Why This Supernatural Episode Had So Many Cut Jared Padalecki Scenes
No one cries as prettily as the Winchester brothers, but even Supernatural has to put a limit on the waterworks sometimes.
Season 2 holds the distinction of being the first season where the Winchesters really got in touch with their feelings on-screen, and as a result, it has several episodes featuring the boys crying, including: "Everybody Loves a Clown," "Heart," and "All Hell Breaks Loose." But in an interview with TVLine, Jared Padalecki revealed he cried so much during the filming of an intense moment in "Croatoan" that many of Sam's scenes were left on the cutting room floor.
In "Croatoan," Sam and Dean travel to a town in Oregon where the locals have become violent due to a virus. At one point, Sam believes he has been infected and decides to kill himself before he hurts Dean or someone else. The brothers argue as Sam urges his big brother not to kill an innocent man just to protect him, saying he's "not worth it." Cue the tears... just not as many as Padalecki originally cried.
"With 'Croatoan,' I cried a lot, but we ended up dialing it down a little bit to keep the story going," Padalecki revealed to TVLine. The world may never know exactly how many tears Sammy originally shed in that episode, but there's no question about just how emotional the actor can get when he's allowed to let loose. If you need an example, then look no further than the season 2 outing "Heart."
Jared Padalecki's tearful "Heart" scene in Supernatural season 2 made everyone on set emotional
As an episode, "Croatoan" feels like a taut horror movie in the vein of The Thing or Dawn of the Dead. It's fast-paced and full of tension, so it's easy to see why the show couldn't linger too long on Sam's big, sacrificial speech. It would have taken some of the urgency out of the episode.
By contrast, "Heart" is pure character study. The season 2 episode features Sam falling for a werewolf. While he believes that the woman, Madison, can learn to control her killer instincts, she knows it's just a matter of time before she hurts someone. Ultimately, Sam ends up shooting her, leading to what Padalecki calls a "flood" of tears.
It turns out the emotion in that scene was real. In order to go to such a vulnerable place, the actor told TVLine he imagined what it would like to lose something he really loved. He also shared that the support he received from the late director Kim Manners and his co-star Jensen Ackles, as well as Emmanuelle Vaugier, who played Madison, made it easier for him to let the tears flow.
Padalecki's performance in "Heart" was so powerful it made everyone else emotional too, including Ackles. "I didn't expect to get emotional, but watching him go through what he was going through... like, just that energy fueled me," Ackles shared with the publication. "I think actually the last shot as it cuts to me, there's a tear going down my face."
Between "Heart" and "Croatoan," one thing is clear: Supernatural season 2 was all about the tears.