Interview: Jim Beaver from Supernatural

We had the pleasure of talking with Supernatural‘s Jim Beaver at Comic Con ’09. Here’s what he had to say about the new season, his character, and more!

What has your fan experience been like so far?

Jim Beaver: The fan experience is great. It’s really terrific to me. I just indicates that they don’t know me nearly as well as they ought to. I love mixing with the fans. It’s a trip. And you know I’ve been doing this for many years. Its only recently that anybody cared.

That’s not true.

Jim Beaver: Well you know, 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.

Your character has become quite the anchor for the boys since John Winchester is gone. Since there was a split because of all the controversy last season, what’s going to happen with your character and the Winchester boys?

Jim Beaver: Well, it’s a really difficult question to answer mainly because I don’t know the answer. There’s something pretty big that happens with Bobby in the first couple of episodes. Really big. It’s going to have a huge impact on his relationship with the boys. I don’t know what that impact is because I’ve only seen the first three scripts. I know that there’s no way around this being a pivotal event. What it does to their relationship, I don’t know. I think Eric has certainly given me the impression that they’re going to explore it. Explore how it affects their relationship. Where it’s going, I got no idea.

Toward the end of last season, Bobby expressed criticism towards John Winchester’s fathering techniques. Is it connected to that at all?

Jim Beaver: No, actually in some ways this is kind of out of left field. I don’t think anybody is going to see this coming. It not the kind of thing you look back and say, “Oh they were setting this up.” I was shocked when I read it. I didn’t go, “Oh yeah, of course this is the natural progression of the event.” This is more like–

Is Bobby a demon?

Jim Beaver: I’d love to answer some of these. I would love to be able to do so and still have a job. Since I can’t, I won’t.

Does this mean that Bobby is going to have a large role this season?

Jim Beaver: I get the impression that Bobby is going to be around more than in past seasons. I don’t know for sure. I know that I’ve done the first three and I don’t think I’ve ever done the first three. As much as Bobby’s been around, I’ve never done more than seven episodes in a season. That was this past season when I was doing Harper’s Island.

I loved Harper’s Island. I was hooked.

Jim Beaver: Well thank you. I was largely responsible for the success of that show.

You were responsible for me watching it.

Jim Beaver: I get the impression that this is going to more than a seven episode season for Bobby. I don’t know.

Are you surprised at all at how the show has evolved?

Jim Beaver: Yeah! I’m surprised I’m still on it.

You haven’t died. You haven’t died and come back. That’s impressive.

Jim Beaver: The first episode I did they guys on the crew were saying they don’t get a lot of guest stars who live. Maybe this means you’ll come back. I just keep coming back like a bad penny. On season five, well we’ve opened a pretty big can of worms with the apocalypse and Lucifer getting out. It’s going to be a pretty intense season. I think it’s going to draw together a lot of major threads and major characters of the whole series into a really intense interaction. Or it could be a total dud.

Now you are an author. How is it working with that and continuing to act?

Jim Beaver: Well, I’ve been lucky in one sense, because my book came out right after we finished the season. I didn’t have to do publicity for the book while I was working. When this book came out, the fans just embraced it and I wish the professionals in the business were as energetic at trying to get the word out on the book. Not everybody that writes a book has a whole bunch of people out there who are going to jump on board with then like I did. I’m very grateful for that.

Do you do all your own stunts?

Jim Beaver: At conventions I do.

Interview By: Emma Loggins

– Supernatural Series

– Comic Con Gallery

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