Interview de Jim Beaver (Bobby)

How much did you know about the character of Bobby when you first appeared in the show? Were you told back then that the character would have such a large role in Season Two?

I went in to audition for the role of Bobby without ever having seen
SUPERNATURAL. I knew nothing about his back-story except what was in that first episode, "Devil's Trap." I didn't even know that my old friend Bob Singer, with whom I'd worked years ago on another series, REASONABLE DOUBTS, was producing. As it turned out, Bob blew off my audition and offered me the role. To this day, though, no one has ever sat down and given me any kind of history about the character. Bobby just seems to develop, script by script. I like the way there's no big exposition scenes about who he is or how he came to know the boys. The writers just let the audience figure it out bit by bit from clues that occasionally show up inadvertently in the dialog. But don't think I know any more than the viewer does!

I certainly had no idea that Bobby would EVER be back after "Devil's Trap," much less that he would be so prominent in season two. I had some hints that I might be back while we were shooting "Devil's Trap," but only because crew members kept saying how wonderful it was to have a guest star who didn't get killed! Even after the brief appearance of Bobby in "In My Time of Dying," I didn't necessarily expect to be back. But by mid-season two, it was clear that the head honchos liked something about having Bobby to turn to when the boys were in a jam or needed their heads screwed back on straight. Now I feel very much like part of the SUPERNATURAL family. That doesn't mean Bobby couldn't get turned into black smoke or French fries, but it does suggest that he is a more integral part of the story now.


If you could have any other role on the show, which would it be?

I can't imagine playing any other role on SUPERNATURAL. I mean, who would it be? I'm a little long in the tooth to be one of the buff-guys-the-vampire-slayers, and I'm not pretty enough to play Ellen. I'm very content playing Bobby, though I wouldn't mind if some of those hot guest-chicks took a liking to an older vintage once in a while. The JJ's get all the breaks.


While many of the new female characters introduced to the show are
disliked by the fans, Bobby has been a big hit with everyone. Did you anticipate the fan response to your character? Do you have any idea why he is so popular?


Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect SUPERNATURAL's fan base to take to Bobby the way they have. I've spent a lot of years being a reliable (I hope) character actor who does his work and very rarely gets noticed for it, which is not a bad way of life. Now, I'm not saying I get chased down the street by screaming fans now that I've done a few SUPERNATURALs, not by a long shot. But it's very rewarding to know that the fans like ol' Bobby. I was not expecting it, especially because it seems like these days you've got to be pretty young to be popular on TV. I'm not old, but the pretty-young ship has long since sailed. I can't quite figure what it is that makes Bobby popular, except that he's pretty no-nonsense, but in an affectionate and respectful way. It's clear he is growing to care deeply for Sam and Dean, but he's going to take care of them in the best way, by bringing them up short when they are in danger of doing something foolish. He's also reliable. Bobby's always there when they need him, and he's there with a good spirit, a good nature. It's pretty easy for a fellow to be popular when he's got qualities like those.

You mentioned Season three of Supernatural before. Have you heard anything definate yet?

Funny you should ask. I just got a call from my agent. He told me they wanted me for episodes one, three and four of season three, to start shooting July 16. So that sounds pretty definite.


What would you like to see happen to Bobby's character in Season Three?


The only thing I'd like to see happen with Bobby's character in season three is that thing I said about the hot guest-chicks. Anything else (aside from slow roasting over the coals of hell) is okay with me.


Do you get involved in the 'pranks' that we hear about on the set of
"Supernatural"?

The pranks that take place on the set, the ones you've heard about, are
pretty much all Jared and Jensen's doing. We have a lot of fun on the set, more fun than most shows I've ever worked on, because everybody's got a great sense of humor, especially the JJ's. My pranks are more along the lines of pretending to take an adjustment screw out of the camera just as the director's about to call action and saying, "How do you get this screw back in?" The big ones, the ones that involve stink bombs or people getting liquids dumped on them, those are pretty much the arena for the boys or the crew. Remember, technically speaking, I'm just a guest!


Have you been reading the Supernatural comics at all? Are you looking
forward to the possibility of seeing yourself as a comic book character?

I think it would be cool to see this old mug of mine in a comic book, but
I've never seen a SUPERNATURAL comic. I didn't know about them.


Do you believe in ghosts?

I don't believe in ghosts. That's not to say I don't still talk to my late wife or my dad. But I don't expect them to answer, and the stuff that happens on SUPERNATURAL is completely foreign to my real-life experience. It's just TV. Now, sometimes you get ghosts on TV, but usually if you jiggle the cable line, they go away.

(interview publié sur Winchester's Journal)