Disney starlet Meg Donnelly, best known for her roles in the “Zombies” franchise and “HSMTMTS” Season 3, knew all too well the pressures associated with entering the sacred space of a beloved franchise like The CW’s “Supernatural.” The actress will be spearheading the prequel series “The Winchesters,” playing Mary Campbell, the eventual mother to fan-favorite characters Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam (Jared Padalecki).
“Playing Mary has been so much fun,” Donnelly told TheWrap in an interview. “I feel like I’ve even learned so much about myself in the process. It was definitely nerve-wracking at first because it’s so unlike me in real life, so I was like, Am I capable of doing something like this?“
Outside of Disney, Donnelly appeared in ABC’s 2016 sitcom “American Housewife,” which ran for five seasons, and the 2017 indie drama “The Broken Ones” opposite Cece King. But “The Winchesters” marks her first leading role, along with a performance that leans heavily on interiority and, naturally, the stunts that come with a fantasy genre series (her favorite part).
“[‘The Winchesters’ is] definitely a lot more mature and [has] a lot more heavy-hitting topics than any project I’ve ever done,” she said. “I feel like I’m kind of maturing a little bit with that. It is a different approach just because all the characters I played before, it was very light hearted, and I just said whatever was on my mind and was cheery. [But] Mary is very particular on what she says, and everything is pretty much calculated, and she hides a lot. She’s very stone-cold. That’s definitely been interesting to figure out and as we’ve been filming episodes, it’s been easier to do. I’m having a really fun time doing that — it feels very human.”
During the audition process, Donnelly said she was immediately hooked by the show’s script and her character’s duality: her capability to balance both vulnerability and edge. “Because she’s gone through so much, she kind of has a hard shell,” she explained.
When she got the part and did the chemistry read with her scene partner, Drake Rodger (who plays John Winchester and her character’s love interest), “it just felt like it was supposed to happen that way,” Donnelly said.
“’Supernatural’ is just an amazing franchise and to be a part of this franchise at all, but then to be portraying such iconic characters like Mary and John Winchester, and it also being in the 70s — I was like, OK, this is so cool.”
To prepare for the role, she exchanged Twitter DMs with Samantha Smith, who first originated the role of Mary in the 15-season-long original. Then, of course, there were binges of specific “Supernatural” episodes, particularly from Season 1, from where the spinoff mostly draws its lore.
“Our show goes back and pays a lot of homage to Season 1,” Donnelly said. “Just watching specific episodes throughout all the seasons, especially just to get knowledge on some of the monsters and some of the lingo they use — especially the Latin exorcism — helps a lot.”
Ackles, who serves as an omniscient narrator to his parents’ love story in the show, was also there to lend a hand on set, along with Robbie Thompson, who executive produces the show and was heavily involved in the making of “Supernatural.”
“Just to have Jensen on set the whole time was incredible,” Donnelly said, “but also Drake — Drake is a huge ‘Supernatural’ fan through and through. He’s kind of like my consultant as well.”
It’s 1972 when “The Winchesters” kicks off with the return of a shell-shocked John from the Vietnam War. On a night out, while trying to piece together his place in the world as a veteran, he stumbles upon a demon-possessed individual — and Mary, who saves him from certain doom. Raised to be a hunter, the lone-wolf Mary is on a mission to find her missing father and is reluctant to accept John into her circle. But John, also on a similar quest to uncover his origins, is adamant about joining the magical world that was kept secret from him. Though, as evidenced by the series trailer, he’s got a ways to go before he can match Mary in combat.
“I really hope that people see Mary as a really strong, confident woman,” Donnelly said. “It’s so awesome and I’m so honored I get to play a character like her. Every time we’re making an episode or reading the scripts and everything, we always have the ‘Supernatural’ fans in mind like, What would they think about this? It’s definitely our own take on the ‘Supernatural’ universe, but I really think people are gonna like it. And we’re so open to feedback, and we really, really care about the fans’ opinions because we’re fans as well.”
Off-screen, Donnelly has embarked on an illustrious music career, having been named one of Radio Disney’s Next Big Thing artists and releasing her debut album, “Trust,” in 2019. She’s performed alongside acts like Steve Aoki, the Jonas Brothers and Avril Lavigne, as well as opened for Alessia Cara.
While the singer said balancing both acting and music can be “challenging,” she “wouldn’t have it any other way.” Amid filming “The Winchesters” in New Orleans, Donnelly makes sure to schedule in Zoom music sessions and hopes to release new tracks by the end of the year.
“I try to find time for both of them because music is something that I’m really passionate about as well,” she said. “Whenever I have days off here filming ‘The Winchesters,’ I will do a music session and try to get that in there. Music just really helps me blow off steam, so it is kind of work but at the same time it’s definitely like therapy as well. Just doing that is a part of my daily routine.”
When off-set and out of the studio, Donnelly is a passionate advocate for mental health awareness, having partnered with nonprofits and hospitals like the Children’s Health Fund and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals as an Ambassador.
The musician said she has long dealt with anxiety and panic attacks, which were “really bad” around when she was eight years old. Throughout the pandemic, she noticed that more young people were starting to reckon with their own well-being for the first time and decided to speak up.
“Everyone was locked down, and kids started to understand what they were going through, and that’s so scary,” Donnelly explained. “I never was really open about my anxiety or panic attacks or anything like that, and then I was like, Well maybe if I can speak about it, if I can just help one person, then maybe it would be so worth it.”
A January 2022 trends report from the American Psychological Association compiled a list of surveys and research data that indicated children’s mental health crises and inability to access services were at “all-time highs.”
“I never thought in a million years that I would ever be doing what I’m doing now. I thought that [my anxiety] would be so crippling that I kind of couldn’t really do anything,” Donnelly concluded. “I just want to make sure [that] especially young kids know that it definitely might require a little extra work because not only are you battling stuff in life and at work and at school, but also in your head too, but it is 100% possible and it [can] get better with help … and you can completely accomplish whatever you want to accomplish.”
“The Winchesters” premieres on The CW on Oct. 11.
