Variety- “Jared Padalecki Talks Transitioning From ‘Supernatural’s’ Sam Winchester Into ‘Walker’”
In the spring of 2019, while Jared Padalecki was finishing shooting what would become the penultimate season of “Supernatural,” he began to sketch out an idea for his next project. After starring in the WB Network/CW drama alongside Jensen Ackles since 2005, Padalecki’s first thought was of continuing their partnership beyond that one show.
“I was tired of being on camera for 20 years straight,” he says. “I wanted to produce a show called ‘Walker’ starring Jensen Ackles.”
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The idea came to Padalecki in his Vancouver trailer after reading an op-ed by a law enforcement official who walked away from duty rather than submit to separating migrant kids from their parents and putting them in cages, as was being asked of him. “I thought, ‘What an interesting person who struggles with what they are bound to do by duty and what they think they should do by their own moral compass,’” he explains.
From the beginning Padalecki knew he wanted his show to be about such an officer, and he knew he wanted to film in Austin, Texas, which is not only the headquarters of the Texas Rangers, but also where he and his family reside. It wasn’t until the extended producing team of Dan Lin, Lindsey Liberatore and showrunner Anna Fricke were in place that he realized he should star in it, too, because it was his “passion project.” Then “Walker” was truly born.
“The original [series] was this lawman who abides by his own rules, and he would just do head-spinning kicks on people, and obviously we can’t do that now; that would be laughably bad,” Padalecki says. “We don’t want the audience to ever know whether Walker is quote conservative or quote liberal, or quote Republican or quote Democrat. This version of ‘Walker,’ we play with the gray area: This is not a show about a martial artist kicking minorities in the face; this is a show about a legit Texan saying, ‘Hey, I need to hear the whole story before I make a decision.’ So this version is less about what goes through somebody’s fists and feet, and more about what goes through somebody’s head and heart.
”Padalecki’s character will therefore challenge some antiquated notions of what it takes to be tough. “I’m sure there are some MAGA hats who may be pissed off,” he notes, but he was “just in no way interested” in doing a show that leaned into toxically masculine tropes.
Even though CW chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz acknowledges the show is “a different flavor” for the network, he wanted it on his schedule because of “a five-letter word,” namely, Jared. “Jared had a desire to do this; we had a desire to support Jared — it was a good mix,” Pedowitz says. “If we’re going to expand what the brand is, it’s good to expand with a person who has represented the brand so well through his career.”
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“I want [Jared] associated in some form with The CW, no matter how it goes. So if it went with this as he only wanted to be a producer, that would have been fine,” Pedowitz says.
For Padalecki, earning the privilege to help shepherd a show from inception to air — behind the scenes in addition to on-screen — has been a singular experience. “I can protect that original idea, but furthermore I get to try and make sure our cast and crew are treated correctly and that some of the habits that can happen on a TV show that end up hurting people don’t materialize,” he says.
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The CW put “Walker” on its development slate in the fall of 2019, when filming was underway on the final season of “Supernatural.” The plan was to shoot a pilot in April, but when the pandemic hit, Pedowitz pivoted strategy quickly and ordered the show straight to series in January. “I think we would have wasted people’s time trying to do a pilot in COVID,” he says, adding that if a production is going to run the risk of shooting, the network should be prepared for a series greenlight.
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In between takes on “Walker,” Padalecki wants to create a family vibe for his fellow cast and crew members, which is taking some figuring out since COVID-safe protocols limit interaction. When they call “Cut!” at the end of a long day of shooting, he gets to hop in his car and head home to his wife, Genevieve Padalecki (who will play Walker’s deceased wife, Emily, in the new show), and his three kids, Thomas, Austin and Odette. Now more than ever, he can be a part of setting that routine at work and at home.
“For so long I didn’t know what my life was outside of ‘Supernatural.’ I’m starting to figure it out now,” he says.