Jensen Ackles called Eric Kripke to say ‘I can’t do this’ after reading a Boys script, but fans still don’t know what scene broke him

It is not every day that a lead actor on a show as notoriously wild as The Boys hits the brakes on a script, but that is exactly what happened when Jensen Ackles read a particular scene for season three. The actor, who stepped into the role of the abrasive and crude Soldier Boy, found himself in a position where he simply had to draw a line. While fans have spent considerable time speculating about which moment caused the friction between the actor and showrunner Eric Kripke, the specific script details remain a mystery, though enough clues exist to piece together how these two professionals navigated the situation.

When you think about the volume of shocking content in this Prime Video series, it is easy to assume that any actor signing on knows exactly what they are in for. As highlighted by LADbible, this is a show that famously kicked off its run with a character watching his girlfriend get run through and explode. Ackles, who previously worked with Kripke on Supernatural, certainly knew the showrunner had a penchant for pushing the envelope, yet even with that history, he hit a wall and reached out to Kripke directly after reading the script.

As detailed by Slash Film, Ackles recalled the conversation during a 2022 interview, saying: “As a father of three, and a son and a husband and a self-respecting human being, I can’t do this.” He noted that he did not actually know where his personal line was until Kripke managed to find it for him. Even though Soldier Boy is a character defined by hateful, misogynistic, and bigoted behavior, Ackles felt the specific direction crossed a threshold he could not cross as a person.

The show has an open-door policy, and it saved the day

The good news is that Kripke and Ackles were able to reach a compromise, with the showrunner later noting that he managed to get what he needed for the story without the actor feeling like he was destroying his soul. Colby Minifie, who plays Ashley, mentioned ahead of the season five premiere that this kind of communication is standard practice on set. She explained that if something feels like it is going too far for a cast member, they communicate that to Kripke and he listens.

While the exact scene remains a topic of intense fan speculation, some context points toward a specific moment in season three, episode seven. In that episode, Soldier Boy is depicted having sexual encounters with women who are technically his age, despite being much older than Ackles. Information shared with Fangasm indicates Ackles mentioned they were supposed to be in a much more compromising position when Hughie and Butcher burst into the room. He admitted: “I was like, I don’t think any of us are gonna be comfortable doing this.” It seems highly likely that this was the moment that prompted the phone call.

Interestingly, Ackles was not the only one who had reservations about that sequence. Sitcom legend Paul Reiser, who portrayed The Legend, was originally supposed to be the one in the middle of that scene. Reiser noted in an interview that he refused to do it, and the production team subsequently gave the scene to Ackles. When Reiser later watched the toned-down version, he remarked that it did not seem like much trouble, but he was certainly happy to avoid it. Karl Urban even weighed in, suggesting that when an actor like Ackles is nervous about a scene, it is a sign that the show is exactly where it needs to be in terms of pushing boundaries.

This is not the first time Ackles has spoken about how far the show goes. He previously shared that filming the Herogasm episode was a traumatizing experience for the crew, with on-set trauma from boundary-pushing productions a recurring topic in Hollywood. He told Vanity Fair that the crew looked truly affected by the shoot and famously added, “That toothpaste will not go back in the tube.” Laz Alonso noted that they used real couples because of filming conditions during the pandemic, and Erin Moriarty, who has had her own viral press moments, recalled her amusement at seeing Alonso covered in fake materials during the chaos.