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Jared Padalecki Almost Didn't Make it as Sam Winchester in Supernatural: Here's Why


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Supernatural would have been so different if another actor played Sam Winchester instead of Jared Padalecki. But did you know that the show almost passed on him? Here's what the actor said about the incident.

Supernatural Creator Thought Jared Padalecki wasn’t the ‘Intelligent Duchovny Type’

The WB was working on Supernatural in 2005. Padalecki had an agreement with Warner Bros. TV, but they didn't have to cast him as the younger Winchester. He apparently made a bad first impression on Supernatural creator Eric Kripke.

“I still tease Kripke that he didn’t want to hire me initially because he thought I was stupid,” Padalecki said on the Supernatural Then and Now. podcast.

“After I read, either that day or the next day or by the end of the week, my manager and producing partner and friend to this day, Dan Silo, he called and was like, ‘Hey, what’s the word? How was Jared’s read? Do you want something else?’ At this point in time, I really wanted this show. The note from Kripke was, ‘He’s great, we love him but we’re looking for a really intelligent Duchovny type.’”

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Jared Padalecki’s Manager Had to Convince Erik Kripke

Padalecki had previously appeared in a number of films and television shows, including a stint on Gilmore Girls. However, Kripke and the Supernatural producers were unaware of his background.

“At the time I was 21 or 22. And Dan had to call and be like, ‘Listen, Jared was magna cum laude. He was going to be premed at UT with an engineering double degree. National Merit Scholar. He looks dumb and he bumps into stuff but I promise he can play the Duchovny intelligent part as well.’

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Padalecki was given a second chance on Supernatural. They did, however, leave him notes. Padalecki personified Sam now that he knew what they were looking for, and the rest is history.

Supernatural aired its 15th and final season in 2020. The show, which debuted in 2005, is the longest-running science fiction/genre series in American television history. For years, the success of Supernatural is rooted in its stars, Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, the latter playing his older Dean on the show.

According to CW president Mark Pedowitz (via The Hollywood Reporter), "They have created something of these two brothers… we've had these discussions that actually transcends anything."

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