Interview with Jared Padalecki – Comic Con 2016 – The Winchester Family Business

Here’s Jared’s interview! Transcribing a Jared interview is always a challenge. He says a lot in five minutes. In this interview he gives us a small glimpse as to what Sam’s situation is in season 12 and judging by his description, it’s not pretty. What’s new?

Below is the transcribed interview and the video. Again, apologies for the grainy video, but the room was pretty dark and using proper lighting on our cameras just would have been rude. There is a pleasant treat in this video, as Misha and Jared almost kiss with tongues. But alas, the time was short.

Right, one more thing…SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!

Jared starts by telling us all that every year now, the “Losechesters” is coming back. Oh boy! I’m sure Jensen will put an end to that.

How do you feel about Sam being tortured?

(Whispers a four letter explicative to the reporter) I wasn’t surprised when I read it but I always tease the writers. I had a meeting with Bob and Andrew and Brad and Eugenie and I was like, “Really guys? Who’d I piss off? Just tell me what I did, who I pissed off, and I’ll apologize and quit being tortured. We just did a lot of torture stuff this past week and I’m actually legitimately bruised and bloodied up from it. The top of my foot is all cut up because I’m barefoot, the floor wasn’t kind, so Jared’s getting too old for this. I feel like, is it Indiana Jones, “I’m getting too old for this shit.”

It’s fun work to do. For me it seems like a badge of honor or trust they’re giving me and it’s difficult stuff. That’s how I justify it. “Well, maybe they believe in me because they keep giving me stuff.” As far as where it fits in the story I think its neat because we see Sam in a funny position where he’s like, “But you all are British Men of Letters, we’re all on the same side. Like, what’s going on?” And it kind of echoes what’s going on in the world as we speak because were all out for peace and prosperity…except for this guy (this is where Misha comes from behind and tries to kiss him), but they have a very different way of going about it. Sam and Dean aren’t used to being told what to do and how to do it or answering to any sort of hierarchy, so British Men of Letters is much more strict and regimented. It’s very foreign to the boys. They didn’t get started on the right foot obviously, getting shot and tortured.

(Nightsky) Season Eleven we didn’t really get to see the end of Sam’s faith arc, because we didn’t get to see a conversation between Sam and God. Did you think that happened behind closed doors, do you think that Sam’s just “Good, God’s here, I’m good?”

I don’t think that happened. I don’t think Sam necessarily had a choice with The Darkness getting so powerful so rapidly, and with God being injured I think it became like a triage, let’s try and get this solved and then if there is an echo and if everyone’s safe afterwards then we’ll talk in a nice way. As a fan, part of me wishes that happened or wants it to have happened or wants to see it but as a lover of storytelling I’m almost happier that it didn’t happen in that its like a beautiful tragedy. Its like when you watch a war movie and in the middle of the conversation someone is shot. It’s a weird bittersweet and I try to remember that Supernatural is not always about the rosy ending and sometimes there’s going to be some shit and unanswered questions and that’s life and that’s Sam and Dean’s life and the beauty of tragedy that they get to portray in Supernatural. Yes, I guess I would think that it didn’t matter.

At this point it’s been 12 years and you’ve done so much of everything, is there one particular kind of storyline or one off or anything that you talk about wanting to do?

(laughs) We like the one offs for sure. I’m actually excited this year to play a son. I know that sounds weird because John Winchester has actually been on the show but Sam and John weren’t father/son. It was like contentious head butting, they didn’t get along. Sam as soon as he could left, “I’m done with this life, I’m done with you and you, I’m going to Stanford, do my own thing.” So, Sam doesn’t have any of those issues with Mom, even though ironically it’s probably more Mom’s fault than Dad’s fault that we are where we are, it’s her lineage, the hunting family. But Sam now has a Mom who he loves but he doesn’t know, so he cares for her but doesn’t know how to care for her or what she needs and vice versa and she’s a hunter. So like the boys are going to go on a hunt she’s not going to be like “Alright guys, call me when you get home, here’s a sandwich,” she’s going to be like, “Alright, I’m in.” I think Sam’s going to be like, “Whoa, Mom, (laughs nervously) we’ve lost you before…” So it’s going to be an interesting dynamic and one that I, to the best of my recollection, I don’t think I’ve really been able to play, which is bizarre after 241 hours of television, as a character having something that you haven’t yet done. So I guess I’m looking forward to that.