‘Supernatural’ Had a Negative Impact on Jared Padalecki’s Life Despite Helping Him Build a Whopping $14 Million Empire
- Jared Padalecki had to spend a lot of time away from his family because of filming Supernatural.
- Padalecki recalled he was not aware of the routine of his kids every time he visited home.
- Walker was Jared Padalecki's passion project. It was canceled after four seasons.
Jared Padalecki is widely known for his work as Sam Winchester in WB’s Supernatural from 2005 to 2020 alongside Jensen Ackles. He later reprised his role to voice Sam Winchester in Supernatural: The Anime Series. The actor was reportedly interested in the show because of his interest in horror series and was a fan of The X-Files and The Twilight Zone.
Supernatural concluded in 2020 and became the longest-running North American sci-fi series in history. The series is to date one of the most loved shows of all time, and fans love the chemistry between the actors in the show. Padalecki had also appeared, as Dean Forester in Gilmore Girls, but it was Sam Winchester who helped him to achieve the success and the fame. But everything comes at a price.
Jared Padalecki wanted to produce Walker starring Supernatural co-star Jensen Ackles
Actor Jared Padalecki, after his stint as Sam Winchester, concluded Supernatural; he was roped in to star as the lead in the action-crime drama series Walker. The CW series is a reboot of the 1990s western drama series Walker, Texas Ranger. The show was canceled after four seasons, but Padalecki didn’t want to star as the titular character. He shared with Variety in 2019.
I was tired of being on camera for 20 years straight. I wanted to produce a show called Walker starring Jensen Ackles.
The actor shared that he had the idea to produce a show after he read an op-ed by a law enforcement official who walked away from their duty rather than submit to the orders of separating migrant kids from their parents. Explaining his enthusiasm for the concept, he added,
I thought, ‘What an interesting person who struggled with what they are bound to do by duty and what they think they should do with their own moral compass’.
It wasn’t until the showrunner Anna Fricke and the extended producing team, including Dan Lin and Lindsey Liberatore, joined that he realized he should not only serve as the executive producer but also star in the show. The reason was that Walker was his passion project, and thus he stepped in as the titular character.
The actor noted that the Walker they created was in the gray area, adding that the show was not about martial artists kicking minorities in the face but legit Texans, mentioning what they’d choose after they knew the whole story. Even though it was challenging, Jared Padalecki was thrilled to not only be a part of the show but also serve as the executive producer. He said,
I can protect that original idea, but furthermore, I get to try and make sure our cast and crew are treated correctly and that some of the habits that can happen on a TV show that end up hurting people don’t materialize.
Padalecki read the script for Walker and his character for months during COVID-19 and shared that it was more than he’s ever read about or created or understood a character.
After finishing the shoot for Supernatural last season, the actor was back on set to film Walker, just five weeks later.
Jared Padalecki recalled how Supernatural affected his life
The actor shared that he had spent a decade playing a character that had range on a show, and that helped him to prepare for Walker in some ways. One of those aspects was him staying away from his kids while filming. He added in speaking to Variety,
I’ve been absent a lot. When I’d get home to Austin, my kids didn’t understand that I was not just skipping out, that I was working really hard—18 hours a day to try and pay the mortgage and buy their food and pay for their school.
He recalled he didn’t know their routine, and when he’d reach home and want to spend time with them, they were not used to having him around and vice versa. Jared Padalecki described it as ‘very much art imitating life.’However, filming Walker was different because he was much closer to home.
During a recent MEGACON Orlando (via CBR), Jared Padalecki admitted that there were a lot of sacrifices they had to make for Supernatural, but he is so grateful for the fans.
He extended a thank you for the way they were supportive of him during the time when he was open about his journey with depression and started the Always Keep Fighting campaign. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Jared Padalecki’s net worth is $14 million.
15 seasons of Supernatural are available to stream on Prime Video.
