Interview
‘Supernatural’: Misha Collins Revisits Castiel’s ‘Declaration of Love’ to Dean
Misha Collins is looking back at his final — and most heartbreaking — Supernatural scene.
On the verge of the CW drama’s 20-year anniversary, Collins, Jensen Ackles, and Jared Padalecki sat down with TV Insider to reflect on the show’s legacy. After envisioning what a reboot might look like, the trio reminisced on stepping into their characters’ shoes for the last time.
Collins’ final moment looked a bit different than his costars’. For one, he was able to film it before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, unlike Ackles and Padalecki. But also, his character delivered a “declaration of love” right before his death.
“I was filming the goodbye scene, Castiel’s declaration of love to Dean, as well as my goodbye to the whole cast and crew, so it was super emotional,” he recalled. “All the aspects of it wrapped up in a way that felt really meaningful to me, and I carry that with me.”
As fans will remember, Collins’ Castiel didn’t make it to the last episode of the 15-season show. Castiel makes a deal with a cosmic entity earlier in the show: As soon as he experiences true happiness, Castiel will enter the afterlife called the Empty. In order to save Dean from Death in Episode 18 of the final season, Castiel tells Dean that he loves him, knowing that’s what it would take to make him happy.
“You know ever since we met, and ever since I pulled you out of hell, knowing you has changed me,” Castiel tells Dean. “Because you cared, I cared. I care about you, I cared about Sam and about Jack, but I cared about the whole world because of you. You changed me, Dean.”
“Why does this sound like a goodbye?” a confused Dean asks.
“Because it is… I love you,” Castiel replies, right before being sucked into The Void and taking Death with him.
Collins remembers a good portion of the crew members being driven to tears during his last moments on the show. “We would f**k around a lot on set and made a sport of trying to mess each other up during a scene, but we also had a real consciousness of when to sanctify moments and form a protective bubble around one another,” he added. “And that night was a reverent night.”
While some fans have debated whether Castiel’s speech was platonic or romantic, Collins believes that the scene did make “Destiel” canon. Shortly after the finale, he confirmed his interpretation in a Zoom interview.
“So Castiel makes this homosexual declaration of love, which is amazing that that happens, and then he dies right after, which plays into a timeless Hollywood trope of kill the gays,” he said. “We give and then we take away.”
For a deep-dive into 20 years of Supernatural, from behind-the-scenes scoop to exclusive cast interviews, photos, and fan stories, pick up a copy of TV Guide Magazine’s Supernatural Afterlife: 20th Anniversary Special issue, available on newsstands July 25 and for order online at Supernatural.TVGM2025.com.
