Supernatural NJ Con: Jared and Jensen Meet and Greets Report
(Photos by Alice Jester)
With Jensen coming to New Jersey this year, I was fortunate enough to attend meet and greets for both him and Jared. I decided to write about them in one article, because with Creation Entertainment’s new rules, both of these accounts will be shorter than detailed reports would have been. So, per these new guidelines, please be aware that this report does not contain any exact quotes and is not a full representation of the topics covered. Also, of my own volition, I’m not going to include any personal stories Jared or Jensen told out of respect for their privacy.
Jared’s meet and greet was in the morning, but got started later than originally scheduled because the boys were stuck in Manhattan for a time. Jared came in upbeat and animated wearing a cute hat (he took it off once he sat down) and ready to answer fan questions.
Someone asked if the heavily emotional storylines or scenes (like hallucinations of Lucifer or the trials, for example) ever stay with Jared, and Jared agreed they sometimes do, during season four and this year during the shooting of the last few episodes. Along those lines, a fan asked if Jared could tease a bit about the last two episodes, and – VERY MINOR SPOILER ALERT – basically it’s going to get a lot more intense (which we all knew anyway), there will be more to do, and the boys will have to figure out if they are willing to continue down this road.
Someone asked Jared for advice for a new actor, and the gist was to be yourself and not necessarily try to fit in to what you think you should be, as your experiences are solely your own and make you unique, and to believe in yourself.
A fan asked how often Jared recognizes people he previously met (from cons or such) and the answer was its basically random, but a very funny story followed.
For my question I mentioned that Jared and Jensen had previously said they wanted the series finale to have Sam and Dean go out in a “Butch and Sundance†kind of way, but now that they have the Men of Letters legacy did it change his thoughts on that? The gist of Jared’s answer was with Mark Pedowitz’s support and Jeremy Carver’s (and his team’s) fresh ideas, it has opened up new kinds of stories (that can have new kinds of endings), and has given them the ability to go off in various directions.
Someone asked about a Supernatural movie, and Jared and Jensen are open to it, and someone gave their thoughts about the trials purifying Sam of demon blood, and without giving anything away Jared did let us know something big is happening with Sam. The discussion ended with talk of many different good books.
With that the meet and greet ended, and Jared, smiling and blowing us kisses, left the room. He was fully engaged in both the questions asked and the answers he gave. He keeps eye contact, laughs, and talks animatedly while he answers, making you feel comfortable. He just makes the 30 minutes fun and enjoyable.
Jensen’s meet and greet was early afternoon, and he strode in smiling warmly. The first question was about what makes good acting, and Jensen’s general answer was that it’s about believability. You have to believe the story that actor is telling, and feel the feelings he or she is portraying.
I asked Jensen once he gets his scripts, what his thought process is in order to prepare for each episode, and the gist was that he makes notes on his script that have to do with how he’ll say a line and what he’ll do while he’s saying it, but he and Jared are so comfortable with one another that they can both just be present in a scene and let things unfold, even if it ends up a little different than how they originally thought it would. And if you’ll allow me to digress for a moment- Jensen addresses each answer to the person who asks the question (just as Jared does) which is very nice and allows each fan to feel heard, but all I can say is you end up making unbroken eye contact with the man for a couple of minutes, and while you are nodding your head, actively listening and attempting to look unfazed, simultaneously, somewhere in the recesses of your brain, you’re desperately trying to hold back the fangirl who wants to squee out very, very loudly (at least I was).
Along those same lines of unexpected nuances of a scene, a fan brought up the example of the Dean and Benny scene (in “Taxi Driverâ€) that Jensen has previously discussed in another setting. Jensen agreed that particular scene with Ty Olsson surprised both of them with the emotion of it.
Someone asked if certain costumes (like the one worn in “Pac Man Feverâ€) help Jensen get into a particular scene. We learned they do, and even with Dean, as soon as Jensen puts on Dean’s costume, (layered shirts, jeans and boots) he becomes Dean, and that sometimes stays with him even once the cameras stop rolling.
A question came up about Jensen directing next season, but he will have a newborn if he did the first episode shot (and had to go to Vancouver early to prepare), so he won’t be doing that, and he didn’t know about the rest of the season, as they would already be immersed in shooting episodes.
Somebody asked how Dean might be dealing with seeing what’s happening with Sam and the trials, and the general answer was that it’s been hard for Dean, as he feels like he should have been the one to do them, because he wants Sam to be safe and have that happy ending.
As the meet and greet came to a close, someone asked about Felicia Day. Jensen talked of how much fun they have on set with her, and that she has great comedic timing, but can do the emotional material as well. It was then time for Jensen to leave, but he smiled, waved and thanked us before walking out the door.
In 30 minutes it becomes apparent that Jensen cares deeply about his craft. He’s very engaged and thoughtful in his answers, which actually brings unexpected depth to your own questions.
I’ll close by saying that I respect Creation’s rules, and of course I want to protect the integrity of the meet and greets. I also believe, however, that fans who are unable to go to a meet and greet, or even a convention (due to lack of finances, a disability, work or family responsibilities, and for many other reasons) seem to appreciate getting a peek inside these events. So my hope is that through reports like this, and even without all the details, those fans feel like they also get to be a part of these memorable experiences.
I guess the Creation Entertainment rules have to do with suppressing the info talked about in the meet and greets??
Is that just for the money advantage for them or some other reason? How would one get a copy of these new rules?
Hi EireneS, the new rules, per Creation Entertainment, are to protect the relationships they have with their guests.
A copy of those rules can be found on their facebook page, so they are easy enough to get a hold of. They state their reasoning on there.
Thanks for reading!
Thank you very much for sharing this information with us, Metamorphic Rocks. You are absolutely correct about[b] how much[/b] it means to those of us who – for one reason or another – are unable to attend a con. We sincerely appreciate the opportunity to share in the fun, even in some small way.
So for those of us who have never attended a con and must have been living under a rock, could you please explain “the new rules” and why Creation Entertainment implemented them?
Also, I too feel that it is important to honor the actors’ right to privacy in their separate lives. However, if J2 open up at a con and are willing to share moments of those lives with the fans, I don’t understand why everyone else couldn’t also hear about what J2 openly shared?
You’re very welcome, Suzee51.
I don’t want to speculate too much on here, but the rules are basically transcripts of the event can’t be posted. So for example, no direct quotes can be used, or word for word type reporting can’t be done. Creation’s reasoning is in their explanation of the rules, which can be found on their facebook page.
In regard to your question about the rest of fans hearing what J2 may share, if it is during a panel then that’s ok, but if it is during a meet and greet (which only 20 fans at a time are privy to), then if you look at Creation’s rules, they state their reasoning is that the Js may share something with this smaller group that they would not want posted everywhere online (with the rationale being it could be taken out of context or misinterpreted, etc…)
I know, though, that Jared and Jensen seem to really appreciate and love their fans, and some of those fans will never get to go to a meet and greet or a convention, so I feel that a general sneak peek into the event would probably be fine by them. Of course that’s just my opinion.
Hope you enjoyed the report!
[i][quote] Creation’s reasoning is in their explanation of the rules, which can be found on their facebook page. [/quote][/i]
I am sorry to be such a dunce, but I have searched everywhere on Creation Entertainment’s FB page and cannot find where they have their “rules” listed. Could you please be more specific?
[b]THANK YOU VERY MUCH.[/b]
And yes . . . I enjoyed your report immensely!
I would just post them here, but I don’t know if it’s ok to do that, so go back on Creation’s facebook page, keep scrolling down, and the rules are under a March 15th post. Just keep scrolling on their wall until you get to that post, it takes a bit of time.
Thanks for doing it! I enjoyed your tweets during the panel too!
Thanks so much for reading, Kelly. But I can’t take credit for the tweets; I believe that was Alice and Bardicvoice.
I can’t help but resent Creation’s rule a little as I am disabled and will never be able to attend a meet and greet with my favourite guys ever. I love the show and the guys and every detail I learn about keeps me interested in living longer and vicariously through others who do attend and report. I hope they will rethink their rule soon.
Is it Creation or the actors who don’t want the little details revealed to the disabled or poorer folks who love the show? I would never believe it is the actors!
Bevie, it’s awesome that you find strength through the show and J2. As an occupational therapist, I consistently see how engaging in meaningful/enjoyable activities has a very positive effect on the actual physiology of the body.
I don’t want to speak for anybody, but from everything Jared and Jensen have said in public, they seem to really appreciate their fans’ investment, not only in the characters of Sam and Dean, but in J2 as well. Jared once even mentioned how much he values fan interaction when I spoke with him in an autograph line.
I think in this age of social media, an innocent comment made by one of the actors, particularly Jared and Jensen, and especially if it’s an opinion about anything, has the potential to be blown out of proportion and light up facebook, twitter, tumblr, etc…
But I think as long as reports stay away from direct quotes, and judgement is used regarding posting opinions of the boys or certain personal information, we’re safe.
I hope you continue to enjoy reports such as these!
Oops, well thanks to them too. I thanked them on twitter, but I’m not very twitter savvy so all I paid attention to was the WFB Business. Even though I think Creation is missing a revenue stream by not selling the panels online, I think they and you are absolutely correct in not posting a ton of details about more intimate encounters where they might speak more freely. They should feel able to do that without feeling that a innocent quote gets taken out to context and blown out of proportion.
But I do still hope they continue to allow these general comments about the meet and greet and the writers impressions. Because while I may be able to afford to go to a convention again, I doubt I’ll be able lucky enough to do one of these.
Thanks for the review. I got to go to the NJcon but since first time did not truely understanding the bidding on the private meet and greets. Got totally blown away. But the convention was great(though was not feeling well during the sunday meetings). Does everyone in the private meet and greets get to ask a question or do you run out of time? The different Q&As (even the hour ones) seem to go so fast!
Glad you got to go to NJ con! Every one of the 20 people there don’t ask a question, so it always seems to me that those who want to ask questions (maybe half?) have time to do so. The half hour meet and greets really do fly by. Hope you get a chance to attend one.
Thank you so much for sharing what you can of the meet and greets. I can only hope to attend one of them some day. It is a treat to hear whatever little tidbits we can get on anything that relates to the guys and other actors during the conventions. I still cannot believe that they had to turn around and head to Rome with back to back cons but then they will have several months off so something for them to look forward to not to mention the new baby. Thanks again Alice for a great insight to your experience.
You’re welcome! At least Jensen will go home first and spend a bit of time there before flying to Rome (at least that’s what he told us).
Thanks you so much for this. Even though Creation does not allow you to use direct quotes, I think you managed to tell us enough. I will be lucky enough to go to my first convention in Toronto, but not any of the meet and greets. I think those are probably out of my price range. 😳 So I do appreciate when anybody on this site that has one tells us a little bit about it. You are the privileged few that get to bask in the Js full glory! 😆 And I thank you all for sharing it with the rest of us.
It was my pleasure to share it. Have a great time in Toronto!
thank u so so so much…. 🙂 guys does anybody know how Jensen told Jared that he(Jensen) is going to be a dad or how Jared told Jensen?