In The Beginning

“Supernatural” is a very well put together show. Each and every element fits perfectly, like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

It all started with one man’s vision, one man’s dream – show creator Eric Kripke.

When speaking in an interview about the idea behind the show, he said, “The subject matter behind it is something I’ve been thinking about since college: an exploration of urban legends. I find them fascinating, scary, funny, dark. There’s a very rich American mythology that I’ve always been interested in.” So he pitched the idea to the WB and a new era began in the history of television, and in our lives too.

His purpose in coming up with the show was simple: to scare the crap out of his viewers. He said, “Our goal is to provide a scary experience that’s every bit as satisfying as anything that’s in the theaters. We’re hoping that ‘Supernatural’ is a show that makes you walk over and flip on the light when you’re home alone watching.” Well he has had success in this field, with Bloody Mary being on the top of the list of all things frightening! “I hope letters are written and people get upset because it means we’ve done our job,” he said. “We’ve given people nightmares when they go to bed.”

He did, however, have a different approach when he came up with the idea of “Supernatural.” In another interview he revealed, “Originally I wanted to do “Supernatural” as a movie, but this is as close to a dream project as I can get. “ But gladly things didn’t work out the way he wanted! I shudder to think that “Supernatural” could have been such a small part of our lives as a two hour movie – in fact it would never have had the same fan following as it does now.

And so he began to put the show together, recruiting a talented and capable cast and crew to translate his vision onto film.

He brought together a highly creative writing team comprising the likes of Ben Edlund, John Shiban, Jeremy Carver and Sera Gamble, and a very experienced staff of directors including Robert Singer and Phil Sgriccia. David Nutter of the X-Files directed the Pilot and Wendigo of the first season.

The crew all found their way to the show in different ways. Jeremy Carver said, “As far as my awareness of “Supernatural,” I was a fan, I was not a huge fan. I mean, I’d seen several episodes, but I was not like an avid watcher. My wife actually was the one who introduced me to the show, because she was a pretty big fan. And that’s what got me into it. But when I came on staff, I had a lot of catching up to do in that way.”

A highly charismatic and loved crew member was none other than the late Kim Manners. Recruited by David Nutter, he directed 16 episodes between the years 2005 and 2008. His philosophy about work which Jensen and Jared often quote was,“We spend way too much time with each other not to enjoy each others’ company.” He brought the cast and crew together as a real family, and this improved chemistry helped them create something truly wonderful.

Eric kripke himself has penned 15 episodes so far and has directed 2 of them as well. He said,“I first saw “E.T.” when I was eight or nine and came home and announced to my mom that I wanted to be a director. That’s the first real thing I can remember wanting to be, other than a stop sign and a goldfish.” And while goldfish are pretty and stop signs are eye-catching, we’re glad he pursued this last dream as well.

The stars aligned, and soon the perfect cast also managed to find their way to Supernatural.

About his role as Sam Winchester, Jared Padalecki said, “I’ve always been a fan of the horror genre such as “The X Files” and “Twilight Zone” and when I read the script it seemed to be much in the same vein. It’s also a fun character that I’ve never been able to play, the reluctant hero; the Luke Skywalker, the Neo from The Matrix. It just seemed like a fun character and a fun role to explore.”

Jensen Ackles was originally asked to audition for the role of Sam, but when he saw the script the character of Dean instantly appealed to him and he asked to read for it instead. He said, “When I read the script, Dean just jumped out at me. With that character there was always a bit more comedy, and a bit more recklessness, and it just appealed to me more. So when I asked to read for that, they were like, ‘That’s what we’re looking for.’ So it was great. I found a character that I really enjoy playing.”

And the characters did fit like a glove for each of the actors.

Eric Kripke said, “When we started casting, we had archetypes in mind, which were Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. We were really looking for Sam to be empathetic, kind, and likable, and really the audience surrogate. The person who the audience would most see themselves as and really carry the story through their eyes. And that required a really unique likability. For Dean, we were looking for Han Solo. We were looking for devil-may-care, charismatic, a little rough around the edges, a little edgy, says things that are not always the kindest thing, as long as they’re funny. And that was really what we started out with. And Jared and Jensen both just so inhabited those parts, and then proceeded to blow us away with how dimensionalized they were.”

About being casted as Bobby, Jim Beaver said, ”I first heard about “Supernatural” in a typical manner. I was invited to audition for the role. As usual, there were four or five of us auditioning for it. But, as I understand the story, when the producer Robert Singer, whom I knew from working with him on another show years before, found out I was among the auditioners, he offered me the role without seeing my audition.” This lovable character, a father figure for Sam and Dean was named after Robert Singer, who revealed in an interview at the 100th episode party that Eric Kripke had named the character in the scripts while he had been busy directing.

Actor Misha Collins who plays the role of the angel Castiel –or as Dean calls him a nerdy little dude with wings- said about his audition, “The audition process was a little bit unconventional, because the audition material that my agent sent me and what I prepared for when I went in was for a demon. I played the demon kind of nasty, kind of snarky, a little sarcastic, and Eric Kripke said, “Great. That was a really good demon, but the truth is this role is for an angel. We’re just trying to keep under wraps that we’re introducing an angel to the series, so that’s why we sent out material for a demon.” So he gave me some adjustments, and I executed them to his satisfaction evidently, because I got the part.”

Other elements of this show were also given a lot of consideration.

“Supernatural” has a very distinct style in music. Eric Kripke said, “I think there should totally be a “Supernatural” soundtrack. And I’ve been mentioning this to Warner Music that our music is not like anything else on TV. I had to really fight to get that music on in the first place. The network was very resistant at the beginning of Season 1 and I actually threatened to quit!” The songs are chosen from his own private collection and comprise of nothing but pure, classic rock. When asked what he thought was the ultimate demon slaying road trip song, Eric Kripke revealed his choice to be AC/DC’s Back in Black.

On choosing Lawrence, Kansas as the hometown of the Winchesters, Kripke said, “I chose Lawrence because of its proximity to Stull Cemetery, and the urban legends that come out of there.” Stull Cemetery is actually thought to be one of the seven gateways of hell!

As for our beloved Metallicar, Kripke said, “Whether it was ‘Knight Rider’ or ‘Magnum P.I.’ or ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ – all of these shows always had a character that was a car, and I always really responded to that. When I was originally writing the show I wanted to give the guys an American muscle car. My first choice was a ’65 Mustang. My neighbour said it has to be a ’67 Impala, because you can put a body in the trunk.“

So those are the roots of the “Supernatural,” a show that has changed our lives forever. What does the future hold? Only greatness I am sure!