Meg Donnelly

Meg Donnelly

on “The Winchesters” and what comes next

Meg Donnelly is coming into her own — and into her twenties. She’s gathered a fanbase from her work in the Gen-Z Disney Channel Original Movie Zombies and its sequels, as well as High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. In 2022, she took the lead role in a brand new show from The CW called The Winchesters. It’s a prequel to Supernatural, a CW show that first premiered in 2005 and went on to become the longest-running American live-action fantasy TV series with 15 successful seasons. Jensen Ackles, who played Dean Winchester for those 15 seasons, is helming The Winchesters, so it’s been accepted warmly by fans. As you’ll read below, this show is a bit of a departure for Meg. She takes on the mature, darker role of a young Mary Winchester (née Campbell), a girl born into a family of hunters of supernatural beings. It’s the origin story of Sam and Dean’s parents, Mary and John, set in the 1970s. I’ve been a fan of Supernatural for years and have been really impressed by The Winchesters. In turn, I’ve also been impressed by Meg Donnelly — she might have taken a leap on this new kind of role, but you’d never know it was a leap. She absolutely shines. I’m thrilled to bring someone from the Supernatural universe to l’Odet. Below, I talk to Meg about the role, what she hopes for the future of her career, her original music, and lots of New Orleans recommendations. Thank you to both her and her team, and to Alexandra Arnold, who took the incredible photos accompanying this conversation. ◇ 2023

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Cariann Hope: Hi, Meg!!

Meg Donnelly : Hi, Cariann, how's it going?

Cariann: Good. How are you?

Meg: Good, really good.

Cariann: Great! Well, I'm so happy to be talking to you. I appreciate your team being so gracious with the scheduling back and forth on my end.

Meg: No worries at all!

Cariann: And I heard the shoot with Alexandra went well.

Meg: So much fun! Yes.

Cariann: So, okay, let me just get this out of the way. I'm a huge Supernatural fan.

Meg: Oh, cool! Awesome.

Cariann: I've been watching SPN for years, so I love the concept of The Winchesters. It’s an honor to be talking with the Mary Campbell, let me just say. I’m curious how you found the role. Did [Jensen and Danneel Ackles] approach you about it or did you audition?

Meg: Yeah, no, I completely auditioned for it! I got an audition in my email and I was like, The Winchesters… this sounds so familiar! And then when I realized that it was for Supernatural, I thought that was so cool! Once I read the pilot, I loved the characters, especially John and Mary's relationship, and then also adding in Carlos and Latika, I thought it was so awesome. So, I auditioned for it. And there were a bunch of chemistry reads. Me and Drake [Rogers] had to do a lot of chemistry reads — the whole process was just so much fun.

Cariann: The Winchesters is actually the only project of yours that I've seen. When I was researching before this interview, I read that this role was a bit different for you, genre-wise. That is fascinating; I just never would have guessed that this was a departure for you! You're such a great Mary and you really encapsulate that role so well. What are some things that you do to get into her headspace?

Meg: Thank you so much! Well, I mean, when it comes to Mary — she is very strong-minded, very opinionated, definitely a badass. So, it’s really fun to just step into those shoes. It’s fun to live vicariously through Mary because I am not so much like that in real life. She's definitely inspired me to be more like her in real life as well —  to speak my mind and be more opinionated instead of just always being quiet. 

It was hard at first because I'm used to sitcoms and Disney — musicals and stuff. Coming into this darker role was definitely challenging. But now that we've been here in New Orleans [filming] for a while, it's been really, really easy to get into the flow of things and be with Mary. At first it was terrifying. I was like, I don't know what I'm doing, but now it's really fun.

Cariann: I would imagine that would be scary, especially coming in for a prequel of [a show] that already has such a huge fan base.

Meg: It was nerve-wracking at first. When we were filming the pilot, we were really nervous the whole time because we also know how amazing and dedicated the Supernatural fans are. We were really trying to make sure that the fans were satisfied. We went to ComicCon and they played [the pilot] on this big screen in front of all of these hardcore Supernatural fans and their reaction was so great. That's when we first felt like we could really breathe!

Cariann: I bet that was extremely validating. I love the premise. Honestly, when you think about it, Mary is just a young girl that has all of this trauma that's actually really fucked up. If you really think about the concept of a hunter in the Supernatural universe, it's really scary! It’s incredible that the writers are able to make the idea digestible and approachable. But how do you explore that theme while also keeping it lighthearted? Do you struggle with that?

Meg: Definitely a little bit. Now I've seen a bunch of episodes of Supernatural, but I never could watch it when it was on TV because I was too squeamish. Some of the episodes that we do, I'm like, ahhhh! [Laughs] When it comes to death — when we are in the face of dead bodies and killing monsters, I'm always a little bit scared. I'm also like, oh wow, this is dark, but it's really fun to do something in this vein. With Mary, I mean, she and all these characters have so much trauma and so many things that they've been through. I just try to connect it to my life as much as I can, especially in scenes where I might be talking about something that Mary's gone through. Even just thinking about what Mary has been through makes me emotional. So, that also helps, but it definitely is hard.

Cariann: It's interesting that you said thinking about what Mary's been through makes you emotional because that's what I love to hear from actors. I can't act, trust me, I won't try. But I am a writer and I love thinking about the relationship between the actor and the character that they're playing. I find it fascinating that the character can become such a close friend.

Meg: Totally.

With Mary, I mean, she and all these characters have so much trauma and so many things that they've been through. I just try to connect it to my life as much as I can, especially in scenes where I might be talking about something that Mary's gone through. Even just thinking about what Mary has been through makes me emotional.

Cariann: You're an only child, right?

Meg: Yeah!

Cariann: I am too. Relatable.

Meg: Oh, no way!

Cariann: I can't think off the top of my head if Mary is an only child. Do you and her connect in that way?

Meg: Yeah, Mary is an only child. Well, her cousin lived with her, so that was kind of like a sister. I feel like I have that in real life, too. One of my cousins is the same age as me, and we are really, really close. When it comes to the show, I think I bring that in a little bit because as only children, as you know, our parents... I mean, people always make fun of us for that. I feel like some people say, oh, my parents are my best friends, but they really are. When stuff is happening to Mary's dad and to Mary's mom, it's even more... I mean, for anyone, it's going to be awful. But for her parents — that's all Mary has. Those stakes are definitely really hard to digest. So yeah, I guess a little bit. And since I have a really close cousin, whenever Mary talks about her dead cousin, Maggie, it's already hard because I know how strong those relationships are. When you don't have a sibling and you have a cousin kind of in place of that.

Cariann: I know I've already mentioned this, but playing Mary and being on The Winchesters — it’s a lot of firsts for you. It's a darker role, it's more mature. You mentioned that you're living on your own in New Orleans. Do you think that it's kind of setting a tone for what you want to take on in your career in the future? Or will you keep doing music stuff? 

Meg: When it comes to musicals and musical movies and stuff like that, I would love to do something because I feel like that's still something that I'm comfortable with and that I want to explore. A La La Land would be so awesome. I also really love romantic comedies, too. I feel like there's not a lot of romantic comedies anymore — that would be really, really awesome to do. But doing the darker roles, indie stuff, that would be cool, too. I'm down to experiment in any kind of wheelhouse and I never thought that this darker side of me would kind of be… successful, I guess. I'm really excited to know that it's even broader than I thought. It's definitely been interesting too, because now I'm kind of like, what do I want to do? This is wild. But I also really want to do music because that was my first love, I guess. [Laughs]

Cariann: Yeah, I would imagine, especially coming from Disney, it feels like probably a whole new world has been opened up, which is really exciting.

Meg: Definitely!

Cariann: I wanted to ask you about your music. What kind of music are you working on? What's upcoming for you? Is that a big thing for you at the moment?

Meg: Yes! I've been working on music a bunch! Hopefully I come out with music next year. That would be awesome. I mean… not next year! [Laughs] It's 2023 already! So, this year.

Cariann: This year!

Meg: Yeah. I keep saying next year and then now it's not! Oh my god. But yeah, so this year, hopefully, I can come out with music. Me and my really good friend, Tenroc, who is a producer, we've just been experimenting so much and I feel like for the past couple years I've been making all kinds of music and seeing what resonates with me. My music is all over the place, so eclectic. So, just finding what wheelhouse I want to be in has been really interesting. I guess, same with genres of film now, too.

Cariann: That's awesome. It does sound like you're in the kind of metaphorical springtime of both of your passions, acting and music. Like you're kind of figuring out what you like and being able to choose, which is really exciting.

Meg: Yeah, it's really, really exciting, for sure.

Cariann: The Supernatural universe is so music centric, too. I feel like you couldn't be on a better show that isn't a musical, but still is so involved in its music. [Laughs]

Meg: Oh my god, yeah! Now that [The Winchesters] is in the '70s, Daneel and Jensen have been all over it. When it comes to what songs they pick and what seventies bands they want and stuff like that, they're so into all of this music and it's been really fun talking to them about all of that.

I feel like [a live show] is the goal for making music, because I love live performing so much. And I grew up a theater kid, so doing live performance is something I've done since I was five. To do that in any capacity, oh my god, I would love for that to happen.

Cariann: What are some musical influences that you've been vibing with lately?

Meg: Oh, man. Recently, I've been really listening to '70s soul and funk — Bee Gees, bands like that. I'm trying to think of other ones that I've been listening to. Kool and The Gang, and Earth, Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder. It just feels so good. All the music feels live, which is really awesome. I feel like our generation kind of misses that aspect now of it feeling live, I guess. And I always listen to Bob Marley because he's my favorite, and his lyrics just always really comfort me, and it makes me feel like I'm on a beach somewhere, just relaxing and closing my eyes. I always love listening to Bob.

Cariann: Yeah, that's interesting what you said about the essence of it being live. I hadn't really thought about that, but you're right. A lot of modern music is so orchestrated and manipulated to sound so ‘studio’.

Meg: Oh, totally. Yeah. I feel like people, back in the day, they only made music to perform it live. It was live in the studio, and then they put out live tour clips of all of their songs, too. Beyonce has all of her live tours on iTunes or Apple Music, which is just really interesting because I don't think people really do that anymore. I think because of social media, everything always has to be perfect. I think that's where that comes from.

Cariann: Do you want to play live shows? Is that kind of the goal with your music?

Meg: Oh yeah. I feel like that's the goal for making music, because I love live performing so much. And I grew up a theater kid, so doing live performance is something I've done since I was five. To do that in any capacity, oh my god, I would love for that to happen. I would be making music just so that I could perform it live, for sure.

Cariann: I don't really know the right terminology to use, but I'm thinking of different live performances I've been to. What is your ultimate goal in crafting a live performance for your music? Do you want to be... what's your favorite part about it? Do you want to be in a small venue and it's connecting with the fans and that's it? Or creating, crafting the show and the big experience? What are you wanting, ultimately?

Meg: I would love to be able to craft a show. I think when it comes to a performance, I would probably say it's a mixture of Bruno Mars and the Dave Matthews Band. But when it comes to Bruno, I feel like the way he makes it feel like a party and everyone's just dancing, and then everyone in the band too, even the tuba player is doing a two-step as well. [Laughs] Everyone is involved and it feels like a big party, and it's a huge performance, and there's pyro, and he's just having a blast, and he's just on there himself and he's just dancing. And that would be so much fun.

But then, well, the Dave Matthews Band, they're a jam band. So in between sets, all of the band members are just all jamming. That'd be so awesome. They all take turns, so each member of the band, they all improv and they're all improvising off each other. That would be really cool just to have a band and they all get their moment, and they all get to just kind of improv and do an impromptu jam. 

Cariann: Yeah, that sounds sick.

Meg: That's what I love about recording live, it is just authentic. Just authentic people having fun and doing what they love is really cool.

Cariann: I feel like I wouldn't have expected that [from you], so I'm glad that I asked. I feel like a lot of artists your age are just getting up there and doing a solo thing and it's not about the band. So that's really interesting.

Meg: Totally. Yeah, I think that whole band thing... Every artist has a band, for sure, but it's not really about that anymore. It's more just about the artist on stage, which is really cool, too. But yeah, I definitely love having everyone in the band being involved. That must be so much fun.

Cariann: Very collaborative, fun, and family feeling, I guess.

Meg: Totally!

Cariann: Are you guys still shooting The Winchesters or have you guys wrapped?

Meg: Yes, we are. We were supposed to end in December, but then they decided to give us a month-long Christmas break, which was awesome. [Laughs] And then now we're back, and we start next week, and we wrap late January.

Cariann: I did want to ask, I'm hoping to go to New Orleans soon, and I wanted to ask you, what are your recommendations? Especially now that you’re back there filming! Where do I need to go? What are the cool restaurants and shops and stuff?

Meg: You have to go to the French Quarter, for sure. It can definitely get very hectic at times, but for your first time, I think that's really fun to see. When you go to the French Quarter, I think the most fun street for me, at least with all the vintage shops and the really cool buildings, is Royal Street. There's this really pretty building near Pat O'Brien's on Royal Street, and it's all flowers, and it's the entire corner. But then also by the water, there's this huge French market, I think it's literally called the French Market, and there's just so much jewelry and shops, and there's really cool vintage shops around that area as well.

Frenchman Street is really fun on the weekends, there's just always live music in every single bar. There's a night market, again, another vintage market. There's a lot of vintage markets here, so it's really fun for that. And then uptown, the buildings are really beautiful. Audubon Park is really beautiful. The Garden District has some really good vintage shops. I really like Blue Dream a lot. 

Food wise, I really like this place called Sofia. It's an Italian restaurant. And then, I've never been myself, but everyone [on the show] always suggests a seafood restaurant called Peche. It's all anyone talks about!

Cariann: Those all sound like great places.

Meg: Yeah, there are so many places. [Laughs] I have a whole list on my phone and I haven't even made a dent in any of the food recommendations... It's such a big food city, so I'm sure anywhere you go, you can't go wrong. And the cafés are so cute, too. There's Fourth Wall and Coffee Science. There's a lot. So, hopefully that gives you a good start! [Laughs]

Cariann: Oh, yeah, I think I’m all set. Those are great recs. [Laughs] Thank you so much.

Meg: I know that was a lot. I'm sorry. [Laughs]

Cariann: No, that’s exactly what I wanted! And then I wanted to ask, what episode, or storyline, or situation has been your favorite to work on and film so far in the show?

Meg: Oh... I think it was... Well, I guess I don't want to give too much away, but I think it was really cool having Samuel come back — he's played by Tom Welling. I feel like all of these episodes leading up, Mary and everyone have been talking about Sam and this idea of Sam and who he is. Now he actually is going to be in a couple episodes. You get to see Mary's dynamic with him, so that was really fun.

And I also really just love anytime Mary and John have any vulnerable conversations and I love seeing Mary and John in kind of a vulnerable light because they always have such hard shells on. Anytime we do scenes like that, that's always really, really fun to play, and it's really interesting and very challenging. 

Episode six, which already aired, it was the barn episode, and her aunt, basically, Aunt Tracy, all the scenes Mary had with her, I really enjoyed because it was just that vulnerable spot. In these next coming episodes, I feel like Mary has a lot of that with John, and I'm excited for people to see that.

Cariann: I'm excited to watch it. Those moments between John and Mary are my favorite to watch.

Meg: And, of course, the stunts are fun!

Cariann: I really love the show, and like I said, I'm a big Supernatural fan and had high expectations [for The Winchesters] and I do feel like they were all met. I think it's a triumph of a prequel and I love your work in it.

Meg: Thank you so much. I really, really appreciate that.

Cariann: And thank you for the New Orleans recs! I'm looking forward to having this go up on the site. I really appreciate the opportunity to talk with you.

Meg: It was so nice talking to you, too! I hope to talk to you again soon.

Interview By Cariann Hope | edited by Kass Ringo | design by Madeline Westfall | Photos By ALexandra arnold | HAIR BY COREY TUTTLE for exclusive artists (using Kevin murphy)