The Boys star Jensen Ackles refused to film scene as 'a self-respecting human being' after Herogasm episode

Jensen Ackles revealed there was once a scene for The Boys which he refused to film as a 'self-respecting human'.

Given its notoriety for graphic violence and shock factor, you'd imagine that any actor signing on to the Prime Video series would have a bit of an idea of what they were getting themselves into.

After all, this is the TV show that opens with a character watch his girlfriend quite literally explode in front of his eyes after being run through.

So when Supernatural star Ackles joined the series as the crude and abrasive Soldier Boy in season three, it's fair to say he would've had an idea about what was in store.

Or maybe not.

Jensen Ackles has of course returned as Soldier Boy for the final outing of The Boys (Prime Video)

In fact, the 48-year-old previously revealed he once called showrunner Eric Kripke and asked for a specific scene to be cut as he felt it had gone too far.

When you consider the fact that every other line out of Soldier Boy's is something either vulgar or sexually charged, it's hard to imagine something being so extreme that Ackles would flat out refuse to perform it, but it appears Kripke's boundary-pushing scripts found his limit.

Discussing the moment during an interview with EW back in 2022, Ackles explained that he called Kripke up to share his discomfort immediately after reading the script.

"As a father of three, and a son and a husband and a self-respecting human being, I can't do this," he recalled saying.

"I didn't know where my line was, but you found it."

While uncomfortable the actor was ultimately able to reach a 'compromise' with Kripke, who added that he was able to get 'what I needed without him destroying his soul'.

However the actor once revealed there was a moment in season 3 which he refused to do as a 'self-respecting human' (Prime Video)

Fortunately for the cast, Kripke maintained an 'open door policy' across the five seasons of the show, meaning that cast members felt comfortable approaching him with their concerns.

"If something does go too far and you communicate like too far for your comfort level, you communicate that to Kripke," noted Ashley actor Colby Minifie ahead of the season five premiere, adding: "He listens."

But unfortunately for us, both actor and showrunner have since remained tight-lipped regarding the exact moment which caused Ackles to say 'I can't do this' – although numerous fans have performed detective work in trying to suss out which moment the pair could be referring to.

This isn't the only time in which Ackles has spoken about how pushing boundaries is pretty much the raison d’être for The Boys, with the actor previously suggesting that filming for 'Herogasm' 'traumatised' crew.

"Our crew looked traumatized. You can't unsee it," he explained to Vanity Fair at the time, adding: "That toothpaste will not go back in the tube."

Ackles isn't the only cast member to have interesting memories of shooting 'Herogasm' either, with Laz Alonso and Erin Moriarty recently looking back on the episode fondly in a recent interview.

Revealing to LADbible that 'real couples' were cast as the episode was filmed during Covid, Alonso revealed that he'd seen 'real action going on' during takes. Meanwhile Moriarty was more straightforward, recalling her joy at seeing Alonso getting 'a massive cannon burst of fake cum blasted onto him' during the episode.