misha Collins was announced to be joining the cast of Gotham Knights, and his previous gig apparently factored into him being tapped for Harvey Dent. While speaking to CinemaBlend, showrunners Chad Fiveash and James Stoteraux said that Collins was what they were looking for when it came to casting the character, and they also seem excited to see him take on the role of a villain. I'm pumped to see how Collins continues to grow in the role and, as he crushes, we should send our thanks to his son for that initial push.
New episodes of Gotham Knights premiere on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST on The CW as part of the 2023 TV schedule.
