Ruth Connell is a fan favorite for her role as “Rowena” on The CW series Supernatural and recently she starred in the gone-too-soon Netflix series Dead Boy Detectives. She also happens to be one of the actors that can be found at Creation Entertainment’s “Creation Tour” which reunites stars from Supernatural for panels, karaoke, autograph signings, photo opportunities and more. The next event is happening September 20-22, 2024 in the Washington D.C. area, where Ruth Connell is one of over a dozen guests who are scheduled to attend; a list that includes series leads Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, and Misha Collins.
In preparation for the event, KSiteTV’s Craig Byrne spoke with Ruth Connell about fan interactions, these conventions, and yes, some Dead Boy Detectives as well. Enjoy:
RUTH CONNELL: It’s honestly been the surprise of my life. When I started doing the show, I wasn’t really aware of conventions, and then, coming from a theater background, to be involved in a TV show where, quite immediately after filming, when my episodes aired, I was then able to go to a convention and meet the fans. It was really wonderful, because it’s almost like a live theater experience. We do these panels and we get asked questions… honestly, I wasn’t quite prepared for all the compliments and outpouring of love, so it has been, honestly, one of the surprises of my life, and I’m just eternally grateful for it.
When did you first become involved with Creation’s Supernatural conventions in particular?
Way back… I think I started in 2014; maybe even early 2015, not even six months after filming my first episode [of Supernatural] when I did my first creation convention, and I thought it was so exciting. I was very nervous going on stage, and then I saw the Saturday Night Special that the in house band Louden Swain do, and I remember seeing some of the actors sing on the stage, and I thought to myself, ‘I will never, ever do that. It’s so terrifying’. Cut to a year later, and I’m on stage singing with Louden Swain like we all do as part of the Saturday night entertainment that’s part of the convention.
There’s a lot more now. There’s karaoke, there are signing tables, there are panels, there are joint panels, there are interesting groupings of people and panels. There’s photo ops. There’s interesting combinations of photo ops. And I myself do a Witching Hour, which pertains to my character, and I have 13 people come together, and we do kind of slightly witchy things, and I know that many of the other cast members offer similar experiences that are congruent with our characters. I think Samantha Smith [Mary Winchester], for a while, was doing a a Sam and Dean-like breakfast. Fun things like that,
Has attending conventions changed your view of the series at all?
Yes. I had no idea that a television show could impact people, so personally, I love my job, and my ambition as an actor is to be in roles that move people. That’s why I go to see movies or watch television. I want to be moved as a human being, and so, to go to these conventions and have fans’ feedback, to know that watching Supernatural that got them through a certain period in their life that was very difficult, or an illness…. I knew that’s why I wanted to be an actor, but I had no idea the show literally did that for so many people. The theme of the show is chosen family, and I had no idea we have such a range of people in our fandom. It’s a fandom that embraces both sides of the aisle politically for many reasons, and we have a huge LGBTQ+ community that come to the conventions and obviously watch the show… my mind was blown by the depth and the breadth of the impact that Supernatural has had over 15 years… now, almost 20 years!
Growing up, was there any movie or TV that you yourself were a fan of that you would have liked to have gone to a convention for?
My brain would have melted if I could have gone to anything Star Wars. Even to this day, I’m still super excited when I get to meet other actors from other things.
I wish I could go back in time, and maybe I would have gone to Star Trek. I think Creation did the first ever [Star Trek] convention, probably 50 years ago now, something like that.
Do you think you will ever play Rowena again?
Jared [Padalecki] mentioned in a panel recently that the boys were open. They always had said at some point down the line they might be open to some kind of maybe abridged season. I was sitting right beside Jared when he said it, so I think he meant it. So I started to dust off my crown, you know, and walked out in my old high heels for Rowena. I’m very optimistic person, and it would be so exciting and fun to revisit and get the chance to play again in the sandpit. Yeah,
Is there anything you would like to do at one of these Creation cons that you haven’t been able to do yet?
I would like to do a panel with maybe Misha, or Jared, or Jensen. I’ve not done a one to one panel with any of them, and I think that would be super fun.
Well, it came from Supernatural because Steve Yockey wrote some of my best episodes as Rowena and then created the role of the Night Nurse with me in mind. It was so lovely, you know, to have that continuance, and then also, Richard Speight directed one of the episodes. He’s a stalwart from Supernatural, so it was similar in that way.
And we had the two dead boys in the lead, George [Rexstrew] and Jaden [Revri], who are two very tall, handsome fellas, [with names that start with a J-sound], like the two J’s. So there were some similarities, and obviously there is a Supernatural element to Dead Boys. There’s a queer element. There’s a lot going on in Dead Boys, but it was still in the same wheelhouse in terms of how expansive you can be as an actor, which I really enjoy.
Is there any update on a possible Dead Boy Detectives Season 2? [Editor’s Note: This interview was conducted before it was announced that Netflix was not moving forward with a second season.]
I mean, I live in hope. I know it’s written, and they’re very excited about what they’ve written, but it’s all down to Netflix.
What other projects do you have coming up?
I do the voice match for Princess Merida in Brave. That’s something I tend to do a little bit every year. There’s something here or there that’s really super, super fun. In filming Dead Boys and having a baby, there was a little bit of a maternity leave, I suppose, that I’ve given myself, waiting to hear about Season 2.
I’ll tell you this. Alaina Huffman, who is my dear, dear friend from doing conventions, she sent me a breakdown this morning, of a role that she thought I was right for, where she’s up for a different role. She said to me “wouldn’t it be wonderful if we actually got to act together because we’ve we know each other just through conventions?” So yeah, you never know what come through.
What would you say to a fan to be sure to come out to this Creation Supernatural tour?
You will be given such a warm welcome. There is such an atmosphere of inclusivity. Everything’s accessible. There are people who go on their own. You will make a friend if you go on your own. Lots of people come with their families. It’s a really inclusive, welcoming, warm, fun environment.
Every convention we go to, we ask who’s new, and so many hands go up. There are so many new people coming all the time, and it’s just so wonderful. We had our biggest ever convention four years after the show stopped airing. The more the merrier. Everyone’s welcome. Please come. You’ll be given a warm welcome.
Upcoming Creation Tour cities where fans can meet Ruth Connell and other Supernatural cast include Washington DC, Charlotte NC, Chicago IL, Orlando FL, and Nashville. Visit creationent.com for more details on exact dates and guests!
