Jim Beaver Interview – Comic Con Press Room 2009
Jim Beaver came over with his trademark ballcap and black t-shirt with off the wall saying. This time it said, “I do my own stunts.†We all exchanged greetings, we’re fine, he’s okay. Below is the roundtable exchange, and as usual, I’ll identify which questions/comments came from me.
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Are You Scared?
JB: Oh, no, I thought you meant sitting at a table full of women (all the journalists at our table were women). Yeah, I’m absolutely terrified of that. No, the fan experience is great. Everybody’s really terrific to me and it just indicates they don’t really know me as well as they ought to (we laugh). I love mixing with the fans, it’s a trip. And I’ve been doing this for many years and only recently has anybody cared. I’m enjoying it. I’m digging the fact that I’m on a show that a lot of people love and that I’m playing a character that a lot of people love, that’s just a hoot. It’s great.
Speaking of which, your character has become quite the anchor for the boys. Can you tell us how that role is going to impact with the two of them especially since they’re kind of split because of all the controversy the past year? What’s going to happen with your character and the Winchester boys?
JB: It’s a really difficult question to answer mainly because I don’t know the answer. There’s something pretty big with Bobby that happens in the first couple of episodes, really big, and it’s going to have a huge impact on his relationship with the boys. But I don’t know what that impact is because I’ve only seen the first three scripts. But, I know there’s no way around this being a pivotal, pivotal event and what it does to their relationship I don’t know. Eric has certainly given me the impression that they’re gonna explore it and explore how it affects the relationship with Sam and Dean. Where it’s going I got no idea.
Toward the end of last season, Bobby expressed some criticism of John’s fathering techniques. Is it connected to that at all?
JB: No, actually in some ways this is kind of out of left field. I don’t think anybody’s going to see this coming. It’s not the kind of thing that you look back on and go, “Oh, they were setting this up.†Because, I was shocked when I read it. I didn’t go, “Oh yeah, of course, this is the natural progression of events.†This is more like…
Is Bobby a demon? (laughter) Is he a cyclon? (more laughter)
JB: You know, I’d love to answer these, but I’d still love to do so and still have a job. Since I can’t, I won’t.
Does this mean Bobby is going to have a large role?
JB: I get the impression that Bobby’s going to be around more in the past seasons. I mean I don’t know for sure but I know I’ve done the first three episodes and I don’t think I’ve ever done the first three. You know, as much as Bobby’s been around, I’ve never done more than seven episodes in a season. Yeah. And that was this past season when I was doing Harper’s Island.
By the way, I loved Harper’s Island.
JB: Thank you. I was largely responsible for the success of that show. (we laugh). I get the impression that this may be more than a seven episode season for Bobby. I don’t know.
Are you surprised at all by how the show’s evolved?
JB: Yeah! I mean, I’m surprised I’m still on it. The first episode I did the guys on the crew were saying, “You know, we don’t get a lot of guest stars who live. So maybe you’ll come back.†And I just keep coming back like a bad penny. Something like twenty four episodes now, something like that. But I think season five, we’ve opening a pretty big can of worms with the apocalypse and Lucifer getting out and all that and so it’s going to be a pretty intense season. I think it’s going to draw together a lot of the major threads and major characters of the whole series, and really intense interaction. Or, it could be a total dud. I don’t know, but probably not.
Well, now you are an author. Congratulations with that.
JB: Thank you.
How is that working out, with acting and writing?
JB: I’ve been lucky in one sense that my book came out right after we finished the season. So I didn’t have to do publicity for the book while I was working.
(Alice) You certainly got a lot of help from the fan base.
JB: Oh man, God love the fans of this show. They are so wonderful to me. When this book came out they just embraced it and I wish the professionals in the business were as energetic in trying to get the word out about this book.
(Alice) A lot of fans ordered your book through my site, The Winchester Family Business, and the proceeds went to the Dog’s Life Rescue campaign.
JB: Wonderful, wonderful.
(Alice) You have a lot of fans to thank for that.
JB: Yeah, I’m so grateful. I mean not everybody that writes a book has a whole bunch of people out there who are going to jump on board with him like I did. I’m very grateful for that.
Is your shirt true? Do you do your own stunts?
JB: At conventions I do.
With that Jim was taken away, and Sera Gamble worked her way over. Another writer to grill!
there are video interviews of ben, sera, kripke, jim and misha here:
http://www.daemonstv.com/2009/07/27/supernatural-producers-talk-season-5-at-comic-con-2009/
http://www.daemonstv.com/2009/07/27/jim-beaver-from-supernatural-interview-comic-con-2009/
http://www.daemonstv.com/2009/07/27/misha-collins-from-supernatural-interview-comic-con-2009/
I enjoyed reading this interview from Jim Beaver, and look forward to seeing him on more episodes this coming season.
If Jim is going to be in more episodes, did SN production make him a recurring character, like they did Misha? How else can they guarantee that Jim will be available for all the episodes they want him for?
Thanks if anybody has any insight on this, because I’ve been wondering ever since I heard Jim was going to be at Comic Con, and now to hear that he will be having a surprising, pivotal twist to his role. (I guess I am hoping he has recurring status, but I haven’t seen it confirmed anywhere. :-?:-)
Thanks, Alice, for your info. I am looking forward to Season 5. I don’t watch much TV; SN is really the only series I keep up with. It is so good!!