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Jared Padalecki is feeling a bit spent.
The actor got his big break on The WB’s Gilmore Girls in 2000 as Rory’s love interest, before moving on in 2005 to star alongside Jensen Ackles in Supernatural. Little did Padalecki know that the series would go on to air for 15 seasons, after which he segued into a starring and executive-producing role on The CW‘s Walker, which wraps up its four-season run this Wednesday at 8/7c.
So it’s no surprise that Padalecki tells TVLine that he is exhausted after a successful but sometimes grueling 24 years on network television.
“I’m grateful. Like, I’m not digging ditches. I’m not doing Red Cross work and saving human beings. But yeah, I’m pretty tired,” Padalecki says, adding that he’s “a little disillusioned about the state of the industry that I’ve loved and been employed with for 24 years. So I have a lot of thinking to do, and I have a lot of time to be with my wife and our kids, my friends, and think about where this industry is.”
Below, Padalecki opens up about Walker’s cancellation and why he doesn’t see another long-running TV series in his future.
TVLINE | Obviously, Supernatural was on a lot longer than Walker, but you were an executive producer on Walker, and you seemed to really bond with not only the cast but also the character of Cordell. So how has this letting go experience compared to that of Supernatural for you?
With my experience on Gilmore Girls and Supernatural, we found ourselves in a similar situation, like around Seasons 3 and/or 4, where we were on the bubble, or there was a network change, or the head of the network changed, or there was a strike, or et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. So we didn’t know if we’d make it, and in both cases, the network believed in us and let us go as long as we wanted, and now, they’re like two of the top 10 most watched shows on Netflix, worldwide, every year. So I kind of, stupid me, I was hoping and assuming the same might happen… I knew there was a chance. There’s always a chance that the show’s not going to go, but I was like, “Well, we’re still the most watched. We’re not expensive.” So I didn’t know what to expect, and I haven’t yet had time to have closure with Walker.
With Supernatural, Jensen [Ackles] and I talked about it in our trailers on set for years, or during conventions in the green room, or at home, or flying together, or whatever, playing golf. We’d talk about it, and finally, Season 14, we kind of looked at each other, and we were like, “Hey, you know what, I think it’s time to go back to our families.” “Yeah, I think you’re right.” So we met with [CW President] Mark Pedowitz and said, like, “Hey, we’re going to do Season 15, but that’s it.” So we had a couple years, and we, ultimately, made the decision. I left Gilmore Girls to do Supernatural. Jensen and I decided to go ahead and let Supernatural end and give it a good send-off.
That was not the same situation with Walker, obviously. So I’m still kind of dealing with it, to be honest with you. I love the show. I’m so grateful for the four years that we had. I think back to during the pandemic, we were one of the first shows to go back to filming after COVID. We shot in October of 2020, and it was still masks and six feet away. There was just so much everybody went through: car accidents, and more COVIDs, and strep, and flu, and births, and deaths, and marriages, and divorces, and another strike, and this and that. So we had gone through so much together. We had weathered so many storms that I figured we had a lot more storms to weather. It’s not the way it worked out. But right now, I’m really focusing on how grateful I am, and will forever be, for the time I got to spend on Walker.
TVLINE | Given the circumstances, how do you feel about how the series ended and how the storylines were left off in the finale?
To the credit of CW and CBS [Studios], when we shot the finale, when it was written, we didn’t know whether or not we were going to go for a fifth or further season, and they did not push us to try and wrap things up in a tidy little bow, which would’ve been really bad storytelling and a really bad episode. They kind of said, “Write the best episode you can. We don’t know if it’s going to go five years, or 10 years, or 30 years, or four years. So make it the best you can.” We knew, and [showrunner] Anna [Fricke] knew, and Blythe Ann Johnson knew — they wrote the finale together — that it was possible [it would end]. So when I think back on the finale, I think whether it was the end of Season 4 or the end of Season 104, I would’ve wanted all the characters to have a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, something to look forward to. And so, all the characters get a send-off and a salute of sorts, but it feels like a proper episode of television. It doesn’t feel like, “Oh, they are in a diner, and let’s just turn the cameras off.” But again, it’s so difficult to end. When you fall in love with a character, or several characters, or a story, for 69 episodes, like how do you end it?
So I’m grateful that we were able to create the best episode that we could without any incumbrances of like, “You better make sure everybody dies, or everybody gets a new job,” or something. Because how could you possibly end the story of all the Walkers and all their friends and been like, “Oh, yup, cool, don’t need to see them anymore”? Like, no matter how it ended, I would’ve wanted to see more of them, and so I’m very proud of the episode.
TVLINE | You went from Gilmore Girls straight to 15 seasons of Supernatural to Walker. Are you exhausted yet?
I was exhausted 20 years ago. [Laughs] I am. I am exhausted. When I found out that Walker was not going to go for a fifth season, that was on a Tuesday, and I left for Europe on a Friday, part work, part fun. But I was in Europe for like three and a half weeks with family and a little bit of work, a lot of travel. So I’ve only been in the United States four days in the last month, and so, I haven’t really had time to fully grasp it. But yes, I’m tired. I’m tired. I’m grateful. Like, I’m not digging ditches. I’m not doing Red Cross work and saving human beings. But yeah, I’m pretty tired. I’m a little disillusioned about the state of the industry that I’ve loved and been employed with for 24 years. So I have a lot of thinking to do, and I have a lot of time to be with my wife and our kids, my friends, and think about where this industry is.
I haven’t had time to really reassess my life. I got into this industry when I was 17 years old on Gilmore Girls, and I, at the time, had my school schedule for UT Austin, and so, I thought I was going to do a couple episodes and go back to UT and pay off some student loans or something. That was 24 years ago, so I haven’t really had the time. And even during the writers’ strike in ’08, we were just waiting for it to end to go back and shoot Supernatural. The pandemic in 2020, I was just waiting for it to end, so I could go finish Supernatural and start Walker. The writers’ strike last year, just waiting for it to end, so we could pick up Walker.
I was in Europe for a while, and people would come up and take a picture and get an autograph or whatever and [ask], “So what’s next?” and for the first time in my entire life, I was like, “I don’t know.” “Oh, well, surely you have stuff. What’s next?” I was like, “Well, I don’t know.” They’re like, “Oh, you can’t tell us.” “No, no. It’s not I can’t tell you. I don’t have a job waiting for me,” which I’ve never said that in my adult life. So it’s interesting, and I’m going to surround myself with family and friends and loved ones, and try and figure out if I have anything else to offer that people want, and if I can be of service in storytelling, somehow, some way, then I guess I’ll put my proverbial cowboy hat back on and saddle up.
TVLINE | When you’re ready, though, do you imagine that you will want to do another TV series?
I don’t think so. I don’t mind long TV, but I’ve heard it said many times, and I agree, that hour-long episodic television is the hardest job in the industry. If you’re Elijah Wood in Lord of the Rings, and it’s three three-hour long movies or whatever, it’s still like 18 months, you know? There’s an end in sight. With TV shows, sometimes it lasts 15 years, and sometimes they say, “Hey, where do you live? OK, we’re shooting in Vancouver.” You say, “But my family, my wife and kids are in Austin.” Like, “Well, good for them. They can come move up here. Here’s a thousand bucks to fly them out.” It’s not for the weak-spirited. Like, you really have to sacrifice a lot, and I’ve sacrificed everything I have to sacrifice for many, many years, and I think I’m at a point in my life where I want to spend more time with my wife and kids. If a job on a TV show comes up, like I’ve talked to Kripke about The Boys stuff, like, “Yeah, I’ll come play with you for a month. Yeah, I’ll come play with you for two months, for six weeks, or whatever,” or, “Yeah, I’ll come pop in a week out of every month for the next three months.”
But a classic TV contract is a six-year contract. My oldest son is 12, my middle son is 10, my daughter is seven. So if I sign a six-year contract, and they’re filming in Alaska, then I miss my son getting a driver’s license, I miss him graduating high school, I miss his first girlfriend or boyfriend, his first heartbreak, his basketball games, I miss my other son’s driving test, I miss my daughter turning into a teenager, and then I’m leaving [my wife] Gen, too. It’s a big commitment. So I don’t foresee myself doing that unless, again, it was in Austin, and I was the executive producer that could be involved in knowing the show and making sure the cast and crew all did it in as efficient a way as possible.
Aww. What a cutie.
I understand the idea of him needing to rest, but hopefully he can keep busy and we can have him back on our screens from time to time.
This may have been the most heartfelt interview ever on TVLine. I always liked him, but he has gone up in my estimation.
Nice interview. Of course, he was never a main character on “Gilmore Girls” the way he was on “Supernatural” and “Walker.” After the first couple of seasons, his participation depended on which boy flighty Rory happened to like that week. I didn’t know he left to do “Supernatural” before “Gilmore” had ended, but it was certainly a smart decision.
Thank you for the great interview! Hopefully there’ll be another project based in Austin or a nearby city in Texas for Jared. He’s more than earned it after filming 15 years in Canada.
How about a few Supernatural movies? That will keep him out of the TV grind!
I think I heard him say in an interview recently he’d like to return to the Supernatural world in a way similar to him going back for a scene in the Gilmore Girls revival a few years ago, with him being more involved in a Supernatural revival of course. Limited series, a couple of movies type deal, but nothing super long term.
I’ll never understand why some comments get downvoted. Why do people not like the idea of Supernatural movies?
It’s the same people in other posts on here going on and on about how the show should have ended after Season 5 cause Kripke this and that. They think any additional content is tarnishing the Brand. A bunch of rubbish to be ignored. If they did movies or bring it back for shorter seasons and maybe even get it set up to film in Austin I think they could continue Supernatural. I think the industry has some more right sizing to but give it a few more years and they might put some traction behind it.
What about a supernatural reboot. Not happy with the ending we got. Especially when you left an interesting story on the table during the finale. Or a continuation with Jack as the lead. Sam and Dean could make sporadic appearances as the calvary when needed or as mentors when he needs advice. And it wouldn’t be impossible even if they stay dead since Jack is God now so he makes the rules.
Yes it would be very easy for them to come up with a way to bring them back. They just need time to rest and feel that excitement again but you are right. The ending wasn’t quite the way it should be. Maybe something will happen that makes it never happen. I still think not doing Wayward Sisters was a mistake. Jody would have let the show fine.
Jared Padalecki is a class act, a hard worker, and I’m grateful for all the years I’ve gotten to enjoy his performances. I wish him the very best in the future, whatever he decides to do. And he’s totally right about time with his family. You can’t get that back.
I’m going to miss the show. I really enjoy it but wish nothing but the best for the actors in their future.
What a classy interview, definitely some of TVLine’s best.
Good on him wanting to prioritise family, nobody can begrudge him that. His comments over the years about his mental health resonate too.
How in the hell does some tool downvote this?
Family & mental health not a good enough reason for a break?
Legit @TVLine need to get rid of this feature.
I agree there’s no reason to have a down vote feature – but it’d probably be good to bring back the “report” feature in case the comment is offensive. But just showing your disagreement via a downvote is silly and also encourages people to just press a button instead of engaging properly, telling you why they feel a different way etc.
Going to miss Walker, but after going from hit show to hit show a vacation is in order. I do miss all the great shows that used to be on the CW. When the CW goes belly up. I’ll buy it for $10.00 and bring back all the great shows they cancelled.
Jared talked about retiring after SPN and then Walker fell into his lap. He totally deserves a break. Hopefully though, he can do something in the future that doesn’t involve too much away-time. And who knows? Maybe when his kids are older, he’ll return.
Always liked him as an actor. Will be weird not seeing him on a TV screen next season, but he’s more than earned a break.
Has anyone other than Jared come close to the run that David Boreanaz has had with Buffy, Angel, Bones, and SEAL Team?
There’s Richard Belzer — he played the same character, Detective John Munch, on 10 different shows over 23 years.
I hope he saved up all that money so he can take roles closer to home and shorter term so he can have that much needed family time. I think with the industry how it is that these long runs are kind of ending. Same seeing Blue Blood end. The long runs really helped things though so it’s sad to see them going away. It would be nice to se if they could find ways to shoot more but on a different schedule or more rotation so they had better hours. Jared and David Boreanaz had very long consistent work and I see myself doing a lot of revisiting of old shows to replace the lack of compelling new ones
Do you and spend time with your family, so many people don’t see how important that is 😔
Good thoughts and insight. I hope at some point he does come back, but he should take as long as he needs to, even if that is the rest of his life.
Take care, Mr. Padalecki, and thanks for the characters!
I started watching you Mr. Padelacki on Supernatural season 1. I also own all 15 seasons on dvd. You made TV worth watching for a long time. Was very happy to jump into Walker and very sad it was canceled. I can only imagine how tires you must be, but we miss yoi so hope you wont be gone too long. I check everyday waiting too see your next project. Thank you for getting me thru some of the toughest days of my life. Loved Supernatural, you can always go that way again a wee bit different. A huge, grateful fan
Dear Mr. Padelacki, I watched Supernatural from season 1 to 15. Then bought them all on dvd. Enjoying your show once a week got me thru some tough times. Would be right there for another season or movie. Was grateful to have Walker to watch and very disappointed when it was canceled. Im sure you are tired but hope it doesn’t take too long to see you again. Thank you for a great show? Maybe another slightly spooky one could be in the mix. A very grateful fan.
thank you for your service.
Drives me insane when they make actors “executive producers” cause you know they aren’t doing a danged thing but putting in their two cents every once in a while. It’s just another way to pad their already enormous salaries. I’ll admit every once in a while you get an actor who actually does the work, but those are extremely rare exceptions.
2 years of WB business nonsense ! If even the actors working with them are pissed ! From Batgirl, to Acme and The Nevers, to the death of a strong scripted show network like the CW, some of those decisions were made only for money and they are going to regret them ! (The CW was such a strong brand for good quality teenage shows with strong licences that people are stilt watching to that day : Smallville, Supernatural, Gossip Girl, The Arrowverse, Walker, Vampire Diaries, Riverdale…. and they put future cult classics like the Nevers under the bus. – the Firefly effect is slowly taking on the Nevers – )
We will miss Walker a lot. very good interview. As much as it saddens me that I can’t see Jared every week, I understand Jared’s need to be with his family and it is consistent with what he has been saying and doing for years. I hope a new opportunity Will come for him in Austin, Iam proud of him, his career and his believes.
Very good interview. As much as it saddens me that I can’t see Jared every week, I understand Jared’s need to be with his family and it is consistent with what he has been saying and doing for years. I hope a new opportunity Will come for him in Austin, Iam proud of him, his career and his believes.