Mark Sheppard was the devious demon Crowley (who was born a Scottish lad named Fergus MacLeod) who eventually ascended to the crown of Hell, while sometime allying with Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles). He recurred in Seasons 5 through 9 and had a main role in Seasons 10 through 12. Though the British actor left the show under less-than-happy circumstances, Crowley went out in the 12th season’s finale with a final satisfying grand gesture: sacrificing himself to seal Lucifer in Hell. Many fans, as we were, were sorry to say goodbye to the wry demon.

Nevertheless, the veteran actor happily appears at numerous SPN conventions in the States and abroad with his longtime colleagues. TV Insider spent time with the generously talkative Sheppard at Creation Entertainment’s New Jersey event in May.

Why did you get involved in the Supernatural convention world?

Mark Sheppard: What’s fascinating is that sci-f and genre shows tend to get canceled or they atrophy on their own. What is interesting about Supernatural is it has grown bigger through what we lovingly call the Supernatural Family that shows up at conventions. I learned one year at San Diego Comic-Con that these fans raised $2.5 million dollars for a children’s charity! What sets Supernatural apart is that the theme of the show is good versus evil, the idea that you do the right thing and the outcome, ultimately, may be difficult, dangerous, and deadly, but will still be something that is worthy of the endeavor. These themes in a time like this are rather special. I’ve been on shows that have a lot of meaning, like Battlestar Galactica and Firefly and Trek series, that had meaning. But Supernatural has this extra ingredient, the connection between the actors, the characters, and the audience.

For example?

I make fun of Misha [Collins] on a regular basis because it’s easy to do. But the man builds hospitals and schools and rescues people from foreign countries. That side of him is unbelievably worthy. And the boys [Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki] have a lot of causes. So, we put forward those causes which we invest our time and our effort into, and the Supernatural Family makes it a million times bigger. My son is a type 1 diabetic, who went to Camp Conrad Chinnock that was for diabetic kids, and a person who used to come to Creation’s Supernatural events had discretionary budget for charitable donations from a trust that she had. She literally bought the entire camp’s wish list for the year my son attended, and not just bought it, but shipped it! So, all these actions that I’ve seen over the years are way, way bigger than a little show first on the WB and then The CW.

How did you first come to fan conventions?

 I showed up at a few conventions starting with The X Files‘s first season. I saw the power of how it brought people together. My dad [the late actor William Morgan Sheppard] was in several Star Treks and there was a massive amount of attention for those cons, so I saw the positivity there. I saw people that maybe didn’t have a lot of friends or were a stranger in a new city or people with serious disabilities that precluded them from some social agenda. But then conventions became places where everyone was totally accepted.

Beyond conventions, the Supernatural set always had a reputation for kindness. I observed the warmth and fun myself when I visited the show in Vancouver several times. Did you feel that way?

I think what’s really fascinating, not many people talk about this, is that Jensen and Jared made a decision very, very early on, when [the late] Kim Manners was running the show, what their behavior was going to be when they worked. They knew that this series was a phenomenon and could be something that had longevity and meant something. And they made a decision to behave. I mean, that’s who they are, but they made a decision to outwardly behave in a manner that was so appealing for people to come and work. Actors were treated in a manner that was absolutely superb. That was the tone of the set. And that’s why when I got married — I married “a fan” — 160 odd people from actors to electricians to painters to whatever came from Vancouver to my wedding in California on their off week in black tie to celebrate. We truly operated as a very large, wonderfully dysfunctional family. But that tone they created also affects the way we behave here. We take care of each other in order that we can take care of our audience. We try to give them best time we can.

For example?

We’re always looking at ways that we can make the cons more fulfilling. We have the concert on Saturday night, which is something I thought was vital to do because we’ve got so many great musicians — not amateur musicians, professionals. It’s always been a high spot in that way. Yes, this is commercial. There’s money involved, and that’s why we want to give them a wonderful experience. There’s a statement we use if someone is new to the fan community: “You are going to make friends.” And they do, often traveling all over the world together to visit the cons. It’s such an honor to be able to be present at these events. As a friend of mine said, “You’ve got such a tough job, then you go somewhere and 3000 people tell you they love you and explain to you why.” It’s fantastic.

What’s at the heart of this special status Supernatural has?

Supernatural never deviated from themes that tend to unite people in an altruistic form of life. It’s not brain surgery, but it is good for the heart and good for the head. I’ve had people tell me, “The show saved my life.” My response? “No, you did that, but we were happy to help.” I can’t go anywhere in the world without somebody going, “Crowley!” Even when I was entering the hospital [when he was suffering heart attacks]. The entire TSA is a demographic that seems to watch Supernatural. I’m going through international customs like the King of Hell.

Not bad considering you weren’t one of the heroes of the show and….

I am one of the heroes. How dare you? He absolutely killed less people than the Winchesters!

[Laughs] I will have to check that.

You do. [Note: We may have seen Sam and Dean kill more, but Crowley was, after all, a murderous demon for 300 years.] Crowley ran Hell, and he hated it! All he wanted was to be buddies [with Sam and Dean] and have fun.

Well, considering his mother, the Scottish witch Rowena turned Queen of Hell (Ruth Connell), he didn’t have much of a chance.

That’s not Crowley’s mother, it’s Fergus’s mother. Fergus MacLeod was a 4’6” Scottish crofter [who sold his soul] who had no bearing on this meat suit. Ruth, however, was fantastic in the role. It might have been even more fun had she been his ex-wife.

What has Supernatural done for you?

I’m so happy to be part of it; my life would not be the same without Supernatural. I refused to be a series regular for about four years. I was busy doing other wonderful things, and it would limit me to be in there. I was offered another series by then CW president Mark Pedowitz, and I went, “I don’t think I’m done on Supernatural.” Which was a great choice. I went back for one episode and ended up staying there eight years. The writers didn’t particularly write for me; I’m not in any of the flagship episodes. I’m not in “French Mistake,” I’m not in “Baby,” I’m not in “Scoobynatural.” There’s no “Weekend at Crowley’s.” So, my job was very interesting. There were about 20-30 writers who loved the character but basically would say, “Let’s throw this to Mark” — like spaghetti against the wall — “and see what the hell he does with it.” So I’d be, “How do I get to navigate this?” It really was a fantastic endeavor for about six or seven of those eight years. And then, the end served a purpose, and it never really resonated for me.

Liane Hentscher / ©The CW / Courtesy: Everett Collection

Was there a favorite episode where everything worked?

We never had enough money or enough time, but we all wanted the show to be the best thing we could make. And we loved the excitement we felt when we knew something had worked. I’d say “Sacrifice,” the episode ending Season 8, is my favorite. It’s when I was having the human blood injected into me and we were in a church. It’s ridiculous how good it was. It started with [ancient demon] Abaddon [Alaina Huffman] and me tied to a chair, and it ends up with Sam injecting me with human blood. And then the angels start falling through the sky.

That was a great episode; so much happened, including to Crowley, then the King of Hell.

Yes. So through that process, we’re outside in the worst weather possible to shoot the outside of a church where the crew nearly died. The winds were insane. I mean, it’s as bad as BC [British Columbia] weather can possibly be. We then moved inside to the stage, and we shot all of that in sequence, which is quite rare to do. The working crew who were allowed to talk between set-ups didn’t make a sound for two days. None of us made a sound, we were so into what we were doing. I sat chained to that chair for two days. I wouldn’t even get up most of the time. Because it was right. Everybody had everybody’s back. And Jared will say the same thing. We all put a lot of love into it.

And it seems into the entire show.

Yeah. I’ve been lucky to do some wonderful shows in my career, but somehow this sort of encompasses all the silliness, the sadness, the darkness, and the lightness of life. And that’s what’s most important to me.

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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 and for order online at Supernatural.TVGM2025.com.