J2 Memories

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Thread of Threads

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TV Guide Video (January 7th 2020)

Supernatural Cast Plays 'Most Likely To' | Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles

Link to the video

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TV Guide Video (March 2nd 2020)

Supernatural Stars Reveal Top 3 Favorite Moments Ever

Link to the video

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100th Episode Party (2010)

Jared Padalecki & Jensen Ackles

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CW Upfronts (2012)

Jared Padalecki & Jensen Ackles

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Drake Rodger talking about Jared and Jensen during interview

Link to the entire video (starts at 1:40)

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The TV Addict article (April 10th 2007)

On the Set with SUPERNATURAL Stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles

APRIL 10, 2007 BY THETVADDICT

When you’re walking onto the set of the CW’s spookfest SUPERNATURAL, you can’t help but have the Boy Scout motto – Be prepared! – ringing in your ears. Yet, as I slipped into my role as a seasoned television reporter and stepped onto the soundstage to watch the filming of an actual scene between stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, I’d have to admit that my “play it cool” veneer probably did a pretty poor job of hiding the excitement radiating from just about every pore of my being.

There they sat at an ordinary kitchen table, Sam and Dean (Padalecki and Ackles, respectively) discussing recent events. While I’m not at liberty to reveal the topic of their conversation, suffice it to say that tempers were flaring. As voices raised, so to did emotions. Dean was, of course, in protective mode, while Sam did what he does best: bristled.

And then things took a most unexpected turn.

Sam and Dean gazed lovingly – dare I say longingly? – into one anothers eyes. Standing, Dean moved closer to Sam, raising his arm and reaching out as if to touch him softly, when suddenly…

“Cut!” yelled the director. “Okay, boys, now let’s do it seriously this time,” he said, no doubt relegating any footage which might bring to life some of the more lurid fan fiction lurking on the internet to the cutting room floor. (Or, perhaps, if we’re lucky, a future DVD blooper reel!) The talented thespians had, in fact, been ad-libbing a scene while the behind-the-scenes crew worked out the all-important details involving camera angles, lighting and sound. And given the emotionally-charged nature of the two-part season finale, bringing a little laughter to the set is definitely a good thing.

“I had some pretty heavy stuff last night,” admits Ackles between takes. Probably the most emotional stuff that’s been jam-packed into one scene. I was pretty done by the end of the day.” And what of his on-screen brother? “Jared had it easy, just lying there with his eyes closed. Jerk!”

Obviously, the lighthearted banter and genuine affection that bonds the Winchester brothers also exists between their portrayers. As the actors exchange compliments, it quickly becomes clear that the young men – both of whom grew up in Texas – have formed a mutual admiration society forged on the set but cemented in genuine affection.

Given how frequently one hears about backstage discord (DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, anyone?) and co-stars who aren’t likely to pal around after hours (see: GREY’S ANATOMY), the fact that Ackles and Padalecki actually enjoy working together is a major plus… especially since they spend about 10 months of the year putting in 16 hour days on a surprisingly small soundstage.

“We definitely know how fortunate it is — the chance to work with someone who you get along with,” admits SMALLVILLE grad Ackles. “We’ve both been on shows and on projects where not everyone gets along, where somebody’s got a temper or an ego, but we’ve been very lucky and appreciative of the fact that we get along very well on and off set.”

Former GILMORE GIRLS guy Padalecki concurs. “We both – I mean, I say this all the time – we have similar interests and similar hobbies and similar manners. I’ve definitely worked with my share of people who – and I know Jensen has as well – but it’s all about drama. Like, if there’s not some sort of conflict going on in their lives or on set, then they’re just not happy.”

Okay, I’ll admit that I was dying to know which of their former co-stars were being dissed, but being the professional that I am – and with all of you SUPERNATURAL fans in mind, I focused on what was of utmost important: Spoilers! (If you don’t want to know what’s going to happen in the weeks to come, skip the following paragraph. Consider yourself warned!)

“This is the big show,” revealed Ackles of the much-anticipated season finale. “This is what we’ve been building toward for two seasons. All the problems that set the entire show in motion are culminating in this one episode.” Ackles says that grateful fans have one person to thank for not only the episode, but the overall direction of the show: creator Eric Kripke. “He doesn’t like to keep those long, drawn-out storylines with loose ends. He likes to tie things up and create new problems, which I really like. There are a lot of shows out there that kind of continually roll on, never solving problems.” But that’s not the case with SUPERNATURAL, as will be proven in the finale. “In this episode, we’re going to deal with the demon that took the Winchester brothers’ mom; We’re going to deal with their dad’s death; we’re going to deal with making deals with the devil.” But wait, there’s more! “We’re going to deal with Bobby, Ellen, Jo and the people in the roadhouse. We’re going to deal with the occult and devil’s traps and all of the stuff that’s been playing out over the season. It’s all coming together in this episode.” As if realizing that the episode is beginning to sound more “final” than “season finale,” Ackles quickly sets us straight. “That’s not to say everything is wrapped up, because in wrapping up that storyline, so much else is created which is really cool. It’s definitely going to give us somewhere to go for season three and however long we go!” 

Link to the article

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Season 2

The TV Addict article (April 10th 2007)

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Entertainment Weekly (May 12th 2023)

The Winchesters has more story to tell, and they're ready to fight for it

Following its cancellation, The Winchesters' cast is speaking out about finding it a new home.

By Samantha Highfill

Published on May 12, 2023

For years, The CW tried to figure out how it could capitalize on the success of Supernatural, its 15-season phenomenon following Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) as brothers destined to save the world… more than once. During Supernatural's run, the network attempted to launch not one but two spin-offs to no avail (though Wayward Sisters deserved better).

So when Supernatural ended in 2020, fans thought they were done with that world (at least until Padalecki and Ackles feel it's time for a revival). But during quarantine, Ackles teamed up with his wife, Danneel, to launch Chaos Machine Productions. One of their big priorities? The Winchesters, a Supernatural prequel that would follow Sam and Dean's parents, John and Mary, as they met in the 1970s and launched a family legacy.

"If you're going to spin off from this world, it's gotta be about a main character, it's gotta be about a Winchester," Jensen Ackles told EW at the time. "I think it was Danneel who was like, 'Well, it's your mom and dad.'"

On Oct. 11, 2022, The Winchesters premiered, offering fans a welcome return to the Supernatural world. With Dean narrating, the series introduced a young John (Drake Rodger), home from Vietnam, as he met Mary (Meg Donnelly) and discovered the truth that would come to define their lives together: Monsters exist.

For 13 episodes, fans were back in the world they loved — this time around, though, things were a little different. As any good prequel does, The Winchesters expanded on the world and the lore of the flagship series, striking that crucial balance between the new and familiar. They'd cracked the code on how to keep this story alive without Sam and Dean, by shifting the focus from brothers to friends and, for the first time, telling a central Supernatural love story.

In its final episode, The Winchesters opened up the world by revealing that we weren't watching Sam and Dean's John and Mary, but rather the John and Mary of another universe. In other words, the multiverse is the limit when it comes to future stories. "I feel like episode 13 was us literally dropping the engine block in and being like, 'Okay fire it up,'" Ackles tells EW. "We blew the proverbial doors off. I think the potential is massive."

Yes, the potential is massive, even after the show's cancellation by The CW, because he and the cast have already launched a #SaveTheWinchesters campaign to find the story a new home. "There's a lot of story to tell here and there's a huge fan base that is very actively engaged and willing to support it," he says.

The power of the SPN Family has been documented many times (and cannot fully be explained). It's how the show landed its first EW cover back in 2016 — because the fans voted for it. It's a passion that Ackles saw the instant he tweeted out the news that the show had been canceled. "They are fired up," he says of the fans. "I love that about this fandom. I love that they are so passionate about this world and this universe and these characters that they are willing to go to the mat for a show like this. I think that speaks volumes, especially to those who are willing to listen and have the power to do something about it."

As for Ackles, he's feeling optimistic about a future for the show. After all, Dean Winchester's been knocked down more than a few times, and that's never stopped him from getting back up.

"I do feel hopeful and I don't know whether that's just the optimistic side of me, which I didn't know existed in this capacity," he says with a laugh. "I've been moving more toward a curmudgeon, more toward what we all thought Dean Winchester would dive into when he got older. That's just the Dean in me. But I do have this crazy optimism for this show and I think it largely resides in the energy that we found on set with this cast and this crew. That crazy optimism is one of the reasons why this show made it on air in the first place, and I think it's one of the several reasons why the show should continue somewhere."

For those wondering, Ackles says they've already started discussing ideas for what a new season could hold. "We were talking not only about story and where we wanted to take our cast, we were talking about who we were going to bring back from the mothership," he says, adding that he received text messages from a few Supernatural alums who were bummed they didn't make it on season 1. "We were putting together a lot of tricks to keep up our sleeve and keep it exciting, not just for the new fans but for the returning fans as well."

Much like creator Eric Kripke had at the start of Supernatural, Winchesters showrunner Robbie Thompson has a five-season plan for the story. "Hopefully we get to execute that," Ackles says. "I just think that there's a way to keep this alive and it would be a shame to let that go."

Looking even further into the future, Ackles adds, "And then we don't know what it would look like beyond that but there was certainly a way of tying this into like a possible return of Supernatural down the line, which Robbie and I had talked about. It's something that Jared and I have talked about, what that might look like."

Link to the entire article

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Season 12

Entertainment Weekly article (October 13th 2016)

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Entertainment Weekly article (October 13th 2016)

Supernatural extended cover story

We asked you to pick your favorite fall show, and you voted — again, and again, and again. In their 12th season, the Winchester brothers have added yet another victory to their list of achievements. (This one comes right after stopping the apocalypse.)

By Samantha Highfill

Published on October 13, 2016

The coroner’s van just pulled into the driveway. It’s the middle of August, and Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles are filming a scene at a farmhouse in the Vancouver countryside, which at the moment is passing for Iowa. Working a case-of-the-week, Sam and Dean Winchester have ditched their typical flannel and jeans for sweaters and slacks in order to pose as social workers. Currently, they’re doing what the brothers do best: Lying about their jobs in order to solve mysteries and kill monsters — in other words, saving people, hunting things.

Heading into its 12th season, the longest run of any CW or WB show, Supernatural tells the story of the Winchester brothers, who fell into the family business of hunting creatures after their mother was killed by a demon. What began as their father’s journey to find revenge has evolved into countless monster slayings, near-death experiences, a few actual deaths, and even more overnight stays in questionable motel rooms.

By this point, the Winchesters have been to hell and back, killed Death himself, come face-to-face with God, and prevented the apocalypse. But perhaps more impressively, the show has survived three network presidents, four showrunners, a writers’ strike, and four different time slots. Turns out the only thing harder to kill than the Winchesters is the show itself. “It’s one of those shows that has moved a lot and yet each time, it has found that core audience and built on it,” Warner Bros. Television president Peter Roth says. “It’s been an unsung hero.”

If anyone knows about being an unsung hero, it’s Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles), who’ve dedicated their lives to saving others and asked for nothing in return. Seriously, how many nights have they spent sleeping in their car? And yet, that on-the-road lifestyle has paved the way for a number of the show’s riskier episodes, which play a crucial role in keeping the audience engaged. Just last year, “Baby,” was told entirely from the perspective of their beloved 1967 Impala, and that’s not even close to the craziest thing the show’s tried.

Aside from the rules the show creates within its canon — yes, they have a historian in the writers’ room to keep them honest — not even the sky is the limit when it comes to story pitches. “[Show creator] Eric [Kripke] used to say, ‘Smoke em if you’ve got em,’ which meant: Anything crazy, don’t be afraid to run it by us,” executive producer Robert Singer says.

That motto has led to the creation of an episode that applied cartoon logic to the universe, an episode that placed the Winchesters into a number of different TV shows, including its version of Grey’s Anatomy, and most famously, season 6’s “The French Mistake,” when Sam and Dean Winchester found themselves in an alternate universe where everyone mistook them for Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, the stars of a show called Supernatural. “Our show’s not bound by reality,” Ackles says. “We’re rooted in reality but we’re not bound by it. I think that gives us a fifth wall almost.”

No matter how meta or abstract the ideas get — God has a sister! — one thing remains unchanged. This is a show about two brothers. “We tackle really huge mythology story lines while grounding it in this very relatable family dynamic between two brothers,” says Misha Collins, who joined the show in season 4 as Castiel, the angel who gripped Dean tight and raised him from perdition (and is now as close as one can get to being a third Winchester brother).

Aside from Ackles and Padalecki, Collins and Mark Sheppard, who joined in season 5 as Crowley, King of Hell, are the only other series regulars. “I met the boys and the crew and I got what it was that makes this a special place to go to work,” Sheppard says. “The people that work on this, in every aspect of the show, really love [it], and it shows.”

At the center of it all are Ackles and Padalecki, whose Sam and Dean are the beating heart of the show (whether theirs are beating or not). Sitting down to dinner in Vancouver, the real-life brotherhood between the two—who both live in Austin when they’re not filming—is on full display as they finish each other’s sentences and argue about how Padalecki ate the last piece of tuna. At any given moment, you expect Ackles to throw in a “bitch” so that Padalecki can follow with “jerk.”

Fans won’t be surprised by the chemistry, but what might be surprising is that 11 years later, the stars are still eager to talk about what they love about their show, even pulling up their favorite scenes on their phones to watch at the table.

Padalecki, 34, can easily name the scripts that made him cry — “Heart,” “Sacrifice,” and “Baby” all make the list. The common thread is a heartfelt moment between the brothers where they get to talk about their crazy life as if, say, having visions of Lucifer is normal. “The weird juxtaposition of what the boys are going through right next to reality is what makes the show what is it,” Padalecki says. “I feel like those situations where we treat the abstract and the fantastical as just part of life is where the show thrives.”

Ackles, 38, adds: “I think the show is at its best when it finds a way to blend scenes like that with horror and also comedy. I honestly think that it truly is at its best when it doesn’t take itself too seriously, then it does take itself seriously, then it gets scary as shit.”

Coming off a season that checked all of those boxes, new showrunner Andrew Dabb has big shoes to fill. His plan: Get back to basics. “Every time we do a big world-spanning story, we feel like we’re really stretching our show,” Dabb says. “What our show was designed to be and I think functions best as is smaller personal stories with a genre twist.”

And it’s hard not to tell a personal story when season 11 ended with the resurrection of Mary Winchester (Samantha Smith), Sam and Dean’s mother, who died in the pilot. “You’re going to see two brothers be sons,” Ackles says. “We saw that [with their dad, John], but when you’re a son to your father, it’s a different son than you are to your mother.”

With God and Amara fading to the background this year, Mary will find herself both in the bunker and on the road hunting with her sons. “[This season is] more Sam and Dean on the road. Mary is there. Cas is there. Crowley is there,” Dabb says. As Crowley is less concerned with Moose and Squirrel than with regaining control of hell, Castiel is the one encouraging the brothers to bond with Mom. “He has a shared experience of feeling like an outsider with the brothers yet feeling connected to them,” says Collins. “He is pushing them to confront the emotional bomb that is their mother showing up.”

For Sam, it’s his first real chance to meet his mom, who died when he was six months old. “I think [Sam’s] glorified mom so much in his head,” Padalecki says. “It’s almost like a blind date that Sam’s already in love with the person he hasn’t met yet. It’s been fun for me, after 240-something episodes, to have a brand new facet of Sam’s personality to play.”

Two hundred forty-one episodes to be exact, and they’re not done yet. The CW president Mark Pedowitz has made it clear that as long at the guys are happy and the ratings are relatively stable, Supernatural has a long life ahead.

For Ackles and Padalecki, their focus is on the next milestone: hitting 300 episodes (something that would take them 13 episodes in season 14). “In a marathon, I keep my sights on that next mile, wherever that might be, and 300’s a good number to work for,” Ackles says.

However, if Sam and Dean have taught them anything, it’s that Death can be lurking around every corner (and he’s usually eating pizza). “We don’t just assume it’s going to happen,” Padalecki says. “If we don’t make it to 300, I think Ackles and I will both be truly bummed. When we get to 300, I think Ackles and I will think it might be time to say bye. There’s a chance that changes, but we certainly do not take it for granted that we’re going to make it to 300.”

Ackles adds: “They’re paying us to bring that little bit of magic to what they wrote, and I still feel that magic today. The day that I don’t feel that magic will be a very sad day, and I hope that day never comes. I’d like to get to 300 before that day comes.” (The only thing that’s certain about Supernatural’s end is Baby’s fate. “He gets Baby,” Padalecki says of Ackles. “I get Baby Two.” Ackles makes one correction: “No, you’ll get Three. Two is stunt. It’s beat to s—.”)

As the sun sets on the Vancouver countryside, Sam and Dean ditch their slacks for jeans and send the coroner’s van on its way. It won’t be needed — this show has a lot of life left in it. Not that death has ever stopped it before.

A version of this story originally appeared in Entertainment Weekly issue #1431/1432.

Link to the article

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Telegraph India article (October 19th 2013)

Supernatural siblings

WE ARE BROTHERS FOR LIFE, SUPERNATURAL HUNKS JARED PADALECKI AND JENSEN ACKLES TELL T2 Priyanka Roy What Would You Tell Jared And Jensen If You Met Them? Tell [email protected]   Published 19.10.13, 12:00 AM

Through nine seasons, the Winchester brothers — Dean and Sam — have battled demons, busted metaphysical myths and redefined chills and thrills on the small screen. In an email chat, Jared Padalecki (who plays Sam) and Jensen Ackles (who plays Dean) tell t2 about the show (Season 9 currently airs Monday to Thursday at 8pm on AXN) that’s made them a household name across the world.

When you were first approached to play brothers who bust ghosts and hunt down devils, did you ever think that Supernatural would become the show it is today?

Jared Padalecki: We’re one of the longest running shows on television! When I turned 31 (on July 19 this year), I remember thinking, ‘Wow… I’m 31 and this is my ninth season. This is a third of my life!’ It’s pretty amazing. I feel that what we’re doing this season could go on for however long the writers, and the fans, want to keep it going. We’ve opened so many doors and we didn’t close any... we didn’t kill this or stop that, we just left it so that we can do anything. What the writers have chosen to do is so awesome. I want to strangle them because I’m really excited about it — but I’m not allowed to tell you anything more at this stage. My hands are tied.

How does Season 9 carry the drama forward?

Jared: Season Nine is really cool! I’m more excited about shooting this season than any other season of Supernatural. I was really excited when I read the first five scripts and I think they are the best five episodes I’ve ever read, including Season One. As an actor, and as a fan of the show, I’m really excited about it. I am certain that the fans are going to think the storyline is badass this season. And I’m really hoping that they like my choices as an actor when they see what happens.

At the end of last year, Sam was not getting better. Well, this storyline will explain how Sam gets better. Dean says, ‘Hey buddy, stop the trials and you’re not going to die.’ And so Sam does stop the trials, but clearly he does not get better. We know that at some point between then and the second episode of Season Nine, he gets better and you’ll find out why immediately.

How much of Sam is Jared and how much of Dean is Jensen?

Jared: I grew up with Sam — I started the show when I was 22. I even met my wife (Genevieve Cortese who played Ruby) on this show. In fact, now I try to find similarities between the character and my own personality.

Jensen Ackles: The longer we become these characters, go through so much on and off, we get a greater clarity about ourselves. Now I know the clear differences between Dean and me. The only exception being that we look exactly alike!

What’s been the most challenging bit about playing Sam and Dean?

Jensen: I’d say... just I think, the emotional toll that he has sometimes where he doesn’t think that he is of value, that he isn’t equal to the people that he surrounds himself with. He’ll put other people first before himself. He’s very quick to sacrifice himself, and that’s difficult. I think it’s also a noble trade. 

Jared: And I feel Sam is very pensive and he’s very fastidious when he’s trying to get a task done. And Jared’s like that. I read instruction booklets, I really do... when I get something, I can’t buy something and just go like, ‘Oh, I’ll figure it out.’ I read and re-read it and I try and really figure everything out. And I like that... Sam kind of takes that approach. And I guess before I started acting, I was going to be an engineer, and maybe that’s what it comes from, just that kind of break everything down to put it all back together, reverse engineering or whatever. However, sometimes I feel like I wish Sam would make a hard decision.

Do you believe in the supernatural?

Jensen: I wouldn’t call myself superstitious, but I do suspect there’s more between heaven and earth... even hell. I’m open for spiritual experiences, although I haven’t needed any salt yet to ward off evil spirits from my home!

Jared: I firmly believe that things happen for a reason. That may sound melodramatic, but I don’t believe coincidence exists. And I also believe we’re not the only living creatures in this universe.

Which have been your favourite moments on the show so far?

Jensen: My favourite moment is when the brothers made a commitment to each other in the church. This is a commitment that they’re going to check in with each other... that they are going to remain partners and stay on the same track and not be like, ‘You go do this while I go and do that, and we’ll all try to solve the world our own way.’

Is there anything you would want to change about Dean and Sam?

Jared: There’s a term we use, to “man up” — “man up and get the job done”. Sam ends up making a decision, but I don’t think he takes a stand. There’s a small difference, and I wish he’d take a stand sometimes.

You guys have been sharing screen space through nine seasons. What kind of a dynamic do you share off screen?

Jensen: That’s almost impossible to explain. Nine months a year we’re stuck with each other literally 24 hours a day, seven days a week because we’re working on the show. Even doing stuff for ourselves in between isn’t possible. We’re constantly together. And even when we’re not actually working together during the nine months, or the other three months out of the year for that matter, we always find ourselves choosing to hang out and be together. But what I’m saying is, if you compare our relationship with Dean and Sam’s relationship on the show, there is a huge difference. Jared never drives me up the wall.We can talk to each other about anything.

Whenever we’ve fought, it’s been for each other! Like, I’ll do or say something and he will too and the other one might not like it, but in the end we’re doing it to help or protect them and it’s never against him. I think we do have that loyalty and I can honestly say you know, I’d trust my life with this guy and I guess in relevance to Dean for Sam, I would jump in front of a bullet for him any day and never think twice.

Jared: And the best part about Jensen and my relationship is it’s gonna be that way when we’re on the show and not. I mean, unfortunately for him, he’s stuck with me for life now and that’s important. But look, brothers and sisters, for that matter, sometimes fight. Or worse... they can’t get along at all. Between Jensen and me there have never been any issues and I think that’s rather special.

Jensen: We’re best friends, period. He’s my best friend for life. I don’t think it’s that remarkable, but it’s definitely special.

Are you aware that you have a huge fan following in India?

Jared: I was so surprised when I was informed that we have a huge fan following in India. Until recently, I had no idea that the show was even airing in India! It feels so good to know we have fans across the continent.

Jensen: I had no idea either. Jared and I both found out about it together! We are dying to come to India... it would be amazing.

What’s the craziest thing a fan has done for you?

Jared: The people will come up and be like, ‘Oh, my gosh! I saw an episode where this happened and it made me think of this time when I saw this.’ And you’re like: ‘What did you do? Get the salt?’ So the fans are pretty funny. The fans of the show are certainly. They’re not casual fans. People, if they know the show, they know the show, which is nice. It’s wonderful to have such a dedicated audience and a loyal following. It’s become part of the show and we’ve made episodes about our fans. So that’s fun, and they certainly share their stories with us.

Source: telegraphindia.com - October 19th 2013, written by Priyanka Roy

Link to the article

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CNN entertainment article (October 20th 2020)

‘Supernatural’ stars reflect on show’s plot twists until the very end

By Sandra Gonzalez, CNN

Updated 4:00 PM EDT, Thu October 8, 2020

Like a plot line from an episode of “Supernatural,” the trouble started on a Friday the 13th.

Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki were filming their show in Vancouver, Canada, with two episodes worth of production standing between them and the conclusion of a story that’s taken 15 years to tell.

Then, on March 13, production on the show about a pair of monster-hunting brothers that have survived more than an apocalypse or two over the years was shut down amid the spread of coronavirus.

“When we went on pause, all focus then shifted to, ‘What is this pandemic going to be like?’ ‘Are we on the doorstep of the apocalypse?” Ackles remembers on an early afternoon Zoom call with Padalecki and CNN.

Other television series that were shuttered opted to wrap their seasons early as a result of the widespread production shutdowns, forgoing their planned season finales and instead finding as natural of a place as they could to close out their stories for the year.

“Supernatural,” with its end set in stone, didn’t have that luxury. And for months, they felt like firemen, Ackles says, waiting for the call that would have them report for duty as road-tripping duo Sam and Dean Winchester once again.

It eventually came and on Thursday, the show will begin airing its final seven episodes on The CW.

“It’s been a rollercoaster to say the least,” Padalecki tells CNN. (“Supernatural” is produced by Warner Bros. TV, which like CNN is owned by WarnerMedia.)

In more ways than one, really.

The Road So Far

“Supernatural” began in 2005 on the now-defunct WB Network. For context, Twitter launched the next year, and Netflix didn’t begin offering streaming until 2007.

Ackles and Padalecki — now both married with six kids between them — were 26 and 23, respectively, when they dove into roles that would see their characters go to hell and back, literally.

The show also went through trials — the merging of WB with UPN (which created The CW), new showrunners and writer’s strikes, to name a few.

But it chugged on, earning a loving reputation among the cast and crew as being “the little show that could” and growing its “Supernatural” family on camera (with key additions like Misha Collins) and off. Thanks to streaming and syndication, it boasts a generationally diverse fanbase and a wider spectrum of viewers than anyone ever anticipated them to have, Ackles says.

“I’ll never forget the first time that I was signing autographs and a girl, a woman and an older woman all came up to me and it was a mom, daughter and the granddaughter – three generations. And they all watched the show together,” he says. “And we started seeing that more and more that the audience was becoming younger.”

They get a first-hand evidence of this during “Supernatural” conventions, which, during non-pandemic years, fill hotel ballrooms across the country with thousands of fans several times a year.

At one event, a fan asking a question looked so young, Padalecki inquired about her age.

“Not in a creepy way!” Padalecki interrupts, as Ackles recounted the story.

“Yes, not in a creepy way! Just like, ‘Wow, you seem awfully young to be asking a question about a show that’s been on [so long],’” Ackles says. “And I knew where you were going. You were wanting to see if the show was older than she was, and it was.”

The actors talk like that a lot when they’re together – finishing each other’s story or thought midway. It’s a side effect of 15 years worth long nights on set and countless press days together.

On this morning, Padalecki, on a road trip back home to Texas from Vancouver, is chatting from a hotel in Idaho. In Austin, he will soon begin production on a reboot of “Walker, Texas Ranger,” in which he plays the title role.

Ackles will for his next gig – a role in Amazon’s “The Boys,” which is run by “Supernatural” creator Eric Kripke – once again work in Canada.

They admit it will be an adjustment.

“For me, I’m now a guest in somebody else’s house. As for Jared, he’s going to be building a new house with a whole group of new faces,” Ackles says. “So it will be different, and that’s probably when he and I will call each other and be like, ‘I miss you so much!’”

Padalecki hopes he can recreate a version of what they built on “Supernatural” with his new fellow cast members and crew.

“It takes a while. A true relationship is built over time,” he says. “On ‘Supernatural,’ we went through deaths and births and marriages and divorces… and heartbreak and the honeymoon phase of falling in love – [and] not just us. We both started dating our wives that are now the mothers of our kids during the show.”

“Oh, I thought you meant we fell in love,” Ackles quips.

“We fell in love, too,” Padalecki jokes.

When I add that plotline was only in fan fiction, Ackles retorts, “Or was it?”

Padalecki erupts in laughter.

“There it goes the internet.”

Swan song

Padalecki and Ackles say their love for the show runs deep, especially so now that it’s in the rear view mirror. They wrapped just days before we spoke.

The day before, Padalecki says, he caught the last minutes of the season 2 finale – the first that used Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son” during the recap of the season, something that became a tradition. The episode was airing on television while he was at a gym and he nostalgically couldn’t resist watching. (He says he’d really hoped someone would catch him watching himself on TV, but no one did.)

“It’s a great show, and I’m not talking about Jensen or myself. I’m just talking about the show is awesome,” Padalecki says. “It’s really humbling, and it’s so cool to have been a part of. And, I guess, be a part of forever.”

Both say they’d like to do conventions again, especially since by that point, the finale will have aired, and they can speak about it openly.

Until then, they can only tease that it was an emotional conclusion.

“If you’re not crying before the last scene, then you don’t have a soul,” Padalecki says, but it’s not clear if he notes the irony of the statement, considering his character lost his soul at one point.

Though television shows are typically filmed out of order, efforts were made to have the last moments of the show be the last scene they filmed.

This, combined with the lack of cell service at their location, allowed them to be fully present, they said.

“In a really strange way, the finale that we just finished last Thursday is, in hindsight, the finale I would have always wanted,” he said.

The tears viewers see on screen will be real, they both said.

“I think it’s actually a really beautiful moment, not just for he and I, but for the crew and for everybody there, because there was a finality to it,” Ackles said. “And then we popped some corks and had some speeches, and it was a really nice moment.”

A celebration, you could say, of “the little show that could” and all it did.

Link to the article

[j2memories]

Variety article (October 9th 2020)

‘Supernatural’s’ Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki on Their Final Scene Together, Moving onto ‘The Boys’ and ‘Walker’

Oct 9, 2020 9:00am PT

By Danielle Turchiano

The Winchesters’ work may not yet be done on “Supernatural,” but their portrayers, Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, already have to think about shedding Dean and Sam and stepping into new characters.

The CW demon-hunting drama called series wrap in early September, with the guys sharing their final scene as on-screen brothers on Sept. 10.

“When I showed up, it was our last day of filming at the studios and it was a big day, script-wise. And our third AD, Emma — we call her G.G., which is short for ‘garden gnome,’ because she’s little — she came up to me and was already in tears; she was like, ‘It’s our last day at the studio.’ And I just said, ‘Nope. No, no no, another day at the office, business as usual, don’t start that s—.’ That’s how I do the work,” Ackles tells Variety.

With only days since between wrap and chatting with Variety, Padalecki points out that he doesn’t “know if I’ve unpacked” what that final brother moment fully means emotionally. He shares that he has been “avoiding really delving back into that mindset and what it means and what it meant.”

“Even though Jensen and Jared knew, ‘Hey “Supernatural’s” done on Friday; we finished on Thursday,’ we had to treat it like, ‘OK this may be the last minute of the Super Bowl, but we’ve still got plays to make’; we still have to be on point,” he explains.

“Supernatural” began airing the final seven episodes of its 15-season run on Oct. 8, with the world watching whether or not the Winchesters would be able to defeat God (Rob Benedict), who has been hell-bent (no pun intended) on destroying universes of late. Unlike seasons past, though, the episodes have wrapped ahead of time: The first five were finished in the spring, as the show was originally scheduled to end in May. When the coronavirus pandemic halted production, they had two episodes to go, which were completed amid the still-ongoing pandemic in early September.

“We didn’t let COVID stop any brother moments,” Padalecki promises, noting that protocol on-set had the co-leads getting tested every three days and only interacting with essential personal, such as each other, the director, cinematographer and their key makeup and hair artists.

“In those final moments, without giving away too much, one thing you’ll see in my opinion for me [is] the lines that separate the the character from the actor get heavily blurred,” Ackles says of Dean and Sam’s last scene together.

Because of schedule changes due to COVID, both Ackles and Padalecki were able to look ahead to what their next projects would be before finishing the arguably the longest-running one of which they will ever be a part.

Early this year, Padalecki booked the titular role in the CW’s reboot of “Walker, Texas Ranger,” simply titled “Walker”; for the first time in his career he will also be an executive producer on that project. In August, Ackles announced he would be joining the cast of Amazon Prime Video’s “The Boys” for the third season, playing the first superhero, Soldier Boy. Just yesterday, it was announced the Ackles also signed an overall deal with Warner Bros. Television Group.

“My new character, Walker, is different than Sam and so I’ve been spending time since they called, ‘That’s a wrap,’ getting back into that mindset. I was able to get into that mindset during quarantine, but I know as well as any actor that it takes a while to fully flesh out a character anyways — and it should,” says Padalecki. “If ‘Walker,’ the TV show, goes for three or four or five or six or seven years or whatever, then I hope he’s more fleshed-out and more developed than he was during the pilot. And so, I’ve done a lot of work — I’ve done the character work — and I’m going to start from there and let what happens between ‘action’ and ‘cut’ inform me more.”

Both actors say that no matter what new character comes their way, there have been invaluable lessons learned on the set of “Supernatural” that they will carry with them.

“The last 15 years was not just going to work, it was an educational experience. I learned a lot about everything I do. Jared and I didn’t go to school for this; we learned on the job. And so, the more on-the-job we have been, the more we have learned. I certainly never anticipated being this educated in what we do, and I think that that will only help us in what we do moving forward,” says Ackles.

Adds Padalecki: “I’m going to take Sam Winchester and the lessons I learned from ‘Supernatural,’ proudly, into every job I do — and probably outside of jobs, just as what kind of a human being I want to be.”

“Supernatural” airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on the CW.

Watch Variety’s video interview with Ackles and Padalecki above.

Link to the article

[j2memories]

Season 15

Variety article (October 9th 2020)

CNN entertainment article (October 20th 2020)

[j2memories]

Variety article (January 15th 2021)

Jared Padalecki on the Defining Deaths of ‘Supernatural’ and ‘Walker’

Jan 15, 2021 9:45am PT

By Danielle Turchiano

Two very important deaths book-ended Sam Winchester’s journey on the CW’s “Supernatural,” and now one equally emotional loss will set up actor Jared Padalecki‘s new on-screen journey on the same network’s “Walker.”

The long-running demon-hunting drama, “Supernatural,” which came to an end after 15 seasons in November 2020, started with Padalecki’s Sam getting sucked back into the “family business” of “saving people and hunting things” after his college girlfriend Jess (Adrianne Palicki) was killed in the same way as his mother was when he was just an infant. He was a character who grew up on the road with his big brother Dean (Jensen Ackles) while their father searched for the thing that killed their mother, but when he got old enough to choose for himself, he wanted to go to college and try to have a normal life.

A decade and a half later, after taking on Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino), Archangels and even God himself (Rob Benedict), as well as one failed attempt at a normal life when Dean was sent to Purgatory, Sam lost his brother during a routine hunt in a vampire nest. Although he kept the family business going a little while longer, he ultimately did get to have some semblance of a normal life, including having a son.

“It was a success story — it was Dean’s success story,” Padalecki reflects on the “Supernatural” series finale. “This guy gave his life for years and years and years and ultimately gave his life to have his No. 1 on the planet live as normal a life as possible.”

Shot amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the “Supernatural” season finale was not a parade of beloved guest stars getting one last good-bye, but instead focused on the Winchester brothers who started it all (with one very special appearance by Jim Beaver). Padalecki confirms for Variety that there was no version he had read that revealed who Sam’s wife was in those flashes through his later years. In the episode, she is seen out of focus, from a long distance.

“I think it was very, very purposely ambiguous and strangely I agreed with that,” he says. “I feel like a lot of what Sam did after Dean died was almost in honor of what Dean would have wanted, and Dean would not have wanted his little brother to marry Eileen, Ruby, someone in the life.”

Padalecki and Ackles shot Dean’s death scene and Sam’s goodbye to him on Sept. 4, 2020. “That day sucked,” Padalecki says. “It was all day, just watching Dean die. Going through that was really awful.” Less than a week later duo was shot reuniting in heaven, on what was their final day — and the final shot — for the series overall. Five weeks after that, Padalecki truly set Sam aside to step into his new role as Cordell Walker, the titular Texas Ranger who is mourning the death of his wife (played by his real-life wife Genevieve Padalecki) on the reimagining of “Walker, Texas Ranger” that is simply titled “Walker.”

The Padalecki spouses met and fell in love on the set of “Supernatural” in 2008, and her character was killed off (by Ackles’ Dean) just a year later. So to some degree, Padalecki is “used to Gen dying on-camera,” he says with a little laugh. But now that they have been married for more than a decade and have three kids together — not to mention the fact that her character on “Walker” is a loving wife and mother, not a demon as on “Supernatural” — it hits him a little bit differently.

“We will shoot scenes where it takes place in the present sense [and] Gen’s character Emily is there in my head, and that’s pretty sad,” Padalecki shares. “There was a scene the other day that I can’t really talk about involving her character’s story that I had a tough time getting rid of the scene, so to speak. I didn’t know how it would affect me, but I went for it and they called, ‘Cut!’ and I couldn’t get rid of it. So you go for a drive and do what you can.”

In addition to Emily appearing to Walker in present-day, the show will also feature a number of flashbacks to their life together before she passed away in the story. Those often consist of the on-screen husband and wife talking about “appreciating the kids, appreciating our lives, our jobs,” Padalecki previews. “It’s kind of a constant reminder and it’s good and it’s been a wake-up call. Frankly what’s great is that when she and I film together we can get a babysitter and hang out for an hour in a trailer and just talk like two people who are in love, not like two parents who are scrambling to take care of the kids.”

Because Walker is in such deep grief when the audience meets him, Padalecki says that his challenge in the first season is to just keep it all together and try to balance being a good law enforcement official with being a good father.

“If he was on a boat that went down, he’s still trying to figure out how to stay above water; he’s not even looking for the horizon yet. It’s, ‘How do I fucking stay alive? My wife is gone, she did everything. I’m passionate about my job and making the world safer, but I can’t do that and be a dad. I may get in trouble with my job if I fail but I may fail my kids.’ He’s just trying to tread water,” Padalecki says.

Therefore, “it’s not about romantically moving on, but it’s also not really about trying to figure out how to move on” at all, he continues.

Regardless of how long a run “Walker” ends up getting to have, Padalecki says the central component of the show will always be Walker “not as a Texas Ranger who happens to have a family man, but a family man who happens to be a Texas Ranger.”

But, to be clear, even after jumping from one 15-year run on a broadcast drama straight into another broadcast drama, Padalecki says he hopes “‘Walker’ goes longer than ‘Supernatural.'”

“I get to wake up in my house with my wife and kids everyday and go to bed in the same house; I have a vote on where the story heads, so that makes me feel a little bit safer; the crew’s amazing; I love this city [Austin, Texas] and I have for years; I love the story we’re telling,” he explains.

During those 15 years on “Supernatural,” its fandom, he says, helped him realize “we can make a connection with other human beings in the real world by telling a story on television about random strange things as long as the underlying heart is there.” And that is what he hopes to continue for as long as he can.

“Walker” premieres Jan. 21 at 8 p.m. on the CW.

Link to the article

[j2memories]

Season 3

TV Guide article (October 25th 2007)