Posted:
ECCC | Supernatural's' Sheppard and
Beaver on Their Roles ... and That
Kiss
http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2014/04/09/eccc-supernaturals-sheppard-and-beaver-on-their-roles-and-that-kiss/
The devil received his due at Emerald
City Comicon in Seattle in the form of
cheers and applause from
appreciative fans of The CW's
Supernatural. The devil in this case
was, of course, actor Mark Sheppard
( Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica),
who plays the demon Crowley on the
long-running series.
Joined by former co-star Jim Beaver,
who portrayed Bobby Singer, the two
appeared onstage in the Grand
Ballroom to discuss their roles on
the fan-favorite drama and answer
audience questions. Actress Clare
Kramer (Glory from Buffy the Vampire
Slayer) moderated the fun, keeping
the King of Hell and the show's surly
father figure civil in the process.
Asked how he ended up on
Supernatural, Sheppard explained
that he knew writer-producer Ben
Edlund, who felt he would be great in
the role. Of course, when he received
the first script, he was taken aback.
As he explained, "OK, opening scene
- I'm kissing a 70-year-old man at
the crossroads. Yup, OK. Trial by fire
..."
The two actors next were given a
playful question: If either of them
could play any other character on the
show, who would it be? Beaver
turned to Sheppard with a grin and
said, "I think it would be interesting
to see us switch characters ... but
you'd need a better beard."
More laughter ensured when they
were asked for theme song
possibilities for their characters.
Sheppard's choice was fairly
obvious: "Mr. Crowley" by Ozzy
Osbourne. Beaver struggled with the
question until his co-star suggested
the Duck Dynasty theme song.
Both actors have had lengthy careers,
so they were then asked about their
favorite acting experiences outside of
Supernatural. "I remember wanting to
do West Wing so bad," Singer
recalled, "and then I did it so badly."
In the end, however, he said his role
as Whitny Ellsworth on Deadwood
probably tops the list.
Sheppard appeared more troubled by
the question, although audience
members shouted out plenty of
suggestions, from Firefly to Battlestar
Galactica. The actor looked around at
the crowd and replied, "I don't want
to dis any fanhoods here. How can I
make you all happy?"
He then said how fortunate he felt to
have such a career, and confessed to
enjoying pretty much all of his roles.
Sheppard said he's worked with a lot
of great people, and it's clear when
they're having fun on sets. "If the
gag reels are genuinely funny, then
you know people have been having a
good time," he said.
Sheppard went on to talk about the
kinds of roles he enjoys playing,
dividing them into two categories.
First, "characters who are screwed
before they even start." He listed Dr.
Zachary Smith of Lost in Space or
William H. Macy in Fargo. Second, he
he has fun with characters who
believe "they're the last sane man in
the universe, like Eddie Albert in
Green Acres."
From the actor's perspective, Crowley
falls into the latter category. An
audience member questioned that,
saying the character wants to cause
destruction and can't be sane due to
his evil nature. However, Sheppard
explained that Crowley is trying to get
the world to make sense from his
perspective, not from an evil one.
"I've never played a bad character,"
he added.
Somewhat on the flip side, the next
person to the microphone said he
appreciated the way Beaver's
character acted as a benevolent
father figure, and then asked if the
actor ever gave his younger stars
(Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles)
any fatherly advice. Beaver shook his
head and said he didn't for a couple
of reasons: "For one thing, I'm
younger than them. And two, they
wouldn't use it anyway ... or
understand it."
"We're just friends who work
together. We're colleagues," he
continued. "I would never presume to
tell them anything fatherly ...
although, I did send them emails
when their first children were born. I
gave them the same advice I was
given when my first child was born:
Welcome to not ever not being
scared.'"
On the topic of being frightened, the
two were asked whether they believe
in the supernatural. After
contemplating the question,
Sheppard replied, "I think it would be
really sad if the universe was only as
big as my imagination."
"And it would be really small," Beaver
added with a wink.
In making the world of Supernatural
look supernatural, the actors are
required to work on many scenes
where special effects are added later.
When asked what the experience was
like, Beaver simply answered,
"Tedious."
Sheppard nodded, but then
confessed, "One of my favorite
scenes was just me cutting my own
head off. To achieve this, it was body
double, green screen, split screen -
so we did every version we could
possibly do. I'm torturing me, going
around me, being mean, and then I
get pissed off and cut my own head
off with a machete."
A fan then asked the actors what was
their favorite scene in which they
appeared together. Beaver arched an
eyebrow and looked at Sheppard,
replying, "Well, I can tell you what it
wasn't ..."
The audience roared with laughter at
the reference to the Season 5
episode in which Bobby surrenders
his soul to Crowley, a deal sealed by
the customary kiss. "Yes, we have
kissed," Sheppard added. "And he
has the softest lips."
The next person to the microphone
mentioned that Crowley makes a lot
of jokes about being friends with the
Winchester brothers, and was curious
whether the character actually might
feel a fondness for Sam and Dean.
"Like a favorite wart?" Sheppard
asked.
"Actually, I think you're going to find
out what that's all about as we go
on," he continued. "I think that stuff
with Crowley went better for the boys
when he was the benevolent Crowley,
although they were very aware of
how dangerous he was and how self-
serving he was. But I think that's
what a lot of this season is about. I
think a lot of this season is about the
fact that when they tried to make me
human, there was a byproduct to it.
Since they stopped, how much of
that stayed? How much of that is
there? I think you'll be seeing that as
the season moves forward. It's kind
of a liability for Crowley to have any
human emotions."
Those following Supernatural know
that Beaver's character was killed, so
one fan asked the actor what he
thinks Bobby Singer is doing in
heaven. Beaver contemplated this for
a moment and said, "If I tell you, then
they won't let me stay up in heaven.
It involves a hot tub ..."
When a television series airs for
many seasons, it's always possible a
character might die " although for a
show like Supernatural (nine seasons
and counting), death is virtually
inevitable. The two actors joined the
cast at different times, so they were
asked what it was like to become
part of a show for six or seven
seasons knowing their character
could be killed off at any time.
"I seem to have a long history of
getting killed on lots of shows, but
this is the only one I could come
back on," Beaver replied. "I think I've
been dead three times, but that's the
great thing about Supernatural -
there's always a possibility that you
might come back."
"I'm not dead yet!" Sheppard
interjected. "Being around for six or
seven seasons would take me into
Season 11, so from your lips ..."
As all things must come to an end,
so did the panel. But before it was
time to go, the two were asked what
they thought the finale of
Supernatural might look like. The
actors looked at each other, and then
Beaver turned to the audience. "I
think it's a camera on both of our
backs as we walk across an airport
saying, I think this is the beginning
of a beautiful friendship ...'"
Beaver on Their Roles ... and That
Kiss
http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2014/04/09/eccc-supernaturals-sheppard-and-beaver-on-their-roles-and-that-kiss/
The devil received his due at Emerald
City Comicon in Seattle in the form of
cheers and applause from
appreciative fans of The CW's
Supernatural. The devil in this case
was, of course, actor Mark Sheppard
( Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica),
who plays the demon Crowley on the
long-running series.
Joined by former co-star Jim Beaver,
who portrayed Bobby Singer, the two
appeared onstage in the Grand
Ballroom to discuss their roles on
the fan-favorite drama and answer
audience questions. Actress Clare
Kramer (Glory from Buffy the Vampire
Slayer) moderated the fun, keeping
the King of Hell and the show's surly
father figure civil in the process.
Asked how he ended up on
Supernatural, Sheppard explained
that he knew writer-producer Ben
Edlund, who felt he would be great in
the role. Of course, when he received
the first script, he was taken aback.
As he explained, "OK, opening scene
- I'm kissing a 70-year-old man at
the crossroads. Yup, OK. Trial by fire
..."
The two actors next were given a
playful question: If either of them
could play any other character on the
show, who would it be? Beaver
turned to Sheppard with a grin and
said, "I think it would be interesting
to see us switch characters ... but
you'd need a better beard."
More laughter ensured when they
were asked for theme song
possibilities for their characters.
Sheppard's choice was fairly
obvious: "Mr. Crowley" by Ozzy
Osbourne. Beaver struggled with the
question until his co-star suggested
the Duck Dynasty theme song.
Both actors have had lengthy careers,
so they were then asked about their
favorite acting experiences outside of
Supernatural. "I remember wanting to
do West Wing so bad," Singer
recalled, "and then I did it so badly."
In the end, however, he said his role
as Whitny Ellsworth on Deadwood
probably tops the list.
Sheppard appeared more troubled by
the question, although audience
members shouted out plenty of
suggestions, from Firefly to Battlestar
Galactica. The actor looked around at
the crowd and replied, "I don't want
to dis any fanhoods here. How can I
make you all happy?"
He then said how fortunate he felt to
have such a career, and confessed to
enjoying pretty much all of his roles.
Sheppard said he's worked with a lot
of great people, and it's clear when
they're having fun on sets. "If the
gag reels are genuinely funny, then
you know people have been having a
good time," he said.
Sheppard went on to talk about the
kinds of roles he enjoys playing,
dividing them into two categories.
First, "characters who are screwed
before they even start." He listed Dr.
Zachary Smith of Lost in Space or
William H. Macy in Fargo. Second, he
he has fun with characters who
believe "they're the last sane man in
the universe, like Eddie Albert in
Green Acres."
From the actor's perspective, Crowley
falls into the latter category. An
audience member questioned that,
saying the character wants to cause
destruction and can't be sane due to
his evil nature. However, Sheppard
explained that Crowley is trying to get
the world to make sense from his
perspective, not from an evil one.
"I've never played a bad character,"
he added.
Somewhat on the flip side, the next
person to the microphone said he
appreciated the way Beaver's
character acted as a benevolent
father figure, and then asked if the
actor ever gave his younger stars
(Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles)
any fatherly advice. Beaver shook his
head and said he didn't for a couple
of reasons: "For one thing, I'm
younger than them. And two, they
wouldn't use it anyway ... or
understand it."
"We're just friends who work
together. We're colleagues," he
continued. "I would never presume to
tell them anything fatherly ...
although, I did send them emails
when their first children were born. I
gave them the same advice I was
given when my first child was born:
Welcome to not ever not being
scared.'"
On the topic of being frightened, the
two were asked whether they believe
in the supernatural. After
contemplating the question,
Sheppard replied, "I think it would be
really sad if the universe was only as
big as my imagination."
"And it would be really small," Beaver
added with a wink.
In making the world of Supernatural
look supernatural, the actors are
required to work on many scenes
where special effects are added later.
When asked what the experience was
like, Beaver simply answered,
"Tedious."
Sheppard nodded, but then
confessed, "One of my favorite
scenes was just me cutting my own
head off. To achieve this, it was body
double, green screen, split screen -
so we did every version we could
possibly do. I'm torturing me, going
around me, being mean, and then I
get pissed off and cut my own head
off with a machete."
A fan then asked the actors what was
their favorite scene in which they
appeared together. Beaver arched an
eyebrow and looked at Sheppard,
replying, "Well, I can tell you what it
wasn't ..."
The audience roared with laughter at
the reference to the Season 5
episode in which Bobby surrenders
his soul to Crowley, a deal sealed by
the customary kiss. "Yes, we have
kissed," Sheppard added. "And he
has the softest lips."
The next person to the microphone
mentioned that Crowley makes a lot
of jokes about being friends with the
Winchester brothers, and was curious
whether the character actually might
feel a fondness for Sam and Dean.
"Like a favorite wart?" Sheppard
asked.
"Actually, I think you're going to find
out what that's all about as we go
on," he continued. "I think that stuff
with Crowley went better for the boys
when he was the benevolent Crowley,
although they were very aware of
how dangerous he was and how self-
serving he was. But I think that's
what a lot of this season is about. I
think a lot of this season is about the
fact that when they tried to make me
human, there was a byproduct to it.
Since they stopped, how much of
that stayed? How much of that is
there? I think you'll be seeing that as
the season moves forward. It's kind
of a liability for Crowley to have any
human emotions."
Those following Supernatural know
that Beaver's character was killed, so
one fan asked the actor what he
thinks Bobby Singer is doing in
heaven. Beaver contemplated this for
a moment and said, "If I tell you, then
they won't let me stay up in heaven.
It involves a hot tub ..."
When a television series airs for
many seasons, it's always possible a
character might die " although for a
show like Supernatural (nine seasons
and counting), death is virtually
inevitable. The two actors joined the
cast at different times, so they were
asked what it was like to become
part of a show for six or seven
seasons knowing their character
could be killed off at any time.
"I seem to have a long history of
getting killed on lots of shows, but
this is the only one I could come
back on," Beaver replied. "I think I've
been dead three times, but that's the
great thing about Supernatural -
there's always a possibility that you
might come back."
"I'm not dead yet!" Sheppard
interjected. "Being around for six or
seven seasons would take me into
Season 11, so from your lips ..."
As all things must come to an end,
so did the panel. But before it was
time to go, the two were asked what
they thought the finale of
Supernatural might look like. The
actors looked at each other, and then
Beaver turned to the audience. "I
think it's a camera on both of our
backs as we walk across an airport
saying, I think this is the beginning
of a beautiful friendship ...'"
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