‘Supernatural’ family is a FAMdom

Written by: Abhiruchi Jain, online editor

Saturday, the second day of the convention, started a little later than expected. We found way too much traffic on our way to the Hilton, and we missed Jim Beaver, Matt Cohen, Richard Speight Jr. and Rob Benedict’s panel. I wasn’t very happy about missing Matt’s panel, but I was glad that I was going to meet him for our photo that day.

When I entered the photo-op room, I saw Matt getting clicked with each fan. One of the girls before me asked him to lie on the ground and do Edward and Bella’s “Twilight” pose with him. It was too funny because Matt got really confused about the pose. When I got there for my photo, I told him I loved his work on “Supernatural” and “How to get away with murder.” He gave me a hug and thanked me. I got our picture clicked and left the room a little zoned out. This was my first close encounter with an actor. I  had hugged him, spoken to him and the entire thing felt unreal. Until now, he existed only on television and suddenly he was there standing next to me. In my last blog, when I said that money can buy you happiness, I was wrong. Money can buy you a special kind of happiness that will give you a brain freeze and send you into a confused state of mind.

When I went back to the theater, Osric Chau’s panel had already started. Osric played the role of Kevin Tran until his character got killed in season 9. He’s one of the most loved actors in the SPN Family and is famous for his Karaoke skills and cosplays at conventions. A fan asked him about on-set pranks on Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. Osric said he would love to prank them, but the retribution is not worth it. Misha Collins gets it the worst because he is always messing with the two and has become an easy target.

Speaking of Misha, after the panel, I went in queue for my photo with him. He plays Castiel and is the mastermind behind G.I.S.H.W.H.E.S., an international scavenger hunt that I participated in last year. I was teamed up with 15 wonderful people I had never met from different parts of the world to complete over 200 tasks in one week. It was one of the best experiences of my life, and I feel so stupid that I couldn’t tell this to him because I was too star struck. When I went for my turn for the photo, before I could even say hi, the first thing Misha said when he saw me was “Hey! Nice dress.” After making a mental note never to throw that dress away, I asked him to make his Lucifer face for our photo-op. Before leaving, I told him how much I loved the show because of him, and that I was his (self-proclaimed) biggest fan from India. He was really happy and shocked to know that I was from India. It was funny how we were standing there in half a hug, with the next person ready for their photo and Misha staring at me in shock.

I then made my way into the theater for the evening session. First on stage was Ruth Connell who plays the evil witch Rowena. Her panel was a lot of fun as she made everyone in the audience do her self-choreographed ‘V-Club’ dance! She had a lot of fun stories to share about her on-set moments before her character was killed in season 11. The fans are hoping that her character is brought back now that “Supernatural” has been picked up for season 12.

Rich and Rob then welcomed Misha on stage. For his panel, there was a lucky draw to select which fans got to ask him questions. The most exciting part was when my friend, Prerna’s name came up on the screen! I tried to calm her down by texting her while she stood in queue, and I finally came up with a question for her to ask. She was so nervous about the whole thing, she couldn’t think of one. Misha talked about his and Jensen’s “You Are Not Alone” campaign, which they had launched that weekend to set-up The SPNFamily Crisis Support Network. It is to create a fan-based community where fans in crisis can go for help. It is a helpline that is first of it’s kind, which is for the fandom and by the fandom. Anybody can be a part of it. Over 1,500 people from different parts of the world have signed up as volunteers for this cause.

After the panel discussions for the day ended, I got ready for my autographs with the stars. I met Matt first. I had got him a little gift from India which I gave him during the autograph session. He was so happy and touched that he got up, hugged me and thanked me for it. I then got Ruth’s autograph. She complimented my name and said it was as unique as Rowena’s name.

At 10:15pm, we made our way to the theater for “Saturday Night Special” starring Rob’s band, Louden Swain, with cast members as special guests for the night. If you decide to go for the “Supernatural” convention, take my advice and never miss their concert on Saturdays. Louden Swain and the SPN cast are blessed with such beautiful voices, I was amazed to see how well they all sang, especially Richard! Matt got the crowd really pumped up and I’m pretty sure he has springs attached to his feet, because he did a high jump from the stage to the isle and started running and jumping on the seats in the crowd. It was pretty crazy! One of the best moments was when Rob sang a song he wrote when he was going through a rough time and every fan in the theater had their flashlight or phone screen lit up to show their support. That was the moment I actually felt what the word “SPNFamily” meant.

After midnight, we left for home, completely ready for Sunday and the final day of the con. I was excited to meet my favorite, Jared and my friends Saba and Prerna were psyched to meet their favorite, Jensen. And the best part was, Sunday was Valentine’s Day! More about that in my next blog. Stay tuned!