It's pretty clear that the guys of "Supernatural" love Comic-Con - and Comic-Con loves them right back. The series, which will enter its eleventh season this fall on the CW network, has an intensely loyal fan base, and those fans are out in force each July to cheer on their heroes in a now-traditional Sunday morning panel in the 6,000-plus seat Hall H at the San Diego Convention Center. A much smaller number of fans - about 200 or so - have also had the opportunity over the past several years to enjoy a closer interaction with the show's stars, as their Sunday afternoon stop at NerdHQ's "Conversations for a Cause" series is also becoming a Comic-Con tradition.
This year, actors Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, and Mark Sheppard joined panel moderator Aisha Tyler for an hour-long conversation that included thoughtful responses to a range of audience questions, peppered with plenty of funny anecdotes and witty asides. At times the proceedings devolved into virtual anarchy as the panelists teased each other, laughed with the crowd, and ably demonstrated the infectious, kinetic energy that makes their trips to NerdHQ such a sought-after ticket.
The panel kicked off with a little insight into how the guys spent some of their offstage time in San Diego, as Ms. Tyler observed, "I think we were all dancing in this room about 45 minutes ago." She was referring to the Saturday night NerdHQ dance party, which was apparently raucous and very well attended. Mr. Padalecki's fellow panelists spent a few minutes gleefully reminding him that he apparently gets "huggy" when he's drinking, and the actor took all the teasing in stride, even when a one-dollar bill made its way down his shirt collar along with a jovial "lap dancing" reference or two. Mr. Padalecki noted that working on the show provides a long-term sense of camraderie, and fosters a lasting bond: "I feel like a "Supernatural" alumni; it's like you meet someone and say, "Where did you go to school? Oh, "Supernatural"? Me too!"
The tone of the panel shifted with the first audience question, as a woman stood up to say that she and some friends were inspired by the charitable work that all of the "Supernatural" cast undertakes on a regular basis, and for several months they had been collecting funds to donate to two of the actors' favorite causes. Mr. Padalecki was visibly moved when the fan presented him with several thousand dollars to be donated to the Wounded Warriors fund and Operation Smile (the primary charity supported by NerdHQ), along with a poster bearing the signatures of all of donors.
Levity quickly returned as another viewer raised his hand to state that he had "screwed up by forgetting my wife's birthday" and asked for some assistance from the panel. The irrepressible Mark Sheppard, who plays the sardonic demon Crowley on the series, sprang into action and strode into the audience to offer a lengthy hug to the questioner's wife. The actor couldn't resist
These guys clearly think on their feet, and there was plenty of joking and laughter throughout the panel. Some banter with a British fan regarding her very proper accent led to Mr. Padalecki's exclamation, "Oh, shit! I mean, shite..." As the actors chatted about some extremely chewy candy that they were enjoyingonstage, they began tossing wrapped pieces of it out to the crowd. "Throw like Dean!" someone shouted from the back, in reference to Mr. Ackles' easy, underhand lobs. He retorted, "If I throw like Dean I'll take somebody's tooth out." ***image3** A go-round about phone batteries burning out quickly during Comic-Con led to Mr. Sheppard proudly pulling out a bulky phone case with a charger in it. Mr. Ackles: "That's not a case, it's a command center." Then, as if on cue an organization staffer stepped onstage with several phone chargers to offer, and Mr. Ackles quickly joked, "That's why we come to NerdHQ."
This being Comic-Con, Ms. Tyler often called on audience members with questions by identifying their costumes. One very tall gentleman was dressed as an incarnation of Doctor Who, but the panelists took to calling him "Bill Nye the science guy". When they realized how tall he was, Mark Sheppard insisted that he come up and stand next to Mr. Padalecki, who at 6'5" towers over some of his castmates. "Come up here", Mr. Sheppard instructed, "and make him feel like what the rest of us feel like. Look, he's taller!" "He's better looking too," Ms. Tyler teased, and Mr. Padalecki capped the joke: "And he's got longer hair too?? C'mon, dude!" But the funniest costume-related exchange concerned a young woman sporting a large unicorn head that she apparently could not remove when it came time to address the panel. She made several attempts to speak but couldn't be heard, and the eventual solution involved inserting a microphone completely into the mouth of her headpiece, which led to several hilariously off-color asides from the actors. The jokes continued to the point of complete disruption, with panelists and audience alike sharing the moment of absurdity that was utterly unscripted, and absolutely riotous.
The panel had serious segments as well, as fans asked the sorts of in-depth questions that can sometimes only be raised at the small-scale NerdHQ gatherings. "With your charity work you are inspiring to us," one woman stated, "and I'm wondering who inspires you?"
Asked to think back over the show's ten seasons and identify "a moment when you felt that you really understood your character and what they're all about", Mr. Padalecki referred to the third season episode, "Fresh Blood", when Sam and Dean are facing a vengeful hunter-turned-vampire who is out to kill them because he believes that Sam is evil. "I saw (Sam's) commitment, the willingness to make a choice and make a sacrifice, to keep fighting." Mr. Ackles echoed the thought, noting that, "constant sacrifice is part of the mission statemement", and he referred to a first season episode, "Dead in the Water"- "It was the first one directed by Kim Manners, and there was a scene at the end where Dean is running to save a boy who's drowning in a lake and maybe he's not gonna get there in time - I realized 'oh,the story's not about us, it's about helping people; we're the sacrificial heroes and we do whatever is needed for the greater good." Mr. Sheppard added: "When everything's at its worst, when things are reduced to their lowest common denominator, Sam and Dean will still always try to do what's right. And this coming season will see them pay for every decision they have had to make in the previous seasons. There's always a price to pay."
"Supernatural" is well known for making deft turns from comedy to drama and back again, and the casts in-person appearances definitely follow suit. A fan who had traveled all the way from Israel requested a replay of a scene from one of the series' milestone comedic episodes, "Bad Day at Black Rock". The cast good-naturedly complied, and everyone was treated to a live version of Mr. Ackles getting into character to throw a classic exhasperated "Dean look" as Mr. Padalecki repeated an oft-quoted line: "I lost my shoe..." Regular viewers will absolutely know the moment, and seeing it played out in person, while Mr. Sheppard shouted, "Action!" and "Cut!", was priceless.
Series regular Misha Collins, who usually participates in cast appearances and adds substantially to the levity, was not available on Sunday afternoon. However, NerdHQ founder, actor Zachary Levi ("Chuck") did arrive for the end of the panel and joined everyone onstage. He apologized for being late: "I was doing a "Heroes" panel in Hall H." Mr. Ackles teased, "Heroes"? That's been over for years! And can I just point out, that show has been cancelled and reupped and we're still going!"
They are indeed; "Supernatural" will enter its eleventh season in October, and there's no end in sight. The show's fans seem ready to stick by Sam and Dean through thick and thin, and chances are good that many of them are already making plans for Comic-Con 2016, with the hope of spending time both at the grand Hall H panel, and in the more intimate confines of NerdHQ, where their heroes are almost close enough to touch, and always ready to share a laugh.
