Jensen Ackles On Why The Winchesters Needed A Nonbinary Lead Character

Last night The Winchesters, a prequel to the seriesSupernatural, premiered and introduced audiences to Carlos Cervantes a nonbinary, bisexual demon hunter played by nonbinary actor Jojo Fleites. While Supernatural was a series that became more inclusive over its runtime, this is the first time in the overall franchise that one of the co-leads is LGBTQ+ identified, and that is a big deal for queer fans.

However, for executive producers Jensen and Danneel Ackles, the move to a more inclusive cast was a natural and organic one, and one rooted in story. “It felt very natural,” Jensen told Variety. “Also, if you go back to that time period – you go back to the late ’60s and early ’70s, and that’s when things were really kind of shifting from a social perspective.”

“It just made sense that of course there would be some sort of a Hispanic hippie rolling into town and doing his thing or there was a book-smart British woman of Indian culture,” he added.

“Life has always been that way,” Danneel told Variety. “I know some people don’t want to think that but there have always been nonbinary people. So for us to include a nonbinary character, that just makes sense because that is life.”

Courtesy of The CW

“We’re in a space now where I feel like it is not only largely accepted, but it’s encouraged and I think that that’s fantastic. So we just took that as fuel and went with it. It was a very natural organic thing,” Jensen explained.

The Winchesters follows Supernatural characters Dean and Sam Winchesters’ parents, John and Mary, as they fight to protect not only their love and family but the entire world — with the help of fellow monster hunters Latika (Nida Khurshid, “Station 19”) and Carlos, of course.

The Winchesters airs Tuesdays on The CW, watch the trailer below.

The Winchesters (The CW) "Discover" Trailer HD - Supernatural prequel series