So Happy Together: Sings Supernatural's Jim Beaver

Jim Beaver’s been a television staple for the last thirty years.  He’s had recurring roles on such shows as Deadwood, John from Cincinnati, Big Love, Days of Our Lives and 3rd Rock from the Sun and has made guest appearances on Monk, CSI, The West Wing and The X-Files, just to name a few. But even with more than 100 roles to his credit, Jim has never before achieved the kind of infamy that he’s received since he took on the role of Bobby Singer, the surly but affectionate father figure to Sam and Dean Winchester on Supernatural.

When we last saw our intrepid heroes, Bobby was aiding the boys in the fight against the all-powerful demon Lilith.  But despite some clever distractions (holy water in the sprinkler system) Bobby and Sam were unable to save Dean from being dragged into the pit by the hell hounds.

But don’t worry Ackles fans, this is Supernatural where the dead don’t stay dead.

It’s an emotional reunion when Season Four begins this Thursday and I asked Jim Beaver about the mood on the set.

“We have a lot of fun, even with the emotional scenes and that’s not to say we don’t take them seriously,” says Beaver. “I remember when Jensen was doing the scene where he’s talking to Sam’s dead body, he kinda wanted some quiet time and we respected that. I think Jared and Jensen and I are similar actors in that we play right into whatever the scene calls for at the moment, but we’re pretty good at separating our lives once they call cut.”

And once they do call cut?

“We joke and laugh a lot. We had a long day shooting yesterday, there wasn’t anything particularly unusual about the scene, but for me, it was just a wonderful day hanging out with Jared and Jensen. That really encapsulates it; Jared and Jensen are two of the most fun guys I’ve ever worked with.”

So that would be the best thing about working on Supernatural.  So what’s the worst? 

“The worst thing is pretending you’re cold when it’s really hot and you’re hot when it’s really cold. I’ve played so many scenes in this show where we’re supposed to be in Louisiana or some place in the springtime and we were just freezing. Yesterday we were playing some place pretty cool and we were sweating like a pig.”

I asked Jim to describe his two co-stars in two sentences. Jared came easy.

“Jared Padalecki is the world’s tallest rascal. He’s irreverent, full of jokes, full of fun and really, really good at what he does.”

Jensen took a bit more thought.

“Jensen’s not as wild as Jared, but he’s just as funny and he’s really deeply devoted to what he does for a living. He’s a sweet guy, which is something coming from a guy like me.”

When asked how the boys would answer the same question about him, Jim blew it off modestly and replied, “Oh, they’d make up some phony baloney stuff about how nice I am.”

Some how I suspect that wouldn’t be “phony baloney” at all.

Come back Tuesday when Jim Beaver answers our Top Three Questions and don’t miss Jim on the season premiere of Supernatural, this Thursday on The CW.

Photo Credit: Michael Courtney/Sergei Bachlakov/The CW