Supernatural's Vancouver con: in which we learn that Misha is a whore (among other things)
So I went to the Vancouver Con and I've had a week or so to gather my notes and put this report together. I didn't do it before now because I had no internet during the con and, uh, I procrastinate a lot. :P Please note that this is very long (brevity is not my strong point) and mostly from memory, so I may have left things out or reported them inaccurately, though I tried not to. There are no spoilers (well, one teensy thing that might be to some people, so I'll clearly mark it). Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures or video to share because I was sitting way at the back and my old camera wouldn't zoom that far, plus the lighting was kind of weird, so none of them turned out. But I'm sure you can find other pictures because I saw some people there with tripods and professional equipment and they could've taken much better photos than me anyway. With all that said, let's begin!
Gabriel Tigerman (Andy)
Gabe was up first and he was a sweetie. He was wearing these red shoes that he got in London and joked that now his friend calls him "Dorothy." He showed us a picture of his dog. He went to London and Paris for his (recent?) honeymoon and said that it was the best time of his life (aww!). It was amazing being able to show his wife the Eiffel Tower for the first time, since she'd never been overseas before. He loves being married. He's writing some stuff with his wife and really enjoying that. They go back and forth with one of them writing a bit and the other adding to it and complimenting each other's work.
When asked who his first celebrity crush was, someone yelled out "Jensen!", and Gabe replied, "Yeah, but he wasn't the first." He was pretty embarrassed to admit that he used to watch Designing Women and that he'd had a crush on Annie Potts. Then he said that liking Designing Women could have led to him having a crush on Jensen. "I can't believe I just said that!" Later, he told us this cute story about bumping into Michael C. Hall from Dexter and making an idiot of himself, which amused his wife, who said he was acting like he was a 12 year old girl.
Gabe has held down many jobs (bartender, barista, satellite TV installer, janitor), but wasn't much good at any of them. He got into acting in college. He'd originally wanted to be a professional baseball player, but due to a shoulder injury, he couldn't pursue that. He's still into it though and doesn't know what he'll do if his future kids don't like the sport.
The only story he told us that was related to Supernatural was that on the first day he came to set, one of them (I'm guessing Jared) showed him this strange picture right before he was supposed to do a really emotional scene, and he didn't know what to think, so he was crying real tears. He was basically adorable and seems like a great guy.
Alona Tal, Julie McNiven and Traci Dinwiddie (Jo, Anna and Pamela the psychic)
These three had a great energy, so it was a good idea to put them on a panel together. Traci took some pictures that she later put on Twitter. She looked fierce and gave the impression of being a tough chick. The first question played into that by asking if Jared and Jensen had ever tried to mess with her. She'd been told they were pranksters, so she'd been expecting something to happen, but the guys were on their best behaviour around her. There were a few strange occurrences in her hotel room, but it turned out that it just hadn't been made up yet, and it wasn't the guys trying to make her think there was a ghost in her room.
Alona was asked how she'd got the role on Supernatural. She said that it was like most things, you audition and don't know how it's are going to turn out, but she figures the fact that she had been in the Israeli army and had fight training probably gave her an edge. She admitted that it could be frustrating when your vision of the character is different than what the writers want and that Jo ended up being changed a lot from the character she signed up to play (which was a hunter who had been around awhile and not someone so inexperienced). But Alona claimed that she wasn't bitter about the change in direction and just dealt with (except I got the feeling that she was a little bitter and just trying to play it down. I don't blame her).
Julie was asked about all the smoking in Mad Men and if it encouraged more smoking off screen. She said that she's never smoked ("I'm kind of anal. Ha, I just said anal on stage!"), so when she needed to for the show, she was really bad at it. She figures the appeal of smoking is mostly the oral fixation of it. "I thought you were an angel," Alona quipped.
Next, Alona was asked what she would do if she were in a plane crash with Jensen, Jared, Jim Beaver and Samantha Ferris, and they only had a two person life raft. Who would she save? Alona remarked that trying to decide was like Sophie's Choice. Someone shouted out that Misha should be included too, and Traci responded, "I know what I'd do with Misha!" Eventually, Alona said that she'd take Sam, because she was her mom and just as tough as the guys, who could probably survive on their own.
Julie was asked what it was like to do the sex scene with Jensen, and at first she didn't seem to know which scene was being referred to, so Alona demonstrated by miming the hand motions she'd made on the steamed up windows. It was so funny. Julie seemed to be at a loss for words (Traci: "Do you want my foot or yours?") and awkwardly explained that being half naked in front of thirty people watching wasn't exactly fun, but it was part of the job and she was lucky to get to do it with Jensen. Aside from being hot, he made her feel really safe and comfortable, so that was important to her.
Alona was asked about her time on Veronica Mars, which I was happy about, because I'd want to ask her that too and I hadn't realized the questions had to be submitted beforehand. She said that Kristen Bell was lovely to work with (and they apparently still keep in touch because she'd just seen her recently), but VM was her first job and so different from Supernatural that it was like comparing apples to oranges.
There was an actual guy who asked something (the stars always cheered when they saw a guy throughout the weekend since there were so few of them), and Traci grinned at him and totally made him blush! It was cute. Traci said that to act blind, she actually was blind - they fitted her with a series of contacts layered on top of each other, so she couldn't see a thing. The boys had to steer her around and guide her by her hips if she needed to hit her mark. That led to some suggestive laughter and Traci insisting that she really wasn't a "sexpot" (though from all her innuendo, she gave off a different impression).
For Julie's part, she did a lot of research about angels, and then she she realized that none of it mattered. She's still glad that she did it, but in playing a character, the important thing is the story and not necessarily the history behind it, so knowing what she did 2,000 years ago wasn't much help for where she was going now.
In closing, each of the ladies were asked about their current projects. Traci mentioned a play where she'll be portraying Patsy Cline, singing with a full band. I can easily imagine her doing a great Patsy Cline, so that sounds interesting. She also a has a scene in a movie with Adrienne Palicki, also from Supernatural. Julie is wrapping up Mad Men and has a film making the rounds at festivals. Alona just finished a couple movies, one of which she hopes will be accepted to Sundance. And of course, her most recent project is (***SPOILER!***) coming back on Supernatural. (***END SPOILER***) .
Later that night was this karaoke party with Alona, Julie and Traci. I have to say, I was a little disappointed - I had expected it to be Supernatural-themed music, but people were just belting out anything. The most memorable part (not really in a good way) was this kid in a Backstreet Boys t-shirt who was just butchering "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)." He was doing the dance moves and everything, he was really giving it. Kid had no shame. So I have to give him credit for that, I guess. But now I have that damn song stuck in my head. Thanks a lot! That wasn't the funny part, though. Aldis showed up, when he wasn't scheduled to (he looks really cool in person, by the way), and he looked over at this kid and gave him the awesomest look, like, "What the fuck is your problem, dude?" Everyone was laughing about it.
Alona came on and sang Radiohead's "Creep." She's a really good singer, but I already knew that. Alona is really tiny in person, too. I wanted to pick her up and put her in my pocket. She's just so adorable and funny and really radiantly pretty. I would've liked to chat with her, but it was really crowded in there, so I knew I wouldn't get a chance.
I'm sure things went on long past then, but at that point I had to call it a night because it was after midnight and I'd been up since 6 am, so I could barely stand up.
Saturday
On Saturday, I'd planned to do some sightseeing. I had a list of filming locations within walking distance of the con hotel that I wanted to find...which I then remembered had been left at home. I could remember some of them (like the church across the street, which was in 'Houses of the Holy' - very impressive to see up close), but I didn't want to just wander around aimlessly looking. Oh well, that was okay. I live close enough that I can just come back and do that again some other time. Instead, I just went out for breakfast and then did some shopping. In fact, I spent so long in H&M (huge!), that I lost track of time and missed all the panels except for Misha's. Oops. I did see the Ghostfacers guys walking down the street, though.
Anyway, Misha was his usual awesome, hilariously mocking self. His panel was probably the best of the weekend as a result. He really knows how to stir up a crowd. Misha had requested taking audience questions instead of the pre-screened ones from the day before, so here is what he got asked.
The first time Jensen met Misha, he was supposedly very nervous and kind of weirded out. Then he realized that it was just an acting choice on Misha's part. Misha thought he was a "stuck-up stand off-ish prick". Then he got to know him and found out that was true (kidding!). He doesn't think he's much like Castiel; he's a little more serious.
He was asked this weird question about which he'd rather have: Beyonce's head or a fly's legs? Misha didn't like either option, and admitted that he didn't really know who Beyonce is, "but I know she's famous and rich, so I'll take her wallet."
If there is one thing he wouldn't do on camera for any amount of money, it's to "perpetrate genocide." Re-enact it, perhaps, but not actually do it. He also wouldn't have done the movie Karla and discouraged us from watching it.
Misha figures that as far as where Castiel falls on the angel scale, he's probably the housekeeping. But he's a little tougher this season, and Misha's had some fight training, so he wonders if the network requested, "Hey, can you make the angel not such a wuss?"
If Misha could change Castiel's outfit, he'd put him in a sarong. He had hoped they might change his wardrobe a little this season and at least let him take the coat off sometimes, but no. He figures the trench is Castiel's security blanket. Either that, or he's hiding a disfigurement, like he has really ugly wings that he covers up with the coat.
Next he was asked how Castiel really feels about Dean, and Misha pointed out that it seems like a harmless question, but that there's a subtext there that a lot of people were in on. He revealed that he's read part of a slash fic, and that he knows about a segment of fic that is Dean/Cas/pie. He started to say that it was wrong and then corrected himself and said that he wasn't judging, but it was weird. At that point, some people were starting to squirm, because I guess it's one thing to write fic, and quite another to be confronted by the guy you're writing about in the real world who admits to reading about himself. He mocked not being able to talk about it because "it's our private thing that we do about you."
The most substantial question (I thought), dealt with why Castiel disobeyed in Lucifer Rising. He said that Castiel grew to like humans more than angels, once he realized how duplicitous angels were, and that Dean's friendship meant a lot to him. He realized it was the right thing to do. But he still believes in God even if his superiors weren't acting on God's orders.
If Jimmy is still in Castiel, Misha is not sure. He hasn't thought about it. But he figures that he is.
What attracted Misha to the role of Castiel was mainly that it was a job, but he thought that it sounded cool, getting to play an angel who's among people for the first time and discovering how they act.
He noted that he is distracted sometimes by off-stage antics, such as Jared grabbing his ass. Jensen has to shoo him away because he likes making him look bad and he's good at it.
Oh, but the funniest question? This girl asked him what he would do if he was in an accident and lost the use of his legs. What would he do instead of acting? Misha said he would sit in a wheelchair and cry. The girl said someone else didn't like her question either, and Misha proposed that she think about this the next time she was alone and in a reflective mood, just why her questions were awful. Then he said he would be Steven Hawkins and communicate by blinking. He asked her what she would do. She couldn't think of anything. Misha: "See? It's hard to be put on the spot. Doesn't feel very nice, does it?"
Concerning his Twitter, I suppose, he was asked whether asking people to do stuff on the Internet is a power trip or just creepy. He admitted it was totally a power trip. For instance, he'd asked people to bring eggs and construction paper to the panel, for no other reason than just because he wanted to see if people would do it. There was no practical purpose for the items. And then they brought them, and he seemed surprised that people would actually do it.
In high school, Misha had long blond hair and when he got his passport, they mistook him for a girl and wrote 'female' on it. He tried to be a stoner but he failed at pot smoking. He was geeky, but not a nerd, because that implies being good in school and he wasn't.
To finish up, he was asked about any actors he admires, and he said something about Muppets and Ewoks, because of all the hair. And that was Saturday. :)
Sunday
Things were running about an hour and a half behind schedule on Sunday due to the photo-ops and autographs. Jared was supposed to do his panel, then Jensen, then both of them together. But I guess because of time constraints, Jared's panel was scrapped. I didn't mind this too much, but I know some people were probably pretty disappointed. So instead Jensen came out and talked to us and Jared joined him a few minutes later (Jensen blamed any lateness on Jared, as per usual). The questions were a bit lame and just bizarre in some cases. I guess this is what happens when you throw out the pre-screened questions - you get people abusing their opportunity. But I'll get to that. Anyway, here's what I remember:
Jensen called Misha a whore! (I think this was in regards to how he'd handled his panel the day before.)
Someone asked Jensen if Dean and Alec from Dark Angel were related. Um...what? Yeah, because Dean was totally bred in a lab as part of a secret government experiment. Is she watching the same show as I am?
The guys were asked if there were any misconceptions about them that they'd like to clear up, and Jensen said that people thought he was shy. He asked us if we thought he was shy and we said no. He thinks he's reserved, not shy (and from one reserved person to another, I can tell you that, yes, there is a difference). But compared to someone like Jared, who is incredibly friendly and outgoing, I think a lot of people would be seen as reserved in comparison.
Jensen told us about being injured during shooting. During 'All Hell Breaks Loose', he hit this tombstone. One side was real stone and he hit his elbow. It's still a little more sensitive than his other arm to this day. Then there was a time that they used real glass instead of candy glass and he has a scar from that.
Jensen said something about the car crash at the end of season one, and how it wasn't supposed to happen the way it did. The semi was supposed to go straight instead of hitting them from the side.
Jensen drives a pickup truck because if he had a Corvette like Jared's, then he would be tempted to speed all the time. (The image of a giant like Jared trying to squeeze into a tiny Corvette is pretty funny to me.)
Someone asked about why they don't use big Super Soaker water guns (full of holy water, presumably) to fight demons. The guys figured it would be hard to hide them in their jackets, so the smaller flasks and stuff make more sense. That's also why they don't use umbrellas - they just get soaked instead.
A certain upcoming guest star who shall remain nameless was doing fight training recently, and Jensen figures that she'd never thrown a punch in her life, because she kept aiming for his face. He had to remind her that this was fake.
Jensen sprayed the inside of Jared's trailer with fart spray once. He said it smelled like the inside of the Impala when they're in there together. He called him Farticus.
Ah, then there was the probably now-infamous PETA question. I still don't really know what that was about; there was a lot of booing and stuff. But it seemed to me that this person was trying to make Jared look bad by foisting her personal agenda on him, and this just was not the right avenue for that at all. Wrong time, wrong place, and she should have realized this. To his credit, Jared answered the question really well, saying that his support of PETA was just in support of organizations that help animals. It's also why he supports things like A Dog's Life, so he can bring awareness to people that these sort of companies exist. That's basically all it is. You could tell Jensen was annoyed by the question and kept trying to deflect with talking about pita bread with various toppings, which was cute.
And on that sour note...things broke up fairly quickly after that. I feel like I need to point out too, that contrary to what you may have read, I didn't get a vibe off the guys that they were being unfriendly or not as into it as they normally are. Just because their chairs weren't very close together, it doesn't mean anything. But we all see things differently and I'm sure someone will try to create drama where there is none.
Richard Speight Jr. (Trickster)
Just two things of note here:
Richard figures that the Trickster messes with Sam and Dean because he admires them. He's jealous that they have each other, when he's alone, and he doesn't understand why they have this moral code of looking out for each other. So by trying to prepare them for being alone, he's really just projecting his own insecurities.
He also told a story about meeting Jared's dogs. He went into a trailer where he thought the guys were, and instead he was greeted by two very big dogs who lunged at him. So he slammed the door and ran back to his trailer to change his pants because he was so scared that he pissed himself.
Jim Beaver (Bobby)
I missed the very beginning of this, since I was in the bathroom, but I'm told that Jim entered wearing Castiel's trench coat and did a little strip tease. He was quite playful throughout the panel, in fact. I don't remember what this woman asked him, but she was wearing a rather low cut dress, and I guess when she bent down to the microphone, she gave him a bit of a peep show. Definitely not your typical fangirl attire, at any rate. He said something to the effect of why he should buy the melons when she was giving them away for free. He asked her out for a drink later...he was totally hitting on her, it was hilarious. Then he realized that he'd probably crossed the line and got all bashful.
Jim was offered a role as a series regular this year, but he turned it down, because although it would mean much more money, it would also mean he'd have to uproot his daughter and move to Vancouver. So it was a decision that affected not just him and he didn't want to do that to her. He talked a little more about his daughter, saying that he asked her once if she knew what he did for a living and she said that he makes movies, but she didn't seem to be curious beyond that. Jim gives the impression of being a great dad. I think I may have to get his book.
And...that's it! Anyone still alive out there? Hopefully, I didn't bore you too much. This was my first con, and it was certainly an interesting experience, but a little weird at the same time. I don't know, I can't explain it. I think the level of devotion some people had was a little intimidating and scary...I'm not there yet. So would I go again? I'm not sure. I mainly went because it was close to home and I figured, why not? I had fun and I talked to some great people, but I don't think I necessarily need to repeat the experience. They're doing one again next year though, so we'll see...
Gabriel Tigerman (Andy)
Gabe was up first and he was a sweetie. He was wearing these red shoes that he got in London and joked that now his friend calls him "Dorothy." He showed us a picture of his dog. He went to London and Paris for his (recent?) honeymoon and said that it was the best time of his life (aww!). It was amazing being able to show his wife the Eiffel Tower for the first time, since she'd never been overseas before. He loves being married. He's writing some stuff with his wife and really enjoying that. They go back and forth with one of them writing a bit and the other adding to it and complimenting each other's work.
When asked who his first celebrity crush was, someone yelled out "Jensen!", and Gabe replied, "Yeah, but he wasn't the first." He was pretty embarrassed to admit that he used to watch Designing Women and that he'd had a crush on Annie Potts. Then he said that liking Designing Women could have led to him having a crush on Jensen. "I can't believe I just said that!" Later, he told us this cute story about bumping into Michael C. Hall from Dexter and making an idiot of himself, which amused his wife, who said he was acting like he was a 12 year old girl.
Gabe has held down many jobs (bartender, barista, satellite TV installer, janitor), but wasn't much good at any of them. He got into acting in college. He'd originally wanted to be a professional baseball player, but due to a shoulder injury, he couldn't pursue that. He's still into it though and doesn't know what he'll do if his future kids don't like the sport.
The only story he told us that was related to Supernatural was that on the first day he came to set, one of them (I'm guessing Jared) showed him this strange picture right before he was supposed to do a really emotional scene, and he didn't know what to think, so he was crying real tears. He was basically adorable and seems like a great guy.
Alona Tal, Julie McNiven and Traci Dinwiddie (Jo, Anna and Pamela the psychic)
These three had a great energy, so it was a good idea to put them on a panel together. Traci took some pictures that she later put on Twitter. She looked fierce and gave the impression of being a tough chick. The first question played into that by asking if Jared and Jensen had ever tried to mess with her. She'd been told they were pranksters, so she'd been expecting something to happen, but the guys were on their best behaviour around her. There were a few strange occurrences in her hotel room, but it turned out that it just hadn't been made up yet, and it wasn't the guys trying to make her think there was a ghost in her room.
Alona was asked how she'd got the role on Supernatural. She said that it was like most things, you audition and don't know how it's are going to turn out, but she figures the fact that she had been in the Israeli army and had fight training probably gave her an edge. She admitted that it could be frustrating when your vision of the character is different than what the writers want and that Jo ended up being changed a lot from the character she signed up to play (which was a hunter who had been around awhile and not someone so inexperienced). But Alona claimed that she wasn't bitter about the change in direction and just dealt with (except I got the feeling that she was a little bitter and just trying to play it down. I don't blame her).
Julie was asked about all the smoking in Mad Men and if it encouraged more smoking off screen. She said that she's never smoked ("I'm kind of anal. Ha, I just said anal on stage!"), so when she needed to for the show, she was really bad at it. She figures the appeal of smoking is mostly the oral fixation of it. "I thought you were an angel," Alona quipped.
Next, Alona was asked what she would do if she were in a plane crash with Jensen, Jared, Jim Beaver and Samantha Ferris, and they only had a two person life raft. Who would she save? Alona remarked that trying to decide was like Sophie's Choice. Someone shouted out that Misha should be included too, and Traci responded, "I know what I'd do with Misha!" Eventually, Alona said that she'd take Sam, because she was her mom and just as tough as the guys, who could probably survive on their own.
Julie was asked what it was like to do the sex scene with Jensen, and at first she didn't seem to know which scene was being referred to, so Alona demonstrated by miming the hand motions she'd made on the steamed up windows. It was so funny. Julie seemed to be at a loss for words (Traci: "Do you want my foot or yours?") and awkwardly explained that being half naked in front of thirty people watching wasn't exactly fun, but it was part of the job and she was lucky to get to do it with Jensen. Aside from being hot, he made her feel really safe and comfortable, so that was important to her.
Alona was asked about her time on Veronica Mars, which I was happy about, because I'd want to ask her that too and I hadn't realized the questions had to be submitted beforehand. She said that Kristen Bell was lovely to work with (and they apparently still keep in touch because she'd just seen her recently), but VM was her first job and so different from Supernatural that it was like comparing apples to oranges.
There was an actual guy who asked something (the stars always cheered when they saw a guy throughout the weekend since there were so few of them), and Traci grinned at him and totally made him blush! It was cute. Traci said that to act blind, she actually was blind - they fitted her with a series of contacts layered on top of each other, so she couldn't see a thing. The boys had to steer her around and guide her by her hips if she needed to hit her mark. That led to some suggestive laughter and Traci insisting that she really wasn't a "sexpot" (though from all her innuendo, she gave off a different impression).
For Julie's part, she did a lot of research about angels, and then she she realized that none of it mattered. She's still glad that she did it, but in playing a character, the important thing is the story and not necessarily the history behind it, so knowing what she did 2,000 years ago wasn't much help for where she was going now.
In closing, each of the ladies were asked about their current projects. Traci mentioned a play where she'll be portraying Patsy Cline, singing with a full band. I can easily imagine her doing a great Patsy Cline, so that sounds interesting. She also a has a scene in a movie with Adrienne Palicki, also from Supernatural. Julie is wrapping up Mad Men and has a film making the rounds at festivals. Alona just finished a couple movies, one of which she hopes will be accepted to Sundance. And of course, her most recent project is (***SPOILER!***) coming back on Supernatural. (***END SPOILER***) .
Later that night was this karaoke party with Alona, Julie and Traci. I have to say, I was a little disappointed - I had expected it to be Supernatural-themed music, but people were just belting out anything. The most memorable part (not really in a good way) was this kid in a Backstreet Boys t-shirt who was just butchering "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)." He was doing the dance moves and everything, he was really giving it. Kid had no shame. So I have to give him credit for that, I guess. But now I have that damn song stuck in my head. Thanks a lot! That wasn't the funny part, though. Aldis showed up, when he wasn't scheduled to (he looks really cool in person, by the way), and he looked over at this kid and gave him the awesomest look, like, "What the fuck is your problem, dude?" Everyone was laughing about it.
Alona came on and sang Radiohead's "Creep." She's a really good singer, but I already knew that. Alona is really tiny in person, too. I wanted to pick her up and put her in my pocket. She's just so adorable and funny and really radiantly pretty. I would've liked to chat with her, but it was really crowded in there, so I knew I wouldn't get a chance.
I'm sure things went on long past then, but at that point I had to call it a night because it was after midnight and I'd been up since 6 am, so I could barely stand up.
Saturday
On Saturday, I'd planned to do some sightseeing. I had a list of filming locations within walking distance of the con hotel that I wanted to find...which I then remembered had been left at home. I could remember some of them (like the church across the street, which was in 'Houses of the Holy' - very impressive to see up close), but I didn't want to just wander around aimlessly looking. Oh well, that was okay. I live close enough that I can just come back and do that again some other time. Instead, I just went out for breakfast and then did some shopping. In fact, I spent so long in H&M (huge!), that I lost track of time and missed all the panels except for Misha's. Oops. I did see the Ghostfacers guys walking down the street, though.
Anyway, Misha was his usual awesome, hilariously mocking self. His panel was probably the best of the weekend as a result. He really knows how to stir up a crowd. Misha had requested taking audience questions instead of the pre-screened ones from the day before, so here is what he got asked.
The first time Jensen met Misha, he was supposedly very nervous and kind of weirded out. Then he realized that it was just an acting choice on Misha's part. Misha thought he was a "stuck-up stand off-ish prick". Then he got to know him and found out that was true (kidding!). He doesn't think he's much like Castiel; he's a little more serious.
He was asked this weird question about which he'd rather have: Beyonce's head or a fly's legs? Misha didn't like either option, and admitted that he didn't really know who Beyonce is, "but I know she's famous and rich, so I'll take her wallet."
If there is one thing he wouldn't do on camera for any amount of money, it's to "perpetrate genocide." Re-enact it, perhaps, but not actually do it. He also wouldn't have done the movie Karla and discouraged us from watching it.
Misha figures that as far as where Castiel falls on the angel scale, he's probably the housekeeping. But he's a little tougher this season, and Misha's had some fight training, so he wonders if the network requested, "Hey, can you make the angel not such a wuss?"
If Misha could change Castiel's outfit, he'd put him in a sarong. He had hoped they might change his wardrobe a little this season and at least let him take the coat off sometimes, but no. He figures the trench is Castiel's security blanket. Either that, or he's hiding a disfigurement, like he has really ugly wings that he covers up with the coat.
Next he was asked how Castiel really feels about Dean, and Misha pointed out that it seems like a harmless question, but that there's a subtext there that a lot of people were in on. He revealed that he's read part of a slash fic, and that he knows about a segment of fic that is Dean/Cas/pie. He started to say that it was wrong and then corrected himself and said that he wasn't judging, but it was weird. At that point, some people were starting to squirm, because I guess it's one thing to write fic, and quite another to be confronted by the guy you're writing about in the real world who admits to reading about himself. He mocked not being able to talk about it because "it's our private thing that we do about you."
The most substantial question (I thought), dealt with why Castiel disobeyed in Lucifer Rising. He said that Castiel grew to like humans more than angels, once he realized how duplicitous angels were, and that Dean's friendship meant a lot to him. He realized it was the right thing to do. But he still believes in God even if his superiors weren't acting on God's orders.
If Jimmy is still in Castiel, Misha is not sure. He hasn't thought about it. But he figures that he is.
What attracted Misha to the role of Castiel was mainly that it was a job, but he thought that it sounded cool, getting to play an angel who's among people for the first time and discovering how they act.
He noted that he is distracted sometimes by off-stage antics, such as Jared grabbing his ass. Jensen has to shoo him away because he likes making him look bad and he's good at it.
Oh, but the funniest question? This girl asked him what he would do if he was in an accident and lost the use of his legs. What would he do instead of acting? Misha said he would sit in a wheelchair and cry. The girl said someone else didn't like her question either, and Misha proposed that she think about this the next time she was alone and in a reflective mood, just why her questions were awful. Then he said he would be Steven Hawkins and communicate by blinking. He asked her what she would do. She couldn't think of anything. Misha: "See? It's hard to be put on the spot. Doesn't feel very nice, does it?"
Concerning his Twitter, I suppose, he was asked whether asking people to do stuff on the Internet is a power trip or just creepy. He admitted it was totally a power trip. For instance, he'd asked people to bring eggs and construction paper to the panel, for no other reason than just because he wanted to see if people would do it. There was no practical purpose for the items. And then they brought them, and he seemed surprised that people would actually do it.
In high school, Misha had long blond hair and when he got his passport, they mistook him for a girl and wrote 'female' on it. He tried to be a stoner but he failed at pot smoking. He was geeky, but not a nerd, because that implies being good in school and he wasn't.
To finish up, he was asked about any actors he admires, and he said something about Muppets and Ewoks, because of all the hair. And that was Saturday. :)
Sunday
Things were running about an hour and a half behind schedule on Sunday due to the photo-ops and autographs. Jared was supposed to do his panel, then Jensen, then both of them together. But I guess because of time constraints, Jared's panel was scrapped. I didn't mind this too much, but I know some people were probably pretty disappointed. So instead Jensen came out and talked to us and Jared joined him a few minutes later (Jensen blamed any lateness on Jared, as per usual). The questions were a bit lame and just bizarre in some cases. I guess this is what happens when you throw out the pre-screened questions - you get people abusing their opportunity. But I'll get to that. Anyway, here's what I remember:
Jensen called Misha a whore! (I think this was in regards to how he'd handled his panel the day before.)
Someone asked Jensen if Dean and Alec from Dark Angel were related. Um...what? Yeah, because Dean was totally bred in a lab as part of a secret government experiment. Is she watching the same show as I am?
The guys were asked if there were any misconceptions about them that they'd like to clear up, and Jensen said that people thought he was shy. He asked us if we thought he was shy and we said no. He thinks he's reserved, not shy (and from one reserved person to another, I can tell you that, yes, there is a difference). But compared to someone like Jared, who is incredibly friendly and outgoing, I think a lot of people would be seen as reserved in comparison.
Jensen told us about being injured during shooting. During 'All Hell Breaks Loose', he hit this tombstone. One side was real stone and he hit his elbow. It's still a little more sensitive than his other arm to this day. Then there was a time that they used real glass instead of candy glass and he has a scar from that.
Jensen said something about the car crash at the end of season one, and how it wasn't supposed to happen the way it did. The semi was supposed to go straight instead of hitting them from the side.
Jensen drives a pickup truck because if he had a Corvette like Jared's, then he would be tempted to speed all the time. (The image of a giant like Jared trying to squeeze into a tiny Corvette is pretty funny to me.)
Someone asked about why they don't use big Super Soaker water guns (full of holy water, presumably) to fight demons. The guys figured it would be hard to hide them in their jackets, so the smaller flasks and stuff make more sense. That's also why they don't use umbrellas - they just get soaked instead.
A certain upcoming guest star who shall remain nameless was doing fight training recently, and Jensen figures that she'd never thrown a punch in her life, because she kept aiming for his face. He had to remind her that this was fake.
Jensen sprayed the inside of Jared's trailer with fart spray once. He said it smelled like the inside of the Impala when they're in there together. He called him Farticus.
Ah, then there was the probably now-infamous PETA question. I still don't really know what that was about; there was a lot of booing and stuff. But it seemed to me that this person was trying to make Jared look bad by foisting her personal agenda on him, and this just was not the right avenue for that at all. Wrong time, wrong place, and she should have realized this. To his credit, Jared answered the question really well, saying that his support of PETA was just in support of organizations that help animals. It's also why he supports things like A Dog's Life, so he can bring awareness to people that these sort of companies exist. That's basically all it is. You could tell Jensen was annoyed by the question and kept trying to deflect with talking about pita bread with various toppings, which was cute.
And on that sour note...things broke up fairly quickly after that. I feel like I need to point out too, that contrary to what you may have read, I didn't get a vibe off the guys that they were being unfriendly or not as into it as they normally are. Just because their chairs weren't very close together, it doesn't mean anything. But we all see things differently and I'm sure someone will try to create drama where there is none.
Richard Speight Jr. (Trickster)
Just two things of note here:
Richard figures that the Trickster messes with Sam and Dean because he admires them. He's jealous that they have each other, when he's alone, and he doesn't understand why they have this moral code of looking out for each other. So by trying to prepare them for being alone, he's really just projecting his own insecurities.
He also told a story about meeting Jared's dogs. He went into a trailer where he thought the guys were, and instead he was greeted by two very big dogs who lunged at him. So he slammed the door and ran back to his trailer to change his pants because he was so scared that he pissed himself.
Jim Beaver (Bobby)
I missed the very beginning of this, since I was in the bathroom, but I'm told that Jim entered wearing Castiel's trench coat and did a little strip tease. He was quite playful throughout the panel, in fact. I don't remember what this woman asked him, but she was wearing a rather low cut dress, and I guess when she bent down to the microphone, she gave him a bit of a peep show. Definitely not your typical fangirl attire, at any rate. He said something to the effect of why he should buy the melons when she was giving them away for free. He asked her out for a drink later...he was totally hitting on her, it was hilarious. Then he realized that he'd probably crossed the line and got all bashful.
Jim was offered a role as a series regular this year, but he turned it down, because although it would mean much more money, it would also mean he'd have to uproot his daughter and move to Vancouver. So it was a decision that affected not just him and he didn't want to do that to her. He talked a little more about his daughter, saying that he asked her once if she knew what he did for a living and she said that he makes movies, but she didn't seem to be curious beyond that. Jim gives the impression of being a great dad. I think I may have to get his book.
And...that's it! Anyone still alive out there? Hopefully, I didn't bore you too much. This was my first con, and it was certainly an interesting experience, but a little weird at the same time. I don't know, I can't explain it. I think the level of devotion some people had was a little intimidating and scary...I'm not there yet. So would I go again? I'm not sure. I mainly went because it was close to home and I figured, why not? I had fun and I talked to some great people, but I don't think I necessarily need to repeat the experience. They're doing one again next year though, so we'll see...