Work Text:
Yes, We Are Married:
Jensen & Jared Padalecki-Ackles
An Entertainment Weekly exclusive, by Lin T.
September 28, 2012
For years, they played the ruggedly handsome, emotionally scarred, demon and ghost-hunting Winchester brothers on the CW’s cult-horror hit, Supernatural. The bromance between Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki was legendary among their fans and followers of the show. They shared everything, from their Texas-bred backgrounds; to a house in Vancouver, where the show was filmed; to the challenges, rewards, and occasional burdens that came with being the show’s only lead stars.
They even got engaged on the same weekend in 2009 – Jensen to Danneel Harris, best known as a cast member of One Tree Hill and in supporting roles in movies like The Back-Up Plan and the Harold and Kumar trilogy; and Jared to Genevieve Cortese, their former Supernatural co-star. And they were groomsmen at each other’s weddings in 2010, when Jared married Genevieve in February, and when Jensen married Danneel in May. But both marriages ended in divorces, just months apart, in late 2011.
So it seemed to shock most everyone when Jensen and Jared recently announced that they had quietly married each other, in an intimate ceremony at their Vancouver home, this past April, right after Supernatural wrapped its series finale. But instead of a feared backlash, their bold act catapulted the actors to A-list status. Their union was supported by most of their fans (especially a core group who were long-time believers in their pairing, that’s known in fandom as J2, or J-squared) as well as many in the movie and TV industry. Their partnership will continue on the big screen, with recent news that both actors have been cast as the high-profile starring roles in the highly-anticipated remake of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, directed by Michael Mann and scheduled for release next summer.
As a fan of both actors, it’s a pleasure to sit down with Jensen and Jared Padalecki-Ackles at Gotham Steakhouse, one of their favorite Vancouver hangouts, for a wide-ranging interview that clearly shows their commitment to their work and to each other.
First off, congratulations are in order.
“Thank you,” they say in unison; then grin at each other as they join their left hands and rest them on the table, matching platinum bands gleaming.
“We’re very happy,” Jensen smiles.
“Yeah, it’s awesome to actually be married,” Jared says. “And the support has been so incredible – we really appreciate it.”
Another incredible thing is their wedding flew under the Hollywood radar, without the usual media and paparazzi coverage – just a brief joint statement after the fact. They’ve kept quiet about the details until today’s exclusive interview. How did they manage that?
“Well, Vancouver isn’t Hollywood,” Jensen explains, as Jared nods in agreement.
“We could never have pulled it off in Hollywood, even if we weren’t A-list actors,” Jared says, as Jensen watches him intently. “Somehow it would have leaked out – TV stars, same-sex marriage – and the media and paparazzi would have jumped on it.”
Jensen says, “You know, same-sex marriage isn’t a big deal in Canada – it’s been legal since 2005…”
“Actually, since 2003, in British Columbia,” Jared interjects.
“Right, right. Know it all!” Jensen smirks and playfully smacks Jared’s bicep. Jared flashes a dimpled grin at him, and Jensen rolls his eyes but smiles back fondly before continuing. “Anyway, we have dual-citizenship, because we lived there for nine months out of each year, so it wasn’t hard to do the paperwork.”
“We always had a big party, for our families and friends, after each season’s wrap,” Jared says. “So once we decided to do it, we just thought – hey, why don’t we just have the wedding, right in our backyard, instead of just a party for the end of the series. Everyone’s coming up anyway – all we did was call them all and say, ‘Hey, you might want to dress up a little more for this one!’”
“Our families came up early to help with the catering and preparations,” Jensen says.
“Yeah, our moms and sisters had fun arranging for the big heated tent, and the flowers and place settings, stuff like that,” Jared enthuses. “Our families have always gotten along so well, ever since they first met each other, and they have always stood by us. It’s so great that they’re in-laws now.”
But isn’t marriage – especially same-sex marriage – a big step? And especially given the fact that they were both married to women not long ago?
“Well, it is a big step, but we feel like we’ve always been moving toward this,” Jensen says.
“And yeah, maybe some people were surprised – because I was married to Genevieve and Jensen was married to Danneel,” Jared says. “You know, we tried our best with those marriages, but it wasn’t meant to be.”
Jensen explains, his face serious. “At the time, I thought it was the right thing to do…have a traditional marriage and life…”
“Right, that’s what you expect to do in life,” Jared affirms. “Get married to a nice girl, have 2.5 kids, the dream home and cars; the dogs in the yard… And I had another engagement, before, too. Obviously I was looking for something.” He sighs. “You know, an actor’s life is so crazy sometimes. The idea of a permanent relationship, some stability – that’s appealing. And I had been with Sandy [actress Sandra McCoy] for four years… I loved her, we were good together then…it just seemed to be the next step to take. But it turned out that we were moving in different directions; we wanted different things out of life.” He pauses to take a sip of coffee; then continues, “With Genevieve it was different - I don’t want to say it was a rebound or anything, but I just didn’t think things through. I just rushed right into that marriage. I really cared for her, though. She’s doing well now, working on some indie projects in New York – we still keep in touch.”
Jensen, who’s been watching Jared intently, nods. “And Danneel and I had dated on and off for three years, and have been friends for longer; we had a great thing going. I really thought I could be happy, married to her and a having some sort of tradition, despite our acting lives. And I tried to make it work, even when it became clear that it wasn’t working out. And somehow, she understood, and she was still there for me. I do love her; we’ll always be friends. But I’m in love with Jared, and I realized that I wanted to spend my life with him.”
“Awww, I love you too, Jen!” Jared wraps both arms around Jensen and puts his head on Jensen’s shoulder. Jensen, with a sheepish smile, pats him somewhat awkwardly on the head. Jared raises up with a laugh, and for a moment they just smile at each other. The mood is lightened; the focus is back on each other.
So when did they each know they were the one for each other?
“The moment we met,” Jensen states, while Jared says at the same time, “The first time we met each other.” They laugh, clearly delighted that they think and speak alike.
“But it took us a long time to get here,” Jensen says, and Jared nods in agreement, their faces serious again.
“We felt a connection from the very beginning,” Jensen says. “Even though we didn’t understand just what it was at the time.”
“You know, we were the only actors who were seriously considered for the roles of Sam and Dean on Supernatural, so it was just us auditioning for the pilot,” Jared explains. “We did some scenes together for the network executives, and something just clicked right away.”
“Instant best friends,” Jensen affirms.
“Yeah, there was none of that awkwardness with a new co-star, trying to get to know them, figuring out how to act together,” Jared says, looking at Jensen. “It was like we’d always known each other – it was really amazing and yet so natural at the same time.”
“Yeah, it was definitely a unique situation,” Jensen agrees.
“We chalked it up to the fact that we’re both from Texas – our backgrounds are similar; we have the same values when it comes to family, friends, work… and a lot of the same interests – football, sports, music, hanging out with friends, stuff like that,” Jared says.
The TV brothers’ natural bond was important, since they were the only stars of Supernatural. Because they were on-screen in most of each episode, they frequently had to work up to 16-hour days, nearly every day. How much of a challenge was that?
“Well, Kim Manners [one of Supernatural’s main directors, who died in early 2009] always said – not just to us but the cast and crew, too – that we all see each other more than we see our own families and friends, so it was important to have fun together and enjoy working – otherwise, what’s the point of it all?” Jensen says. “We always remembered that, and it really helped.” He looks down at his coffee cup for a moment. “One of the reasons Supernatural was such a great show was because of Kim – he was a great director. We really miss him.”
Jensen’s voice is full of emotion, so Jared picks up the story: “We really took Kim’s message to heart – we had a lot of fun together, on-set and off. We kind of became known for playing pranks on set, but we always made sure we put in a good day’s work, every day. And after work, we’d unwind, going out for drinks or just hanging out at each other’s place – it’s like we never got tired of each other. We always said we were like brothers, on-screen and off.”
Viewers responded positively to their chemistry, and their fan base grew. After a series of media appearances and interviews, where Jensen and Jared clearly showed their affection for each other – posing arm-in-arm for photographs and joking ambiguously about their friendship – the fans became as interested in the actors as in their characters.
Jensen explains, “I’m pretty reserved, and usually uncomfortable with things like public appearances – Jared’s much more outgoing, but was less experienced with all the media attention. So we looked out for each other – we always had each other’s backs, and did our best to have fun in those situations. And we could see how the fans got their ideas about us – Jared’s the grabbiest guy I know!” He laughs as Jared slings his arms around him again.
“Yeah, but you didn’t mind it!”
“I didn’t mind it at all…but that was the thing,” Jensen says. “I have a lot of close guy friends, but never had anything like this. I didn’t have a point of reference for it. What was Jared to me? Not just a buddy. I’d had some brief, casual things with a few guys, when I was younger and first got to Hollywood…” He pauses, and seems to choose his words carefully. “But I’d always had relationships with women, in high school and throughout my career – when I met Jared I was dating Joanna [Krupa, a model who also appeared on Dancing With the Stars a few years back] and then Danneel and I started seeing each other …”
“Yeah, like Jensen, I’d experimented with a couple of guys too – nothing really serious – when I was younger. But when I met Sandy, that seemed to fade into the past,” Jared explains.
“And I thought Sandy and Jared made a great pair.” Jensen looks at him with affection. “But Jared and I had this unexpected and amazing bond, like nothing I’d ever had before.”
“It definitely felt like something more was between us,” Jared says. “I realized that I saw Jensen, talked to Jensen, more than I saw or talked with Sandy… or anyone. And it was overwhelming… I didn’t know what to do about it.”
What Jared did was propose to Sandy, during a winter-hiatus trip to Paris in 2008. They announced their engagement to the media, and were the picture of a happy, rising-star couple. Jared, ready to settle down, even bought a house in Vancouver. But, by June ’08, the engagement was off.
“It really was a mutual decision,” Jared explains. “Long-distance relationships are hard – we realized that we just weren’t compatible any more. We still keep in touch – Sandy’s happily married now and her career’s going well. So it’s worked out well for her, too. But it was tough then, to let go of the dream of a future together.”
Jared threw himself into his work, filming the Friday the 13th remake in Austin, while Jensen filmed the remake of My Bloody Valentine in Pittsburgh. But the two friends kept in constant touch – calling and texting each other nearly every day.
“I hated to see Jared hurting – I just wanted to be there for him, even if we were apart,” Jensen says simply.
“I missed what I’d had with Sandy, but I realized I missed Jensen even more – it meant so much to me to hear from him often that summer,” Jared says.
By the start of Season 4, Jared and Jensen were roommates, living in Jared’s Vancouver house. How did that come about?
“Well, I was renting a friend’s apartment, but he found a buyer for the place,” Jensen explains. “I had my place in LA. But I didn’t feel settled down yet. And work was great, but with TV, there’s no guarantee of a set number of seasons… so I didn’t feel ready to buy my own place in Vancouver.”
“Jensen was already storing stuff at my house, so it just made sense for me to invite him to move in. You know, it was a big house, and it was just me and Harley and Sadie,” Jared says, referring to his beloved dogs.
“Yeah, it worked out well to move in with Jared – to help him get through the break-up, and with the dogs and stuff… just until I found another place.”
“But you never left.” Jared grasps Jensen’s hand.
“I never left.” Jensen smiles and gives Jared’s hand a squeeze.
“And then we fell in love!” Jared says in a playful, syrupy voice, looks at Jensen with what fans describe as “puppy-dog eyes,” and leans in for another hug.
Jensen actually blushes and looks down at his hands, rubbing his palms together.
“See how he puts up with me?” Jared laughs.
“You’re lucky I put up with you!” Jensen teases. “But, yeah… we did. But it wasn’t like a bombshell moment or anything…”
“I was helping you build your bed…”
Jensen smirks and shakes his head. “Too much information, Jare – what will the fans think?” Jared chuckles, and Jensen sighs in mock-exasperation. “See, it sounds so titillating, with the bed and all, but it really wasn’t like that. I’d stored my furniture in Jared’s spare room, and I was sleeping on an air mattress…”
“And when it was clear that you were staying…” Jared continues, looking into Jensen’s eyes. “… we put it all together – the bookcase, the bed…”
“And it felt like we were building more than just furniture.” Jensen’s eyes light up as he looks at Jared.
“Yeah, it did.” Jared gazes at Jensen with a smile. “And then you told me how awesome I was, to spend my whole day helping you build your stuff, and I said I wouldn’t want to do anything else, and of course I’m awesome – that’s why you love me. You know, we always teased each other like that.”
“All that banter and stuff – it was like we were always kind of testing each other, going right up to the line like that, but never crossing it,” Jensen explains. “But this time something felt different… So I said, yeah – I do love you.” He looks at Jared again. “And I realized it was true.”
“And I felt it too… so I said I love you back, and there was a kiss… and I remember we just looked at each other, and we were like – Oh.” Jared’s voice is soft. “It’s like everything fell into place.”
“And that was it, really!” Jensen insists. “We realized we had crossed the line, from best friends to much more, and we decided to really think about it, and take it slow…”
“We had a lot to consider – our friendship, the show, the people who’re closest to us…”
“We agreed to keep our friendship first – that’s the foundation. We didn’t want this to affect it, especially if it didn’t work out between us,” Jensen says. “And we only told our families – they were so supportive, much more than we even expected – and just a few of our closest friends. They promised to keep our privacy.”
“And we had to think of the show,” Jared says. “We decided not to say anything, you know, like – don’t ask, don’t tell. It wouldn’t have been fair if it hurt the show. I mean, we played brothers – if it got out that we were a couple, we were afraid of a negative reaction from the viewers. You know, we had so much love and respect for Supernatural – it’s the reason we met, why we’re here now.”
“The show was so great, and it was because of all the care and hard work of so many people – Eric Kripke [the show’s creator] and all the writers, the directors, the production crew, the special effects team … over the years, we all became like a family,” Jensen says. “So we felt like we had a responsibility to all of them – we couldn’t mess it up.”
“And we made sure we were always professional on-set – we never brought our relationship to work,” Jared says. “And Jensen and I got along the same as always – we did what we had to in public and at work, but we always knew we had each other at home. And that would have to be enough at that time, because we believed it would get better in the future.”
The actors hid their relationship, and kept up their “best buddies” public personas during interviews and fan conventions. But astute fans, especially the J2 believers, read between the lines of their usual teasing banter with each other, and latched onto Jared and Jensen’s stories about being roommates. The internet blogs, chat rooms and fan communities began to speculate about the true nature of their relationship.
“Ah, the fans – bless them,” Jensen says. “Supernatural was a success largely in part because of the fans and their devotion to the show…”
“And to us,” Jared interjects. They both shake their heads, with the same wry smile. “We knew they were interested and invested in Sam and Dean,” Jared continues. “But we never really considered how interested and invested they would be in us. And it was partly our fault – we just thought we could continue kidding around and ragging on each other, just like before. You know, like me joking that Jensen had a crush on me, or him teasing me about waiting for me to get ready in the morning…” He sighs. “We never kept it a secret that we lived together, because why hide it – it was a public record, anyway. And didn’t it make sense, for co-stars and friends to be roommates, too?”
“We thought that as long as we weren’t publicly out, as a couple, that it would be OK,” Jensen sighs. “I guess we were naïve – we had no idea…”
When did they realize that the speculation about their personal life had increased?
“When some really bold fans started asking us personal questions at the conventions, and making comments, like they already considered us a couple,” Jared says, clearly flustered at the memory. “We tried to laugh it all off as a joke, but it was like they were circling in on us until they got to the truth – like they were looking for validation of their belief that we were together.”
“A few of the fans asked us what we thought of Wincest,” Jensen says, referring to the name that some fans gave to their Supernatural slash fiction. Slash is a sub-genre of fan fiction that posits a romantic relationship between two (usually) male characters.
“We knew it was out there, and we understood where it was coming from,” Jared says.
“Yeah, Eric and some of the writers liked to add in gay jokes, like Sam and Dean being mistaken for a couple,” Jensen says, with a wry smile and a shake of his head.
“And there was a focus on the heightened emotions between Sam and Dean,” Jared adds. “You know, they really only had each other – it was them against the world, and all the monsters and demons in it.”
“I guess you could read sexual tension in it…if you really wanted to see it…”
“And some fans really wanted to see it!” Jared laughs, shaking his head. “It didn’t seem to matter that they were brothers. We never read much of it, but we really were OK with it… it was just another way fans showed their devotion to the show…”
“But then there were the fictions that some people wrote about us,” Jensen says, shaking his head.
“Yeah, their idea of Jared and Jensen… how we were together,” Jared says. “And that just seemed weird. We did check some of it out, and it was unbelievable – some of it was so wild and off-base, but some of it was… too close for comfort.”
“It kind of freaked us out,” Jensen interjects.
Jared nods and continues, “Yeah, like – how did they guess that? Was it because of something we said? Maybe some way we looked at each other? I mean, we knew they were just showing their support for what they felt and believed about us, and they weren’t trying to harm us… But between that and all the gossip, it became kind of hard to deal with... We weren’t sure what to do.”
After an online article stated that Jared and Jensen shared their house mortgage, some gossip bloggers and fans started guessing if and when the actors would come out, and if it would affect the show.
“The heat was really getting to be too much, and we were afraid it would hurt the show, our families…” Jensen says with a sigh. “And we couldn’t let that happen.”
“We sat down and had a long talk, one night after work,” Jared says. “And we made the hard decision to take a break from our relationship and step back… to go back to being best friends, housemates and co-workers. It hurt so much, but we decided we’d rather hurt ourselves than see the people we love and the show get hurt. We resumed our friendship, the way we’d been before…”
“Our friendship is a solid foundation – we knew nothing could hurt or change that,” Jensen says. “And it helped us through everything that happened after that.”
Jensen speaks slowly, as if carefully choosing his words. “There was a meeting with some of the people from the network, and our management. They said it would be best for us to show publicly that we had girlfriends, especially since our movies were premiering then. So Danneel and I started seeing more of each other.”
“Genevieve and I had become friends, and they encouraged us to start dating,” Jared says, looking down into his coffee cup, seeming uncomfortable with discussing this.
“We want to make it clear that we never set out to deceive anyone,” Jensen states.
“Yeah, we told Genevieve and Danneel that we’d been together but were back to being just friends,” Jared says. “And they were OK with it. They became friendly, so we sometimes double-dated… and we brought them along to the conventions, so the fans could see that we had girlfriends.” He sighs, running a large hand through his long dark hair. “We really thought we were doing the right thing; and that everything would work out for the best.”
Supernatural’s fifth season started filming, and both actors threw themselves into all the drama, conflict and thrills of the storyline. Reviews were very positive, with some critics saying that the show and its actors were getting better and better. And the fan base, along with its support, continued to grow.
The two couples became more visible to the public. And, after some fans posted pictures of Genevieve visiting Jared on the set, and of the two spending time in New York City that October, rumors started circulating that they were engaged. Then, a few weeks later, Jensen and Danneel announced their engagement.
Jared lets out a tight laugh. “You know, everything came to a head that fall, when we were filming the Changing Channels episode, and I was planning to audition for the remake of Conan the Barbarian in New York City. It should have been an exciting time, and I should have had a ball filming such a humorous episode… but I was just so full of uncertainty and anxiety.”
“Yeah, Jared’s usually so positive and optimistic – he definitely wasn’t being himself, and everyone could see it,” Jensen adds. “I was feeling unsettled too, but I was able to contain it a little better.”
“Not me,” Jared smiles ruefully. “I had sort of a … breakdown … and Eric actually had to fly up, from LA to Vancouver, to talk to me, and try to help get my head back in the right place.” He shakes his head sadly, remembering. “And I realized that my personal situation was affecting my job and my career. What I really missed was what I had with Jensen – I missed living with him, and the closeness that we’d had… But I told myself that the stability of marriage was what I wanted, and needed.”
“And I’d been feeling the pull of the idea of a family… and kids,” Jensen says. “I was almost 32, and I think my family was expecting that I’d settle down.”
“Yeah, and mine did, too.” Jared runs a hand through his still-long dark hair. “But I wasn’t going to make any serious, life-changing decision without talking to Jensen about it first.”
“Same here. If I was going to take on something as big as marriage, I wanted Jared’s blessing.”
“So we had another long discussion, and Jensen and I were both amazed that we were on the same page about it all. We both wanted the stability of a committed relationship, and if we couldn’t have it with each other, then we would try it with our girls… So I went to New York, and asked Genevieve…”
“And while Jared was away, I invited Danneel up to Vancouver, and I asked her…”
Jared shakes his head, with a sheepish smile. “And that’s how Jensen and I ended up becoming engaged at the same time.”
Jensen and Danneel announced their engagement at the Breeders Cup race in November, ’09. And though Jared and Genevieve tried to be low-key about their plans, their engagement was leaked on some Internet gossip sites, and they realized it couldn’t stay a secret for long. Genevieve posted the details of their planned winter wedding on an online wedding site, rather than make a public statement.
Jensen runs his hand through his short ruff of hair with a sigh. “I don’t know what we expected, but…” He drifts off with a shake of his head.
The public was divided, with many fans gladly showing support for the pairings, but with other people showing disdain – speculating that their fiancés were “beards” to cover up the actors’ true sexual orientation, and predicting that their straight marriages wouldn’t last.
“We found out that you’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t,” Jensen says.
The two friends tried to keep a low profile, focusing all their attention and energy on Season 5 of Supernatural. As it drew to an end, Jensen was a groomsman at Jared’s wedding to Genevieve in Sun Valley, Idaho. And in May, Jensen married Danneel in Dallas, while Jared stood by in his wedding party.
During the summer hiatus, the two couples spent the summer appearing at conventions in Italy and Spain; travelling and visiting their families; and setting up their homes in LA.
But things became more difficult, once Jensen and Jared began filming Supernatural’s sixth season that July.
“Danneel had landed a part in this possible show for NBC, Friends With Benefits, so she was spending all her time in LA, filming and doing promotions. But the show was put on hold, and she became focused on auditioning for other projects. I was supportive; I really wanted her career to go well, but we just started growing apart,” Jensen explains.
“Genevieve didn’t have many auditions lined up at that time. She would come up to Vancouver, but I was so busy with work and all, it was like she was just waiting for me. So, eventually, she just started staying in LA, and I’d go down to visit when I could.” Jared says. “I felt really bad about it, but I just couldn’t be the perfect, attentive husband that she needed.”
By the time Supernatural went into its unexpected, but very successful seventh and final season, both couples were feeling the strain of living apart. Within months, both marriages were headed for divorce. It was yet another stressful time, but Jensen and Jared, as always, were there for each other.
Jensen says, “Well, we never stopped being best friends, so it was easy. And since we were both going through the same thing…”
“We understood each other like nobody else could,” Jared finishes.”We just picked up where we’d left off; spending all of our free time together…”
“Yeah, what little free time we had!” Jensen laughs. “Most of the time we ended up just crashing on each other’s couch.”
“Well, yeah – that’s true,” Jared agrees with a grin. “But eventually, we moved off the couch and started crashing together again… It just felt right.”
“It was inevitable,” Jensen says simply.
Because it was the last season of the show, everything reached a critical point. Offers for post- Supernatural television and movie roles came in for both Jared and Jensen, but neither one seemed to want to commit to another job right after the show they’d given so much to. But there was another, important reason for the stalemate.
“Neither of us wanted to come right out and say it, but after so many years of doing the show together, of living and working together in Vancouver, we just didn’t want to imagine moving on to a life without our partnership,” Jared explains. “Those feelings just kept building up as it got closer to the end, but we were both afraid to bring it up to each other. I mean, what would we get out of it, except for more hurt?”
“I guess we were suffering from Sam and Dean syndrome,” Jensen laughs softly. “You know, many of their problems and hard situations were because they couldn’t just open up and talk to each other…”
“Right,” Jared agrees; then finishes Jensen’s thought. “And during that time, we didn’t really talk about it to each other either. Maybe it was because we’re both guys, and guys don’t talk too much about their feelings…”
“Or maybe it seemed like it was too soon to make another commitment – it had only been a few months since our marriages ended,” Jensen says. “We’d made these decisions, and they had consequences, and we felt we had to live with them.”
“But we just couldn’t let each other go,” Jared says simply.
“So you made this grand gesture,” Jensen looks at him with a smile. “You brought me over to see this house…”
“Well, I’d taken the dogs for a run one day, and I saw this place with a ‘For Sale’ sign, and somehow, I knew it had to be ours,” Jared says. “I had this epiphany, you know, time passing by and seizing the moment and all that.”
“We walked through the all the rooms and out onto the deck and around the big yard,” Jensen says. “And you started talking about the past, and the future.”
Jared grasps Jensen’s hand on the table; eyes focused on Jensen as he remembers that moment. “It just seemed so amazing – we had this profound connection from the very start, like we were meant to be. And it was so weird, that we never met before – we’d both worked for the same network for years, and we knew a lot of the same people. But somehow, we ended up meeting at just the right time and place. If we’d met earlier, through some of our WB friends, or if we’d just had some guest roles on the same show, we might not have forged the same relationship. But we were both chosen to co-star, on this amazing show, filming in Vancouver, away from all the Hollywood stuff, in a place and situation where we could grow close, and to value and love each other. Like nothing we’d ever had before, like nothing we’d had since then… a once in a lifetime thing… So I gave you a house key, and asked you to have a future with me.”
“You made me cry, dude,” Jensen laughs, blinking glistening eyes. “And I will never forgive you for that!”
Jared laughs too, looking adoringly into Jensen’s face. “I know you already have, Jen!” For a moment, it seems that the interview is forgotten. Then they both compose themselves, looking at their joined hands on the table.
Jensen takes a deep breath. “I don’t know… soulmates is such an over-used word. But I can’t think of anything else to describe it…”
Jared looks down at their rings. “We just knew that we had to take that chance, and make it permanent…” He smiles at the memory.
“We knew we might be giving up our careers, what we’d always known our lives to be, but we realized it didn’t matter,” Jensen says. “We agreed, that after all these years, and all we’d been through, that our relationship deserved to be recognized. We needed to be married, and make our commitment to each other official.”
Jared beams as he fingers Jensen’s platinum wedding band. “The wedding was the best day of our lives… to finally be able to voice how we feel, and to make lifelong vows to each other, and to have both of our families, and all of our friends there, honoring and supporting our relationship…” Then he grins mischievously. “And we both looked so hot, in our matching Armani tuxes!”
Jensen snorts and rolls his eyes; then gives Jared a fond, indulgent smile. “It really was the best day… but the wedding trip had a lot of best days, too.”
“We went to Europe; we’d been to some places for conventions, but we never vacationed there together before,” Jared says excitedly. “We went to Paris, and Madrid, and Rome, and Tuscany, and Athens … we saw and did so many amazing things… we had such a great time.”
“Well, we figured we should have one memorable, maybe-once-in-a-lifetime trip,” Jensen says. “Because we really weren’t sure what would happen once we got back to everyday life.”
“But we got some amazing surprises once we got back,” Jared smiles. “First, we had our publicist place a small, one-paragraph announcement, with a picture, in the media outlets. Then we held our breath, waiting for the fallout.”
“But it never really happened,” Jensen says. “Sure, we got a few random messages, from some extreme-thinking people, saying we’re bound for hell.” He snorts. “We’d been there, done that, as Sam and Dean. But it didn’t really hurt us. We just felt sad for them, that they have such small minds that they’d wish eternal damnation on two people for loving each other.”
“The best thing was all the positive messages and postcards we received,” Jared says. “A group of our fans raised money and sent contributions to our favorite charities, as a wedding gift. That meant so much. They sent donations to A Dog’s Life Rescue, this amazing animal-rescue organization based in LA that I endorse and volunteer for, whenever I can. It meant so much to me – I can’t even find the words to say how much.”
“Wow, you know it means a lot when Jared is at a loss for words,” Jensen teases. “But seriously, our fans were so supportive – they sent contributions to Doctors Without Borders, too, which is one of my favorite charities.”
“And some of the messages from people were overwhelmingly positive.” Jared shakes his head. “Young people saying that we gave them hope – and that we gave them courage to be who they truly are, and to love who they truly love… we never expected that kind of outpouring. We appreciate it so much. But it’s kind of humbling; we’re just Jared and Jensen, trying to make our way in this world…”
“Yeah, we don’t expect to be the poster guys for same-sex relationships...” Jensen’s face is serious. “Except for maybe how not to do it all.”
That’s understandable. But how do they feel about the Marriage Equality bill coming up for a vote in California in this coming November election?
“You know, we’ve always considered ourselves private people, even if we’re in the public eye,” Jared says. “And we’ve never been politically active, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t care… of course we support the bill, and what it will mean for everybody.”
Jensen nods. “It’s not just our issue; it’s a civil rights issue.” He looks at Jared. “But we’ve talked about the possibility of it passing…”
Jared gives a wide smile. “If the bill passes, you know we’ll be among the first in line to get our marriage license! To be legally married in California, too… that would be a great way to bring in a new year.”
“Jared’s already making plans for a New Year’s wedding!” Jensen laughs.
“Well, it wouldn’t be easy to top our first wedding, but we could give it a try,” Jared says, giving Jensen a fond smile. “We’d be pretty lucky – how many people get to have two weddings in their lifetime?”
“We really are lucky,” Jensen affirms. “That after everything, we ended up here, married. We feel so fortunate – it’s a blessing.”
“Honestly, we made a lot of mistakes; we had so many ups and downs,” Jared says, seriously. “Hopefully, people can look at us, and what we’ve been through, and maybe that will make it easier for them… But for us, I guess it needed to happen the way it did – even all the rough spots solidified our bond, and showed us to appreciate what we have. I’m just so grateful we made it here…” His voice trails off, and he grips Jensen’s hand tight. Jensen squeezes back.
Another surprise was a call from director Michael Mann, offering them the co-starring roles in his remake of the classic Western-buddy-action film, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
“Yeah, that was mind-boggling – how it happened,” Jensen says. “We had mentioned, at a couple of the conventions, and in interviews, how we’d love to do a classic-style Western movie, and then we finally got to do ‘Frontierland,’ the western episode of the show.”
Jared says, “Well, there was this woman on Michael Mann’s production team, who was a Supernatural fan, and she showed him ‘Frontierland’ and some of the other episodes.”
“Michael Mann had never seen Supernatural,” Jensen continues. “But I guess he liked what he saw, and it made him want to take a chance on us – he called us up and said he wanted to meet with us and have us do a reading for him.”
“We could hardly believe it,” Jared says. “We’d heard talk of a Butch and Sundance remake, but always in connection with big-name stars. We never even dreamed we’d have the opportunity…”
“Yeah, this was the big-time,” Jensen says. “When we met with Michael, we said – are you sure? We’re just from this cult-TV show, and we’ve done a few other movies, mostly horror stuff...”
“But he told us he’d rather go with two guys who weren’t huge A-list names,” Jared adds. “He thought we’d make the characters more believable… you know, instead of the audience going, ‘oh, look – there’s Tom Cruise,’ or ‘look – there’s Brad Pitt,’.”
Jensen says, “And he said he loved our chemistry as Sam and Dean, and that he thought we could bring it to Butch and Sundance.”
Jared blushes a bit; then gives a wry smile. “We had to tell him… uh, did you know that we just came out as a couple; that we just got married? And you know what he said? That he could see our professionalism, and dedication to our characters, in the episodes that he saw, and he didn’t have a problem because he knew our personal lives wouldn’t affect our work. And if our personal relationship added to our onscreen chemistry, well… then that was a good thing.”
“He also said that he wasn’t worried about box office, because a lot of people tend to want to see a movie that stars a real-life couple,” Jensen says.
“And that’s how Jensen got to be Butch and I got to be Sundance,” Jared says with a wide smile. “It was so awesome for Michael to give us that opportunity. Pre-production just started, and we’re going to put 200 percent into the movie, so he’ll know he made the right choice with us.”
“These are dream roles for both of us, and we’re up for the challenge to make this one of the best movies, not just of this year, but something that will become a modern classic,” Jensen enthuses.
Gauging the early buzz, it’s easy to predict that Butch and Sundance will become one of next summer’s blockbusters. And Jared and Jensen’s lives will surely change, now that they’re thrust into a bigger spotlight.
“Well, we certainly hope and believe the movie will be the hit that it deserves to be,” Jensen says. “As far as the bigger spotlight – that’s something we’ve talked about, and we’re ready for it, but we won’t let it change who we essentially are.”
“That’s one reason that we bought the new house here in Vancouver,” Jared says. “We have a place in L.A., because that’s where the industry is, but Vancouver is our home. As challenging as Supernatural was, we have so many good memories from the show. A lot of our friends from the crew live here, and it’s great to be able to keep in touch with them. And our dogs, Harley, Sadie and Oscar love it here – it’s a great, dog-friendly place.” He smiles at Jensen. “And this is the place where it started for us, we have history here… it keeps us grounded.” He smirks. “And Jensen especially needs that, so the stardom doesn’t go to his head.”
Jensen laughs and rolls his eyes. “Haha, very funny, Padalecki.” Then he pauses, and gives Jared a somewhat sheepish smile. “Uh, sorry – I’m just so used to always calling you that! Actually, it’s Padalecki-Ackles, now.”
“And don’t you forget it!” Jared laughs back. “When we got married, we combined our names, both personally and professionally,” he explains. “We wanted to make a statement that, yes – this is real, and it’s permanent, and that no matter what happens in our careers or our lives, the most important thing is that we go through it all together.”
Jensen Padalecki-Ackles smiles fondly at his husband. “Yeah,” he agrees in a soft, contented voice. “Together.”
~