Misha Collins Says His Villain Work On Supernatural Helped Prepare Him To Play Two-Face On Gotham Knights

Anyone who's watched "Supernatural" can attest that Misha Collins has incredible range. During this single show, he managed to play countless versions of his character Castiel — from Lucifer to a power-hungry god-like version of the angel. Through it all, Collins put on a slew of performances that were so convincing that they gave fans nightmares. And with a ghost-hunting show like "Supernatural," that's not exactly an easy task.

There's just something about Collins' villains that scream abrupt unbridled chaos. His acting choices in these roles are wholly unique and wild to the fullest extent — making his characters unpredictably delightful. Now, instead of getting a few villainous arcs, Collins is playing Harvey Dent in the upcoming CW series "Gotham Knights."

For anyone who needs to brush up on their DC Comics lore, Harvey Dent is none other than the iconic villain Two-Face. Casting Collins was a brilliant choice considering his villainous roles typically have a vibrant fuse. All in all, "Gotham Knights" is a profoundly dark and gritty take on the DC universe compared to most of the Arrowverse shows that have come before.

The CW invited Looper to a roundtable interview, where we asked Collins if "Supernatural" inspired his take on Two-Face and if he could tease the gritty, dark nature of the rest of the show and its villains.

On whether or not "Supernatural" helped prepare him for his role as Two-Face, Misha Collins said, "I actually think the answer to that question is probably yes. I hadn't thought about that before, but because in the 'Supernatural' universe, we had this conceit that characters could be possessed at any given point." And sometimes he just ate a bunch of souls and got a bit agro.

"My vessel was possessed by other characters. So there were times when I had to, on a dime, kind of make a switch. There are times in 'Gotham Knights' later on in the season where I am struggling to keep my inner demons at bay, he explained. "And my split personality is coming to bear, and my split personality comes out, and on a dime, I have to switch from one character to the other." That's not to mention how abrupt those switches are.

"I think probably, yeah, I think my experience on Supernatural did... Well, maybe. I don't know if it actually helped me, but it made me know that at least it was possible. Yeah, I think that you're right," Collins mused.

At the mention of "Gotham Knights" being grittier than most Arrowverse shows, Collins agreed. "I've actually been using the term gritty to describe the show because I think it also feels grounded and real. I don't know; I keep using that phrase as well. I was confused reading the first couple of scripts," he noted. Collins promised some supernatural-esque elements later on in the show, adding, "It's in some ways, it's a little bit of a commentary on corruption and a society that's descending into madness."

Like "Supernatural," it has darker lighting and isn't afraid to shy away from the guts and gore. "It's a little bit darker too, I guess actually, in terms of the color correction, it's darker, but it's got this dark tone to it, which is kind of an interesting juxtaposition to the predominantly younger cast," Collins continued. "Because usually when you have younger casts, it's got this light poppy high school vibe. But ours is actually pretty, pretty dark, and I like that. But there was more to your question, and I'm lost the thread."

Collins isn't the only villain in town. "Oh, I'll tease a villainous cabal. Part of what makes this whole first season work is that it's a mystery. We're trying to solve the mystery of who killed Batman, but also who is pulling all of the puppet strings in Gotham," Collins noted. "Who is the bad guy? Who's responsible for all of this? Fairly early on, we figure out that it's the Court of Owls. But the problem with the court of owls is there this mysterious anonymous group of people who we cannot figure out who they are." Anyone getting some British Men of Letters vibes from "Supernatural"?

Some of the scariest villains are the ones who can be anybody. "We know that they're possessed of a certain network of capacities, but we don't know where to find them. We don't know who they are without their masks on," Collins explained. "We know that they're incredibly powerful and very skilled at framing innocent people for the crimes that they commit. We're basically unpacking a mystery within a mystery. That's what the whole first season is about."

"Gotham Knights" airs March 14 on The CW, with episodes streaming for free on the website and app the next day.