Sunday was, as always, J2 day. The Jared and Jensen morning panel started out with a sad story of how Jensen hurt his knee training for the Bad Idea marathon with Jason Manns. Good friend that he is, Jared took a picture.
Jared: I took a picture of Jensen from the waist down with ice on both his knees and sent it to our guy friends and they were like, why’d you send this?
Jensen: No, they were like, why didn’t you show more?
Jared got a spam call and made a face, which prompted Jensen to give a talk about how to deal with unwanted sales calls.
Which was just proof that these two can make any topic hilarious.
And nice to look at.
Then someone made the mistake of giving Jared an entire tray of cupcakes. Jared went from gloating and gleeful while Jensen made faces and looked worried…
To dropping the entire tray on the floor. There was red icing everywhere, including all over Jared’s face!
While handlers swooped in to try to clean up, Jensen made Jared crack up even more by muttering that “you look like you just fellated Ronald McDonald”.
Jared collapsed on the floor laughing, still trying to get all the red icing off himself.
But then, predictably, Jensen took pity on him and gently cleaned all the icing off his face.
Awwww. Here’s the little video clip. You get the feeling Jensen has had to clean up messes before, don’t you?
These two make you remember what real friendship is all about.
All clean and pretty!
Someone asked what Disney characters they would be and Jared said Jasmine.
Jared: Those eyelashes…
Jensen: (hopeful) Me?
Jared: Yes.
Jensen: Thank you (bats lashes)
Me: Priceless.
Some time later, Jared had to touch Jensen for some reason, and then smelled his hand with a smile.
Jensen: (possibly suppressing an eyeroll) It’s gonna be one of those days…
This was the panel where Jared talked about his aversion to spit, saying that he had recently shot a scene that his stand-in had to help with, because Sam gets spit on (the episode that aired last week, when the fly-man got blown away and slimed all over Sam and Charlie).
Ewww.
On the more serious side, they talked about how difficult it is for their families to watch their characters be injured or hurt on television or film. Jared said that once his brother had to actually walk out of a film because he was so upset by watching Jared die onscreen. Jensen agreed, saying that it was hard for his mother to watch Dean get beat up or die. “Which I’ve done many times,” he added.
While they were talking about their families, Jared told a heartwarming story.
Jared: Sometimes Jensen’s dad texts me to say that I’ve done a great job. It’s a cool family we’ve built here.
Once again, awwww. I still remember the very first time I met Jared, back in 2007. He was so happy to see Jensen’s dad, and walked up to him exclaiming “Papa Ackles!”
At the end of the panel, Jensen looped his arm around Jared’s neck and Jared helped him and his hurt knee offstage.
Awww. There was a lot of awwww at that panel.
Mark Pellegrino had an afternoon panel and so did Ruth Connell. I was distraught to have to miss Ruth’s for meet and greets, but caught some of Mark’s. I hate that panels and meet and greets overlap!
Mark said that if Lucifer had a mix tape, it would be Ozzy Osbourne, Celine Dion and the Backstreet Boys which is just crazy enough to make sense for Lucifer.
He also said that he’s enjoyed the evolution of the character on the show, but that he especially likes it when Lucifer is mocked and laughed at instead of feared – because evil should be mocked.
Mark also allowed that the fans of this show are pretty knowledgeable.
Mark: I think this is a show where fandom is sometimes stronger with canon…
Me: Yup.
Apparently things with Nick are going to get bad this season – actually he was probably referring to the bloody hammering death of poor Artie, saying that Standards and Practices actually asked them to take some stuff out. (It certainly ended up gory anyway though!)
The J2 afternoon panel was as hysterical as the morning panel, if not more. These were two of the best Jared and Jensen panels I’ve seen in a long time – it was hard to tweet, I was laughing so much.
Jensen was nursing an injured knee from too much marathon training (Bad Idea Tour indeed) so while Jared did the traditional jump, Jensen just raised one leg. Lol
We started out with a bang in response to shouts of “Love you Jared!” “Love you Jensen!”
Jensen: Okay, fine, everybody loves each other, let’s move on. Or everybody just get in a pile and feel the love.
Literally everyone: OKAY!
There was Jared’s microphone slipping halfway through the rungs of his chair back and dangling in a truly obscene fashion, which of course they could not ignore. Jared immediately scoots his chair over closer to Jensen’s. Jensen immediately reaches over and started shaking Jared’s chair so the mic would waggle even MORE suggestively, and then they both got so embarrassed that they had to turn away.
Jared to Jensen: Every time you see something dangling, why is your first instinct to turn around?
I think I had tears running down my cheeks at this point.
There was a whole series of Dad jokes that made Jensen facepalm and Jared be increasingly pleased with himself.
Jared: I can row a boat. Canoe?
Jensen: facepalm
Jared: I had a great joke at the last con and they didn’t give me a rim shot.
Jensen: (deadpans) No. You didn’t.
He did make a rimshot-worthy joke though, when in a discussion of engagement rings, jared burst out with “I went to Jared!”
Stephen Norton finally gave him a rimshot on the drums and Jared was so grateful, he immediately ran back to give him a hug. Even Jensen was impressed. You can tell by his shoulders. That’s totally why I took the picture.
Of course, Jensen got a few too, which he celebrated like this.
Rimshot!
And they gleefully did the Interrupting Sloth joke – in tandem!
At some point Jared said that his theme song was “Only In My Dreams” and Jensen teased him with “I thought yours was “The Final Countdown” – from that time Jared played it on his phone when they were all in the bathroom and it was too quiet.
Jared: That was 2016. Move on.
Lol
There was also the hilarious re-enactment of the time Jensen bought both of them drones. They took them out to a parking lot to try them out and Jared almost immediately crashed his, much to Jensen’s dismay.
And the time they had toy helicopters and strapped roman candles to them and had an epic helicopter fight in a parking lot on Halloween.
Jared: We’ve never told this story before.
Jensen: I’m telling it right now!
One person asked a very odd question, “Is your wife like your mother?” but Jared had the perfect answer.
Jared: Have you read Oedipus Rex?
Another fan characterized them as drinks, with Jensen an Old Fashioned and Jared a strawberry daiquiri.
Jensen: Is it virgin? Oh I get it, because it comes in a tall glass and it’s fruity.
Tall glass indeed.
They also for some reason acted out how two T-Rexes would hug given their tiny arms, which was all kinds of adorable.
And Jensen confessed to wanting Dean to use the grappling hook that’s in the Impala’s trunk – or maybe that’s Jensen’s dream, to be rappelling down a building with the grappling hook and then pull out the grenade launcher…
At any rate, he acted it out, so win.
They were asked favorite episodes, and Jensen said that one of his favorites is “Baby”, which is also one of mine, so I immediately got emotional and started missing Robbie Thompson like crazy.
Jensen: The cast and crew accepted the challenge and dove right in.
Jared agreed, and said they especially loved the burrito eating scene in the car, which was just the two of them improvising and goofing around, so of course it’s a favorite – and one of my favorites too.
Jared: Three episodes that will never be replicated? Baby, Fan Fiction, and The French Mistake.
Me: sobs harder because neither of those writers are still with the show…
There were a few serious moments too. Jensen talked about how lucky they feel, but reminded the fan asking a question that success wasn’t just like that.
Jensen: For two guys who were put in a show one time, many people consider us lucky. But it’s important to consider that we were both rejected many more times than we were accepted.
His grandmother used to tell him that talent will get you a job, but it’s your character that lets you keep it. I feel like Jensen took that mantra to heart, and that’s made all the difference for Supernatural.
Jared also had some words of wisdom.
Jared: This is gonna sound depressing, but you’re gonna go through pain. But you don’t have to suffer. Pain is mandatory, suffering is optional.
Jensen: That’s not always true. I have some pills, if your knee hurts…
Jared: Your knee hurts too much for me to steal some.
Ouch. Poor Jensen.
There was also a question about whether they regret anything their characters have said or done. Jared was particularly thoughtful with his answer.
Jared: I don’t regret anything Sam has said because even, no matter how low you go, there’s something to figure out from what someone is saying. I regret the Amelia thing and that Sam didn’t go after his brother. But in real life, people say things you don’t want to hear.
Jensen said that there have been times when Dean has gone behind Sam’s back, like with the Mark of Cain, thinking it’s helping his brother not to know, but that those are tough pills to swallow from a reality perspective.
Another serious moment was the last question, when the fan asked what moments were their favorites from their friendship.
Jensen said he had an unusual one, which was about their first fight – which was also their last.
Jensen: I’ll pick one, and this might be an odd one. Our first fight. It was in that record store on set. I don’t remember what it was about, but for some reason we went at it and it almost got physical. That was the last time we ever got in a fight. We walked off our separate ways and after that we sat down in one of our trailers and we decided right then, if this is going to work, that can’t happen again. And it hasn’t.
Jared watched quietly as Jensen spoke, both men seeming emotional about the question and the memory.
Jared told the story of the day Danneel went into labor, and how for some reason he kept asking Jensen if he had his passport.
Jensen: I travel with you all the time, and you have never asked me if I have my passport before!
But somehow Jared knew, because guess what? He didn’t!
Jared: It was a clairvoyant moment.
They managed to get things sorted and fly back to Austin, and then got a police escort to the hospital, so they made it in time and Jared felt privileged to be there when the twins were born.
Jared: Birdie, JayBird, was born in the summer, so I didn’t get to see him become a dad. But I got to see him become a dad of three.
Everyone: melts
Jensen did a little more singing with Rob and then it was time for the J’s to say goodbye, with their traditional fist bump and thanks to the fans.
Jensen sings The Last Question with Rob
Both Jared and Jensen are always genuinely grateful for the support of the fandom. Jared wrote a 30 page chapter in Family Don’t End With Blood about how the SPNFamily – the fans and his family and friends – got him through the toughest time in his life, when he considered not going on. If you can read what he wrote about that night, and his inspiring story of getting up and keeping fighting, without reaching for the tissues — you’ll be the first. Jensen’s chapter may not be 30 pages long, but it’s just as heartfelt. I didn’t know how much impact the fandom has had on him in confronting his own struggles with anxiety until he wrote that chapter.
The last panel of the con was Rich and Rob for a Kings of Con panel, which included the epic story of teenage Rob running into a wall so hard he had brick imprints on his face, much discussion of shitting your pants and Rich and Rob doing imitations of each other. As you do.
Richard also had some wise words about why Supernatural is so special.
Rich: It doesn’t work to try to tell a story that’s universal. Supernatural tells a story that’s specific, that every so often ends up being universal.
So true.
And with that, it was a rendition of ‘It’s The End Of The Con As We Know It’ and the last (for now at least) Minneapolis con was over.
A big thanks to everyone who came by my vendor table to say hi or to pick up a copy of one of the books – or for coming by the next day to tell me you were already reading and enjoying them.
One more con for 2018 in Jacksonville! See you then –
Lynn
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Sigh. I love those two men more than I can say. Actually, I love them all. Thanks for sharing your experience at Minneapolis and those gorgeous pictures
Minconn 2018 was my final Supernatural convention. Many many tears were shed over these 3 days and more were shed days later. I had a wonderful time seeing and being with those close to me.
David Haydn Jones’s M&G couldn’t have been better. Jared and Jensen’s panel was probably the best panel I’d seen in person. Last but not least I had the best photo op with Jared. Couldn’t have asked for a better way to end the day. It was all worth it.
It was also a pleasure to meet you as well Lynn. I always look forward to your posts.