Jensen Ackles blew us away last year when he totally nailed a couple classic rock songs [1] at Supernatural's VegasCon. We had no idea he could sing so well, which got us thinking, what else don't we know about the actor? We know he makes pretty epic faces on the show [2], and of course we know he's got plenty of hot pictures [3]. We even know he can rock the hell out of a shirtless cowboy photo shoot [4]. We're pretty sure these facts might be common knowledge to Supernatural superfans, but keep reading to either surprise yourself or brush up on your broad knowledge.
- He's not just a TV actor. He took a role in a stage production of A Few Good Men [5]. "It was something that just kind of came about, and the opportunity presented itself, and I was like, 'You know what? Yeah.'"
- He'd totally play Batman if he could [6]. "Any guy in his right mind would die to play Batman."
- Jensen and Jared Padalecki are actually friends in real life. They even go fishing together [7]!
- He knew the show was going to be a hit [8] from the start. "I would honestly say there was a moment when Jared and myself and Eric Kripke and David Nutter were standing on a bridge shooting the pilot episode five years ago . . . and I think we all kind of had that 'Aha!' moment right there on the bridge. This could really be something if we get some legs. And fortunately enough we got some legs and here we are."
- Jensen and his father, Alan Ackles, both starred in the 2005 movie Devour.
- Jensen's father also appeared in an episode of Supernatural! He was in the show's eighth season, in the episode titled, "Heartache."
- Jensen was totally a model back in the day, and it's not hard to see why . . . he's just so gorgeous! His modeling days go way back, even before that epic '90s cowboy shoot [9]. He booked his first modeling gig when he was 2!
- When he was younger, Jensen played a lot of baseball [10].
- Nowadays, he likes to play golf [11] in his free time.
- He's even played a few rounds of golf [12] with former Smallvile star Tom Welling.
- For Jensen, being a dad is pretty tough [13]. "It's been quite the adjustment. A friend of mine says it's a slightly different gear, and I said, different gear? No, you put it in park, you get out of the car, you get in a different car, you take a left down a wrong street; that's basically where I'm at now."
- Supernatural gave Jensen the chance to try his hand at directing. In an interview from last year [14], he revealed he directed the third episode of season 10. According to his IMDB page, he also directed episodes in seasons six, seven, and eight.
- He often reveals funny, behind-the-scenes tidbits on his Twitter account. Like that time they were surrounded by bears [15].
- And don't forget ad-libbing! Like that wink to the camera he added [16] in the show's 200th episode.
- Jensen tries not to pay attention to the Internet, but it's not because he can't take the haters [17]: "I honestly try not to . . . I don't want to be too influenced on how I play the character. I know that if you read too much stuff, and fans say, 'Oh, I hate it when he does this,' it's going to make me conscious of that . . . I hear enough of it from my girlfriend and my mom anyway, so it doesn't really matter."
- Not only is Jensen a phenomenal singer [18], he also plays the guitar [19]!
- He's a man of simple needs; according to him, "blue jeans and a tank top" are the sexiest things a woman can wear [20].
- Jensen's actually not a fan of thong underwear [21]. "The sexiest thing on a girl — when I see it I'm like, oh my God — is these little tight boxers. Don't get me wrong — g-strings are fine — but those cover a little, to where it's just enough."
- He may be married to Daneel Harris, but before all that, he had a very specific type [22]: "Someone who gets it. Gets sarcasm, gets high-brow humor. Ultimately, someone who you can pal around with and also be intimate with. Someone who can laugh at your jokes – it may sound cheesy, but someone who can be your best friend as well as your lover."