Supernatural It was largely about Sam and Dean Winchester, two brothers who saved people and hunted things. That’s not to say they didn’t meet other hunters, like fan-favorite character Garth, played by DJ Qualls. Garth started out as a bit of an oddball, but after Bobby’s death, he stepped in to replace the grumpy hunter.

At Creation Entertainment’s The Road So Far convention earlier this month in Philadelphia, Qualls spoke with CBR to talk about Garth, his favorite memories from the show, and the potential Supernatural awakening.

CBR: What is your favorite part of these Creation Entertainment events, like The Road So Far?

DJ Qualls: Well, there are two good things about doing these events. I mean, the interaction with the fans is amazing. What actors often don’t realize is that we are present for people’s experiences that we are not actually present for. For the bad days and the first dates, and all those memories that are attached to the work we do. People have the chance to tell us these things and we can experience them through them.

But our show went off the air five years ago, and usually when you’re on a long-running show, you get close to your cast and then see each other periodically. But since the show is no longer broadcast, we have not left each other. We see each other all the time. Each of these weekends is therefore a reunion for us. If someone gets into a car accident, or if there’s a wedding, or any other life event, we know about it first. I’m in a 23 person thread with these idiots that I’m keeping on mute because a lot of people have left California, so they’ll start talking around 9am. Like, it’s 6 a.m. here, I’m going to murder you.

So, if you had been responsible for Garth’s end, would you have done things differently?

They wrote such a beautiful episode – a farewell episode for Garth. It was called “A Hero’s Journey” and Garth became the hero. I thought it was just a nice little sort of love letter to the character. I thought the ending was brilliant, because it showed the audience that there was a life beyond that, beyond hunting, that you could do other things.

But I gotta tell you, like, three episodes into being a werewolf, I was missing my hunter’s coat. I mean, there’s something magical about putting on that coat. So, I wrote an email. I would come up with a plan that the producers didn’t like. I said to myself, “I think Garth wouldn’t hunt if his wife was still alive.” So if you kill Bess, he might have a reason to hunt again. And they say, “We’re not going to kill your wife.” » And I’m like, ‘Okay, great.’ But everything went well. I mean, they knew what they were doing.

The most important thing was when I first became a werewolf. The story is that Garth was supposed to do a lot of episodes. I was supposed to appear in the history of the Men of Letters. I was on the phone a lot. But I booked Man in the High Castle, and I had to do it – it was series regular work, and I had to do it. The estate of Philip K. Dick chose me to play this character. So, I thought, well, I have to go. So to explain where I was, they turned me into a werewolf, and I thought Dean was going to have to kill me. But they found a way to get through it and they wrote it beautifully.

Image via Warner Bros.

Do you think Garth should maintain his power against Michael in season 14?

I don’t know. I never really thought about it. Probably not. Garth is quite powerful. I mean, the werewolf’s strength, I think he’s had enough. It was also pretty awesome to play that. Someone who matches my physical build, with some sort of intense strength and speed, and all those abilities that he’ll use when he has to. But he’s very zen about it all.

Do you think fan support could push the franchise toward a long-term revival?

I think it’s certainly possible. I think 15 is a long time for boys. And I mean, they grew up on this show. I think they’re at a point in their lives where doing other things is important. But, you know, who knows? I mean, we could all be geriatric, like the Golden Girls or Murder, She Wrote meets Supernatural.

Do you have a favorite scene or memory from working on the show?

My favorite episode was “Party on Garth”. I mean, it’s really flattering when your character’s name is in the title of an episode. I loved my entrance scene when Bell Biv DeVoe’s “Poison” was playing. I thought it was iconic, and people talk to me about it all the time.

My favorite acting scene was probably after Bobby died. Dean acted like this only happened to him, and Garth kind of took him to task for it. It was quite a moving scene. We both cried. But that was probably my most memorable scene. Definitely my most memorable scene with Jensen [Ackles].

What scared me the most was the tap dancing sequence. This scared me very much. By chance, in Burbank, a producer came up to me and said, “Do you know how to dance? And I’m like, “Yeah, sort of.” » When you land, you go to the office, you get your script and do your fittings. And they showed me a choreographed – heavily choreographed – three-minute tap dance scene. And I was like, “I can’t do this.” And they say, “Yes, you can.” We have people. And it worked. Jensen knew, but after about 15 minutes. It was so boring. I wanted to kill him.

Image via The CW

Are there any other comic book, game, or book characters you’d really like to play?

I don’t really see my career that way. There are so many factors that go into choosing a job. I turned down this show when they initially offered it to me because I was coming off a movie and I was exhausted. And I think I finished Saturday night, and then Monday morning they called and asked if I would go to Vancouver on Wednesday. And I was so tired. I hadn’t slept in my own bed in a while. Big mistake. And that taught me a lot about trying to come from a point of view of yes. All my best friends are on this show. My partner is from this show. It gave me so much.

But no, it’s circumstantial. It could be the director. This could be a location. It could be the money. I mean, there are so many factors that go into choosing. I was cast in the first independent Wolverine movie. I played a character named Beak. I was flying from Chicago to board a plane to Sydney [to film it]and they wrote the character when I was in the air. It was disappointing. The movie wasn’t great. Logan was amazing, but the first Wolverine movie wasn’t great. And I had already done the prosthetic fittings and all that. It taught me a lesson about not telling people you’re going to be in a movie unless you’re filming it.

Is there something in your career that you’re really proud of but hasn’t received enough attention?

I did a show called Legit with Jim Jefferies. I played a guy with advanced muscular dystrophy, and it was the funniest thing I’ve ever done because everyone made fun of him. And I was a sick child. I had cancer when I was little and it’s very important to feel normal when you’re sick. And people treat you like everyone else, that’s what you want, and I was playing a real-life character based on some stories from Jim Jefferies’ past. The network’s president, John Landgraf, admitted that he should not have canceled the show.

It was too late. But it wasn’t very comforting. But it really hurt me. It hurt me so much that I loved him so much. And it hurt so much when it left. I thought about stopping playing. I picked up Z Nation just reading the script just so I could walk away and not have to think about it.

Do you have any upcoming projects you can talk about?

I just finished a film called Shuteye. It’s a pandemic movie. Kind of an end of the world thing. Everyone does this now.

I made a really interesting film called Sky Valley. This is an alien abduction film that is part of a sort of Native American tradition. I had the opportunity to film on a reservation called the Mescalero Reservation in southern New Mexico. It was great. It was a great experience.

And I just finished them this year. Plus, I have a film at the Toronto Film Festival. It’s called The Napa Boys, and it’s from the people who made Sideways. I’ve worked quite a bit this year. I’m tired. I’ve been everywhere. This is my ninth city in a row without interruption. And part of that included the UK and Australia. I slept through the night last night for the first time in weeks, and it was great.

Image via Warner Bros.

Release date

2005 – 2020

Showrunner

Eric Kripke

Directors

Philippic Sgrcticia, John F. Kim Manerers, Thomas J. Wright, Chair Been, Chay Noman, Richard Heart Bee, Rike Rohl Jr., Meke Rohl, Steve Boum, Amyn Buish, Jessen Assen, Szwarc, Pecess Pecy-Corrado, James L. Conpan, ablee, J. Melz Tobin, Plishzyski, John MacCarty, Ben

Writers

Meredith Glynn, Davy Perez, Raelle Tucker, Cathryn Humphris, Brett Matthews, Nancy Won, John Bring, Ben Acker, Daniel Knauf, David Ehrman, James Krieg, Trey Callaway

Franchise(s)

Supernatural