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agt_spookyHere are some spoilery interviews from the SignOnSanDiego.com website with the boys at Comic Con.
Supernatural at Comic-Con: Press Extras
Before Sunday's Comic-Con panel, members of team "Supernatural" met with members of the press to talk about Season 4, the importance of fans, and why dying might be easier than crying. Here are some of the many quotes I couldn't get into my original story. The spoilery quotes will be labeled as such.
And as a side note, fans will be happy to know that everyone involved with the show was as friendly, enthusiastic and accommodating as you'd hope they would be. Our beloved little show has a terrific bunch of people in its corner. Which is probably why we love it so much.
ERIC KRIPKE
On Season 4 (SPOILERS!):
"Season 4 is about mystery for us. There are a lot of unanswered questions that we are slowly going to be answering as the season progresses. We are going to pick up the first episode four months after the events of the season finale, and then we sort of reveal slowly throughout the season what Sam did by himself in that time away from his brother and what Dean did in hell."
"It's been a fun structural shift for us because the brothers have been so with each other in every scene in every event in every story line that it's been hard for them to kind of surprise each other. So now, they have secrets from each other that they can reveal and that's actually been fun and refreshing to write."
"I don't think it's really a big secret that Dean's going to get out of hell. The big question we've chosen to focus on is not does he get out, but how he gets out, and we make that a really big mystery and concern of Season 4. We always say that hell moves in dog years, so four months in top-side time is God knows how many years downtown. He very well could have been down there for a very, very long time.
Kripke on the "Supernatural" fans:
"We love the passion of our fans. I am not cynical or unappreciative of their intelligence and their passion and yes, occasionally, their obsession. I fully believe we would not be on the air if it wasn't for their dedication. I love them. Sometimes they drive me nuts and they are impossible to please. But at the end of the day,l I just love how into it they are."
SERA GAMBLE
On why you're going to love Season 4 (SPOILERS):
"Because the mythology is awesome, and the boys are at the top of their game. The editors are stopping me in the hall and saying, 'Have you seen the dailies? The acting is crazy.' And because of a lot of things that I'm not allowed to talk about."
"Dean has spent some time in a bad place, and we will unfold what that means. The first half of the season is very much about that. And it's also about what Sam has been doing. The worst possible thing that could have happened to Sam happened to Sam. He lost his brother. So, that is terrible for Sam and great for the writers because we get to explore what happens when one of our lead characters hits rock bottom. We have had a lot of really, really juicy material to work with."
"You will be seeing Mary and John Winchester, but not in the form you've seen them before. We are actually doing an episode where we explore their relationship right around the time they met. We're calling it the 'Back to the Future' episode. It kind of explores the beginning of the relationship and how it all started. It's pretty harrowing. And beautiful."
(The episode was written by Jeremy Carver.)
Gamble on whether the actors ever surprise her with their performances:
"Oh my God, all the time. The story that comes to mind was when I saw the dailies for `Heart.' I wrote that last scene, and I was like, 'He'll cry a single tear, and Sam will look upset that he has to shoot her.' And then Sam was so emotionally invested in what was happening and Dean was so invested in what was happening, and it was so heart-wrenching. And (Jensen and Jared) were working for the Emmy, if only they gave Emmys to shows like ours. And I was so proud of them and so moved by them. You can't underestimate our actors. They're just fantastic."
JENSEN ACKLES
On the new season (SPOILERS):
"We left Dean in hell. I was hanging by some meat hooks and screaming in agony. I can only imagine what it was like down there, which is something they will get into."
"That's another reason why Dean was pulled out of hell. Now he's going to be introduced into the mythology of the show, whereas for the past three seasons it's been all about Sam's destiny, and what he's going through, and Dean's always trying to be there to save his brother. Now that Dean has become a part of that, it's going to make for a pretty interesting season."
What the new season will mean for him as an actor (MINOR SPOILERS):
"It means a lot more work. Because they are introducing this new scenario with Dean, and in order to do that, they have to hammer out a lot of details and a lot of story lines in the first few episodes. And because it's all about Dean, as an actor, it's all about Jensen being on the set. When I read it, I got really excited about it. I'm also really excited about where the show is going this season. It's the most excited I've been about a story arc. Because of that, you just hunker down and do the work and hope it comes out right."
On how these changes will effect Dean's character (SPOILERS):
"Just the fact that he gets out of hell and he doesn't know why, and I think that uncertainty is not something Dean handles well. Because Dean always has an idea or an answer or some sort of knowledge about what he's dealing with. He's still the same shoot first, ask questions later kind of guy. But he's just trying to figure out how in the world did he get back from hell and what it all means. But his personality is not going to change at all."
On which is harder emotionally, to be the character who is dying, or the character who is grieving:
"The grieving one would be harder. Anything emotional, as far as the work goes, is really taxing. I would rather have a day of physical stunts all day long - running and jumping and diving through windows, all of that stuff - than a day of emotional torment."
"Some of those scenes that we do, where were talking about Dad, or when I die or when Sam dies, it's hard. Your mind knows its not real, but your body doesn't. Which is why the tears are real and the body shakes are real. And it's not just one take. At the end of the day, it's just exhausting. Exhausting. I'd much rather stay away from the emotional stuff."
(When it was pointed out to him that he does the emotional stuff awfully well, he laughed and added, "My own worst enemy.")
On being the subject of so much fan passion:
"I gotta tell you, it's really gratifying to come to a place like this and see the turnout that we have and the response that we get. Because we forget. We're stuck up in Vancouver nine months out of the year shooting this little show, and because we work so much and because it's just him and I all day long with the crew, they're pretty much the only people we see. So to know that what we're doing is reaching somebody and people are responding to it, people are following it, it may sound cheesy, but it kind of makes it all worth it."
JARED PADALECKI
On Season 4 (SPOILERS):
"After Season 3, he buried his brother. It wasn't a Trickster. It wasn't fake.It was four months of living without his brother and having to exist without his brother. There is a line in the first episode where they're talking about taking care of the demons, and Dean like, 'We've got to wait.' And Sam is like, 'We gotta do it now. And Dean's like, 'Hey, older brother is back.' And Sam kind of takes offense because Sam's been doing it alone for four months, and maybe he's a bit suicidal. There is a lot of pain, a lot of built up resentment. Sam has always had a sense of, 'Why me? I didn't want this life.' But we see Sam embrace it finally."
"And Dean has also spent four months somewhere doing something, and he and Sam
both have secrets from each other, and their trying to figure out if they're going to let their brother in or if they're going to hold onto it."
On what the new season will mean to him as an actor. Will it be fun?
"Very fun. Very fun. One of the traps of television inevitably, but not on this show, is you're making 22 hours of film in nine months and it can get repetitive. It can just be the the same questions and the same answers, and it's exciting to mix it up."
"That's one of very first things that I ever really loved about this show, is that you get to laugh, you get to cry, you get to fight. You get to do everything. It's very, very exciting as an actor to explore a new side of Sam that I always wanted to explore. Ever since 'Born Under a Bad Sign' you kind of saw Sam go bad, and I was like, 'Oooh, that's kind of fun. I like that. Let's get back to it.' So it's going to be exciting for me. I'm looking forward to it."
(And when it was pointed out that he is very good at being bad, Padalecki gave a hearty, "Thank you!" Followed by a slightly dubious, "I don't know how to take that. But..." Let's hope he took it as a compliment.)
(Stay tuned for the Ben Edlund quotes.)
Supernatural at Comic-Con: Press Extras
Before Sunday's Comic-Con panel, members of team "Supernatural" met with members of the press to talk about Season 4, the importance of fans, and why dying might be easier than crying. Here are some of the many quotes I couldn't get into my original story. The spoilery quotes will be labeled as such.
And as a side note, fans will be happy to know that everyone involved with the show was as friendly, enthusiastic and accommodating as you'd hope they would be. Our beloved little show has a terrific bunch of people in its corner. Which is probably why we love it so much.
ERIC KRIPKE
On Season 4 (SPOILERS!):
"Season 4 is about mystery for us. There are a lot of unanswered questions that we are slowly going to be answering as the season progresses. We are going to pick up the first episode four months after the events of the season finale, and then we sort of reveal slowly throughout the season what Sam did by himself in that time away from his brother and what Dean did in hell."
"It's been a fun structural shift for us because the brothers have been so with each other in every scene in every event in every story line that it's been hard for them to kind of surprise each other. So now, they have secrets from each other that they can reveal and that's actually been fun and refreshing to write."
"I don't think it's really a big secret that Dean's going to get out of hell. The big question we've chosen to focus on is not does he get out, but how he gets out, and we make that a really big mystery and concern of Season 4. We always say that hell moves in dog years, so four months in top-side time is God knows how many years downtown. He very well could have been down there for a very, very long time.
Kripke on the "Supernatural" fans:
"We love the passion of our fans. I am not cynical or unappreciative of their intelligence and their passion and yes, occasionally, their obsession. I fully believe we would not be on the air if it wasn't for their dedication. I love them. Sometimes they drive me nuts and they are impossible to please. But at the end of the day,l I just love how into it they are."
SERA GAMBLE
On why you're going to love Season 4 (SPOILERS):
"Because the mythology is awesome, and the boys are at the top of their game. The editors are stopping me in the hall and saying, 'Have you seen the dailies? The acting is crazy.' And because of a lot of things that I'm not allowed to talk about."
"Dean has spent some time in a bad place, and we will unfold what that means. The first half of the season is very much about that. And it's also about what Sam has been doing. The worst possible thing that could have happened to Sam happened to Sam. He lost his brother. So, that is terrible for Sam and great for the writers because we get to explore what happens when one of our lead characters hits rock bottom. We have had a lot of really, really juicy material to work with."
"You will be seeing Mary and John Winchester, but not in the form you've seen them before. We are actually doing an episode where we explore their relationship right around the time they met. We're calling it the 'Back to the Future' episode. It kind of explores the beginning of the relationship and how it all started. It's pretty harrowing. And beautiful."
(The episode was written by Jeremy Carver.)
Gamble on whether the actors ever surprise her with their performances:
"Oh my God, all the time. The story that comes to mind was when I saw the dailies for `Heart.' I wrote that last scene, and I was like, 'He'll cry a single tear, and Sam will look upset that he has to shoot her.' And then Sam was so emotionally invested in what was happening and Dean was so invested in what was happening, and it was so heart-wrenching. And (Jensen and Jared) were working for the Emmy, if only they gave Emmys to shows like ours. And I was so proud of them and so moved by them. You can't underestimate our actors. They're just fantastic."
JENSEN ACKLES
On the new season (SPOILERS):
"We left Dean in hell. I was hanging by some meat hooks and screaming in agony. I can only imagine what it was like down there, which is something they will get into."
"That's another reason why Dean was pulled out of hell. Now he's going to be introduced into the mythology of the show, whereas for the past three seasons it's been all about Sam's destiny, and what he's going through, and Dean's always trying to be there to save his brother. Now that Dean has become a part of that, it's going to make for a pretty interesting season."
What the new season will mean for him as an actor (MINOR SPOILERS):
"It means a lot more work. Because they are introducing this new scenario with Dean, and in order to do that, they have to hammer out a lot of details and a lot of story lines in the first few episodes. And because it's all about Dean, as an actor, it's all about Jensen being on the set. When I read it, I got really excited about it. I'm also really excited about where the show is going this season. It's the most excited I've been about a story arc. Because of that, you just hunker down and do the work and hope it comes out right."
On how these changes will effect Dean's character (SPOILERS):
"Just the fact that he gets out of hell and he doesn't know why, and I think that uncertainty is not something Dean handles well. Because Dean always has an idea or an answer or some sort of knowledge about what he's dealing with. He's still the same shoot first, ask questions later kind of guy. But he's just trying to figure out how in the world did he get back from hell and what it all means. But his personality is not going to change at all."
On which is harder emotionally, to be the character who is dying, or the character who is grieving:
"The grieving one would be harder. Anything emotional, as far as the work goes, is really taxing. I would rather have a day of physical stunts all day long - running and jumping and diving through windows, all of that stuff - than a day of emotional torment."
"Some of those scenes that we do, where were talking about Dad, or when I die or when Sam dies, it's hard. Your mind knows its not real, but your body doesn't. Which is why the tears are real and the body shakes are real. And it's not just one take. At the end of the day, it's just exhausting. Exhausting. I'd much rather stay away from the emotional stuff."
(When it was pointed out to him that he does the emotional stuff awfully well, he laughed and added, "My own worst enemy.")
On being the subject of so much fan passion:
"I gotta tell you, it's really gratifying to come to a place like this and see the turnout that we have and the response that we get. Because we forget. We're stuck up in Vancouver nine months out of the year shooting this little show, and because we work so much and because it's just him and I all day long with the crew, they're pretty much the only people we see. So to know that what we're doing is reaching somebody and people are responding to it, people are following it, it may sound cheesy, but it kind of makes it all worth it."
JARED PADALECKI
On Season 4 (SPOILERS):
"After Season 3, he buried his brother. It wasn't a Trickster. It wasn't fake.It was four months of living without his brother and having to exist without his brother. There is a line in the first episode where they're talking about taking care of the demons, and Dean like, 'We've got to wait.' And Sam is like, 'We gotta do it now. And Dean's like, 'Hey, older brother is back.' And Sam kind of takes offense because Sam's been doing it alone for four months, and maybe he's a bit suicidal. There is a lot of pain, a lot of built up resentment. Sam has always had a sense of, 'Why me? I didn't want this life.' But we see Sam embrace it finally."
"And Dean has also spent four months somewhere doing something, and he and Sam
both have secrets from each other, and their trying to figure out if they're going to let their brother in or if they're going to hold onto it."
On what the new season will mean to him as an actor. Will it be fun?
"Very fun. Very fun. One of the traps of television inevitably, but not on this show, is you're making 22 hours of film in nine months and it can get repetitive. It can just be the the same questions and the same answers, and it's exciting to mix it up."
"That's one of very first things that I ever really loved about this show, is that you get to laugh, you get to cry, you get to fight. You get to do everything. It's very, very exciting as an actor to explore a new side of Sam that I always wanted to explore. Ever since 'Born Under a Bad Sign' you kind of saw Sam go bad, and I was like, 'Oooh, that's kind of fun. I like that. Let's get back to it.' So it's going to be exciting for me. I'm looking forward to it."
(And when it was pointed out that he is very good at being bad, Padalecki gave a hearty, "Thank you!" Followed by a slightly dubious, "I don't know how to take that. But..." Let's hope he took it as a compliment.)
(Stay tuned for the Ben Edlund quotes.)
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(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-31 05:18 pm (UTC)Even without reading the spoilers, season 4 is sounding very good. I'm very excided.
If only it was September already.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-01 04:37 pm (UTC)Even without reading the spoilers, season 4 is sounding very good. I'm very excided.
I agree. I was a bit discouraged by season three, but it sounds like things are looking good for season four. :-)
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-31 05:36 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-01 04:37 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-31 05:42 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-01 04:39 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-31 11:46 pm (UTC)This is going to make me cry.
And when it was pointed out that he is very good at being bad, Padalecki gave a hearty, "Thank you!"
I'm so glad someone told him this!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-01 04:40 pm (UTC)Awww, gonna get all weepy over John and Mary's story, huh?
I'm so glad someone told him this!
Me, too! Especially since BUABS was my favorite episode of season two. :-)
Responses to Spoilers
Date: 2008-08-02 02:57 am (UTC)Oh my God, I actually agree with Sera on something! Hey, go look out the window and see if it's the end of the world, will ya?
Because they are introducing this new scenario with Dean, and in order to do that, they have to hammer out a lot of details and a lot of story lines in the first few episodes.
I'm really excited aboput this stuff! I can't wait to see what they give Jensen to do.
There is a line in the first episode where they're talking about taking care of the demons, and Dean like, 'We've got to wait.' And Sam is like, 'We gotta do it now. And Dean's like, 'Hey, older brother is back.' And Sam kind of takes offense because Sam's been doing it alone for four months.
This is so reminiscent to me of the part in Dead Man's Blood where Sam is arguing with Dean about taking orders from John and he says something like, 'It might have been okay when we were kids, but not now, not after everything we've been through.' I don't know if they're gonna play it this way or not, but it could add to the brother isolation they've hinted at if they take some of that same attitude from Sam and direct it toward Dean. So that, here Dean has been through Hell, literally, and all he wants is to get back to his job, taking care of Sammy, and Sammy is really NOT 'Sammy' anymore. He's a hunter, and he's tough, and not only does he want to be independant and not take orders, the way he was with John, he also understands that the only reason Dean went to Hell was because he allowed Dean to fall back into that Big Brother role and take care of him (after he'd stood on his own two feet at Stanford) because of Jessica's death and being pulled back into hunting. And then because it was comfortable and Dean liked it he just let it go on. On top of that is all the guilt that he didn't save Dean.
And Dean, aside from wanting to protect Sam, also has to have this feeling of 'Oh well, you were out here all alone for four months, boohoo. I was in Hell, and I may not remember it but It sure as hell was worse that what you went through. And, you're right, I wouldn't have been there if I hadn't sacrificed my life for yours, so you at the very least owe me the respect of not giving me crap when I tell you what to do to keep you safe.'
I could see that being really difficult to work out because they're each doing what they're doing to protect the other.
Re: Responses to Spoilers
Date: 2008-08-13 08:18 pm (UTC)Oh my God, I actually agree with Sera on something! Hey, go look out the window and see if it's the end of the world, will ya?
Yes! It's the apocalypse! LOL!
I'm really excited aboput this stuff! I can't wait to see what they give Jensen to do.
God, me, too! He's finally going to be part of the mythology!
I could see that being really difficult to work out because they're each doing what they're doing to protect the other.
Wow, I loved what you said there, about Sam and Dean and it's SO true. Their dynamic is going to be screwed to hell (no pun intended *g*) when fourth season starts and I think it might be painful to watch, the two of them trying and figure out their place with one another again, to find that bond. But you just know that Jensen and Jared will knock the angst out of the park!
Re: Responses to Spoilers
Date: 2008-08-13 09:22 pm (UTC)I knew it!
But you just know that Jensen and Jared will knock the angst out of the park!
Absolutely! Is it September yet??