Supernatural actor Jensen Ackles has claimed that Jessica Alba was “horrible” to work with.
Ackles was a rising star when he appeared alongside Alba in Dark Angel, the TV shows that launched her.
“I was the new kid on the block, and I was picked on by the lead,” the actor said on the latest episode of Inside of You with Michael Rosenabum.
When Ackles was asked by the host what it was like to work with her, he replied: “Horrible.”
Ackles acknowledged that “she was under an immense amount of pressure” on the hit series, stating: “She was young, she was in a relationship and that was causing some undue stress, I believe.
But he said it caused “the worst kind of bickering a brother and sister could do,” stating: “She had it out for me.”
Elaborating on why they initially didn’t get on, the actor suggested she didn’t like that he was brought on to the show for his looks. “She was just was like, ‘Oh, here’s the pretty boy that network brought in for some more window dressing because that’s what we all need,’” he said.
He said that the “bickering” became so constant that he told his friends “I felt like I’m getting bullied here.”
However, after a while, Ackles said he gained the courage to “fight fire with fire”, adding that they ended up with a “mutual respect” for one another.
He shared one positive memory of Alba, which came after his grandfather died while he was on the show.
“She literally just walked into my trailer and held me for a half an hour,” he recalled. “So it was that kind of a relationship. If she walked in, we’d be all hugs, but she didn’t make it easy on me on set.
He levelled that he nows “loves” Alba, adding: “I know [that] kind of contradicts what I just said.”
At the time, Alba, who was 19, was dating her co-star Michael Weatherley, who was 13 years older than her.
The Independent has contacted Alba for comment.
Ackles will next be seen in season three of The Boys.