(Misha Collins, Jared Padalecki, & Jensen Ackles. Credit to Melissa Fudge Photography)
Welcome back to Conventions, Supernatural Family
More than 500 days had separated the “Supernatural Family” and finally they had come together for an event. The “Supernatural” cast, Rob Benedict’s band Louden Swain, and the fans had been separated by the pandemic. Then the moment came. When Swain took the stage at last weekend’s “Supernatural” convention in Aurora, CO Oct. 15-17, the room ignited with this emotional energy that was unlike any other convention. Not only had they been apart for so long, but the vast majority of attendees were also actually “first-timers!” People of all ages spent the weekend together getting up close and personal with their CW favorites.
There were hugs and tears of joy on stage and behind the scenes as these actors and musicians had become fast friends over the course of 15 years of episodes and conventions. Nerd Alert News was there to catch photos and stories that prove that it is certainly true. “Family don’t end in blood.”
Here are some of the highlights on the panels, in order of appearance.
Jake Abel
Jake Abel (Adam Winchester, Archangel Michael) was on stage and ready for audience questions. First off, he had kept busy during the pandemic showing off his kitchen skills on his video channel “Jake & Bake.” One fan wanted to know what his opinion was of Denver airport’s terrifying statue, Blucifer. Although Abel was not aware of this DIA fixture, he determined that with his in-depth history of the paranormal, he felt highly qualified to comment. There was no doubt that something supernatural was going on with that horse that had killed its maker. He also spoke about the crew of “Supernatural” and that it was a testament to the show that much of its crew was original. Appropriate for this month being October, a fan asked who would win in a knife fight? Michael the Archangel or Michael Myers? Abel answered that it would be close and that there would be spin-off after spin-off.
Chad Lindberg
Chad Lindberg (Ash, aka Dr. Badass) was up next. Firstly, he wanted to thank the fans because if it weren’t for them, Ash would never have returned to the set of “Supernatural” in season 5’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon.’ Besides acting, Lindberg’s real passion is, believe it or not, ghost hunting! he is a co-host of “Ghost Stalkers” and leads fans on actual ghost hunts across the country on “Paranormal Investigations.” He knows that ghosts are real as he shared his story about three strange scratches that he found on his neck after a hunt. It changed everything for him. Now he seeks out scary places like the old Pittsburgh Hospital where a creepy creature photo-bombed his Instagram photo!
Gil McKinney and Adam Fergus
It was noon and time for Gil McKinney (Henry Winchester) and Adam Fergus (Mike Davies). Both guests had some great stories to share. First off, a big congrats to Fergus who was just blessed with twin girls! McKinney joked about how being home with newborns during the pandemic was a blessing and a curse. He relished the 9 hours of sleep that he had after landing here in Denver. When asked by a fan which “Supernatural” scenes were each of their favorites, Gil responded that any scene driving in the Impala was right up at the top. Adam however, had a bit more painful of an answer. He talked about wanting to do his own stunts until after the fourth take his “ass was black and blue.”
Jim Beaver
Bobby Singer himself, Jim Beaver walked on stage to an enthusiastic audience. Most of whom had never seen one of the main stars in person. One of the first questions was whether he had a sense of fatherly pride with “the boys”. He chuckled when answering that no, and that he takes no responsibility for Jared and Jensen in real life. In the show, however, he did enjoy being a father figure to Sam and Dean. This infamous kiss came up in a question and Beaver explained that Mark Shepard enjoys that kiss scene far more than he did as he still carries that photo around on his phone! As far as acting that scene out, it was just another day at the office. When it came to believing in ghosts he responded that he believes in what he can see and what science tells him.
The series finale was emotional and he shared how important it was that he be in the last episode. It was such a big part of his life. The last day was wonderful and sad. That scene on the bridge was emotional for everyone in the cast and crew. Although there was no hugging allowed during COVID, he said that people were in tears, hugging, and saying they didn’t care if they died. They HAD to hug.
Briana Buckmaster and Kim Rhodes
Briana Buckmaster (Sheriff Donna Hanscum) and Kim Rhodes (Sheriff Jody Mills) closed out the Friday afternoon panels. These two badass ladies played badass characters, and in person, they were no less amazing. It had been a year and a half since they’d seen each other and backstage was a beautiful reunion. These two had certainly not lost their proficiency with f-bombs, and it worked well in their passionate stories. Rhodes mentioned that she came away from “The Suite Life” with resentment and sadness and it was the Supernatural Family that healed her heart. She said that her fans were a mirror to her. Briana added some good advice to “be yourself and to move truthfully as yourselves through the universe.”
When asked about DIA’s Blucifer statue, Kim said that she would be OK with it if it didn’t have that glowing f**king red eye! She thought that a “Supernatural” episode should have been written about it.
Rob Benedict
Saturday morning was Rob Benedict’s turn and the first thing out, he told everything that his friends Rich (Richard Speight, Jr.) and Matt (Matt Cohen) had abandoned him. (They had last-minute projects that prevented them from coming.) He put on an entertaining panel telling stories and answering audience questions. When it came to his favorite episode to film he responded that it was ‘Don’t Call Me Shurley’ where he had the chance to sing his song Fare Thee Well. Regarding his band Louden Swain, they have a couple of songs coming out later in 2022, and Rob has a solo record that he recorded in Nashville, and his first single is coming out October 22nd.
Briana Buckmaster, Kim Rhodes, and Samantha Smith
Next up Saturday morning, the stage welcomed back Briana Buckmaster, Kim Rhodes, and they were joined by Mary Winchester herself, Samantha Smith. “It feels like it’s been a decade, and yet it feels like it’s been a day,” Smith opened. Then came the audience questions. What song pumps you up? For Rhodes, it was Happy Song by Boney M. Then Smith talked about how happy versions of country music tended to make her happy and ground her. She was also thanked for her inspiration as a cancer survivor. Of course, tattoos were a topic. A fan asked them for advice on what tattoo to get next. Briana answered “a smurf drinking a beer” while Kim Rhodes laughed “not a mistake at all!” Kim’s arm happens to be filled with tattoos created and inspired by her daughter.
Sam ended with how much it meant to her to play Mary Winchester. She said she’d always wanted to play Laura Croft, and Mary was pretty darn close! Kim ended with her absolute favorite quite “don’t let the world’s no but louder than your heart’s yes.”
Jensen Ackles
The time had finally come to meet one of the Winchester brothers. Jensen Ackles strolled onto the stage to screams of joy. He responded by telling the audience that it felt so good after 19 months and that there was a lot to unpack here. No surprise one of the main topics of discussion was the series finale of “Supernatural.” “It was just a bit of rebar,” Ackles said. He knew that there would be a lot of angry people out there when the finale aired. “Dead by the second commercial break? Wait, WHAT?” At least he was able to make one change in that scene. The writers originally had him dying laying on the ground in Sam’s arms. Jensen said, “if he’s gonna die, he’s going to die standing!” Originally that episode was supposed to take place in a roadhouse surrounded by many of the guest actors from the show with the band Kansas playing on stage. However, COVID shut that down and they did what they could. Kansas was supposed to continue playing as that scene was to become a wrap party. Damn you, COVID!
Absence made the heart grow fonder when he came home after being away for four long months filming “The Boys” in Toronto. He talked about his son Zepplin and how he was a mama’s boy. Until Jensen came home. The kid was by his side non-stop. Talk continued about his character in “The Boys” and he mentioned how uncomfortable his Soldier Boy suit was, and how he had to find a new voice for his character. He said to expect kind of a radio voice. Currently, Jensen was just “down the road” filming his new project “Rust” in Santa Fe, and he shared a story about a horse they’d chosen for him to ride during production. At first, he thought they said the horse’s name was Baby, but it was BeBe. He laughed and said close enough!
And, of course, there was this…
Jensen Ackles singing the Applebees song (Fancy Like) lives rent free in my head. #BougieJensen pic.twitter.com/ooWVHqN3hl
— 🎃 Şp໐໐kฯ Şคrค 👻 (@ackleswest) October 18, 2021
Misha Collins
After spending Friday at the Tattered Cover bookstore in Denver, Misha Collins grabbed the stage with Jensen still on it. His new book of poetry called “Some Things I Still Can’t Tell You” had just been released and a ton of his fans were at his book signing. Collins had plenty to chat about including what his most memorable GISH moment was. He has too many to count, but he talked about how the first GISHWES had only 300 submissions. He remembered the day he open his email to see a man covered with sticky cotton candy with a face covered in lipstick. He thought to himself “how satisfying is this?!” The event has now grown into a worldwide phenomenon raising money for amazing causes around the globe. NASA even named a mountain on Mars GISHWES!
In addition to those memories, Misha said that playing the Lucifer version of Castiel was probably one of his favorites to play. He actually went over to Mark Pellegrino’s house asking for tips on how to play Lucifer.
Mark Pellegrino and Samantha Smith
Welcome to Sunday morning and the final day of “SPN Den.” Mark Pellegrino (Lucifer) and Samantha Smith (Mary Winchester) walked onto the stage with Louden Swain playing the Running with the Devil. The two actors were comfortable and creative as they shared some stories. Pellegrino said that he considered his version of the Devil to be a moral anarchist. He added that we could all use a little piece of Lucifer in us and say “I don’t give a crap.” He added that everybody should be treated with respect, as well as reciprocal respect, no matter our views. When asked what her favorite “Supernatural” scene to play was in the episode ‘Home.’ She also would have liked her storyline with Lucifer to have played out a little longer.
Misha Collins and Alexander Calvert
Inciteful and hilarious. Misha Collins (Cas) and Alex Calvert (Jack) were introduced by Rob as two of the sexiest men on the show. They had a good laugh. Alex threw a few “old man” jokes Misha’s way because, as he put it, it was “just too fun.” Misha joked how he had hoped that his career wouldn’t come to posing as his character for photo ops as actors do at other conventions. Then he admitted that it was too late as he squeezed into his Castiel pants for photo ops that day.
Jared Padalecki
Sunday was the big day for “Team Sam” as Jared Padalecki took his time to shine. Louden Swain introduced him by playing the song Can’t Find a Better Man and that definitely set the tone for his panel. He was humble and hilarious. When asked what his favorite episode of season 15 was to film he said definitely the series finale. He said that he felt that it was cool to wrap it all up and that they all felt the huge responsibility to finish it up big! Jared knew his fans were behind him. Favorite version of Sam? Definitely, soulless Sam, and he explained how that character was such a difficult puzzle to solve. A fan asked which episode did Jared really feel like he understood Sam as a character, and he responded with ‘Sacrifice.’
The audience was pretty keen to hear about Jared’s new CW series “Walker.” He told a story about how his son Shep was a bit traumatized after watching the pilot of the series. They found him outside hiding behind a tree. Also, his inspiration to play the new version of Walker came from a timeless version of Butch Cassidy and Han Solo.
Jared left the audience with some wisdom that helps him through some difficult times. He said that “during difficult times, try to go outside yourself and look at the good in the world. Don’t make yourself suffer. You don’t deserve it.”
Thank you Creation Entertainment for getting it done through all of the obstacles faced during these crazy pandemic times. The safety rules were all worth it because we go to see each other again – face to face. Yes, there were a few safety hoops that attendees needed to jump through, but they did it with smiles on their faces knowing that there was a means to the end it was totally worth it.
Find out what other events Creation has planned for November, December, and 2022 by checking out their website. Not only will there be more “Supernatural” goodness, Creation has cons ahead for shows like “Game of Thrones,” “Stranger Things,” and the “Star Trek” fandom.
Written by Colleen Bement
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