Many are saying that Jared’s portrayal of Zeke/Gad is very robotic and hard to follow. A number have found it hard to connect to the character and they feel a bit cut off from him. How do you all feel about this portrayal, and how its been interpreted. Would love to know your thoughts on Jared and how he’s come across as another character. I feel he’s really delivered. Particularly when he comes out of being Gad and he is in mid flow and carry’s on regardless, moving his arm awkwardly or smiling weirdly at Dean. I think acting wise its was hard to act constantly switching back and forth between the two characters. I think he’s needed to be a bit wooden so the audience can associate him with a different character. I think he’s been pretty convincing considering. Angels to me are a bit stiff and unsociable creatures any way, so how differently could he have been played?
Are they being a bit hard on him?
Any thoughts team …..
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The reason why Jared’s performance of Ezekiel/Gadreel seemed stiff and wooden at first was completely intentional on Jared’s part. I don’t understand why people can’t see that for themselves. It was an acting choice based on how he thought an angel who had never had human contact (or contact with any other angels for centuries, for that matter) would behave. And he pulled that off flawlessly. When it was revealed that Ezekiel was really Gadreel, the transformation had become complete. He was no longer hiding anymore and we got to see his real personality. Jared managed to develop not one, but two new characters in addition to Sam Winchester this season and that’s pretty impressive if you ask me.
I think if I am totally honest people just like to have a moan and groan because its Jared. Anything that they can poke a finger or find fault with they will moan. All the facets of Sam that Jared has portrayed over the seasons have I think been flawless apart from area’s in soulless Sam which I found to be inconsistent and that wasn’t I don’t think his fault it was the direction. I think he’s developed his own acting style over time, he has got better and you can see the talent.
I’ve found that the people who are critical of Jared’s performances just aren’t fans of him in general because they feel as if he’s given all of these wonderful opportunities to show off his acting abilities and feel as if Jensen is being slighted for some reason. They have a built in bias against Jared so they’re overly critical of him. Take one look at the IMDb or TWoP message boards and you’ll find all sorts of Jared hate there. Some Jensen fans can’t handle Jared taking some of the limelight away from him, so of course they’re going to find reasons to tear him down. Which is sad, really because Jensen himself wouldn’t want that to happen. He’s one of Jared’s biggest fans and supporters. He’d probably be very angry with the things some of these people say about his friend. And really, their opinions don’t matter because the overall response from the media critics has been positive.
This is what I think too. Your spot on. Its almost like their jealous, and really bash him for the sake of it. I know he is, and he’s defended him at conventions too in the past. He certainly would be very angry if he knew or probably does no and we’re not aware he knows. That’s what’s so sad about this fandom, why can’t they support both of them equally where’s the problem I don’t get it. I think the whole process of Sam/Gad has been so effortless and really has been the only thing to grab my attention this season, and think he’s superb at switching back and forth from character to character. He’s even said as much it was hard work. But each time he puts a different take on it. A smile, a raised arm, a laugh etc, etc. I think its wonderful.
The thing about Jared is that when he plays a character other than Sam is that he actually BECOMES that other character. There are no traces of Sam in there whatsoever. Jared has all the makings of a great character actor inside of him. He’s very dedicated to his craft and it shows in his performances. When he was portraying Sam amped up on demon blood in season 4, he put on 30 pounds of solid muscle. When it came time for Sam to become sick from the trials in season 8, he lost 20 pounds. This was all to lend authenticity to what Sam was going through, because Jared wants to be in character at all times. That’s a sign of a true professional. When you think about the fact that he’s gone through these dramatic transformations for a role he’s playing on a CW show, people really should be showing a lot more respect for what he does than what he’s gotten.
This is what Jensen said a while ago and praised Jared saying that he always says could I have done that any better, was it good enough. He tries so hard to please and wants to please. They tend to turn a blind eye to these personal efforts and think its nothing a lot of the time. We know how hard he works, how effortlessly he turns a character inside out and back to front. Jared really should be on the same level as Jensen now he’s earnt his place.
People who hate on Jared are going to do it regardless of what he does, so it’s probably best to ignore them. I’ll take the late great Peter O’Toole’s opinion of him over theirs any day of the week. O’Toole praised Jared as an actor and said that he has a natural gift for it, that he was born to do it. So who are you going to believe – random haters on the IMDb and TWoP message boards or one of the greatest actors who ever lived? I think I’ll side with Mr. O’Toole on this one.
I know I read this ages ago about Peter, and Jared was so said when he passed away. I think he had so much respect for the man and he taught Jared a lot too. I certainly would believe what Peter says he is a natural and is gaining respect as he gets older I think. I don’t think he could have done work as good as the season 8 finale a few seasons back. How he got into that head space was epic. The raw emotion and the body language and sweat and tears was so emotional and draining to watch let alone act. I have high admiration for Jared as well as Jensen.
Thank you. I like your style, do come back don’t forget us 😉
Love Aunty B xxx
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Thanks, and I will stick around. I’m glad I found this blog, it’s awesome :).
Yeah, we could do with some more company, not many of us but we have a good old rant and the occasional laugh. I’m pleased you found it and me. 😉
Just to touch on what you said about people in the SPN fandom not being able to appreciate what both actors bring to the table, I wholeheartedly agree. They struck gold when they cast these two wonderful actors in these roles. It’s their believability as brothers and chemistry together that has attributed to the long-running success of this show. People shouldn’t feel the need to tear one actor down to raise another one up because Jared and Jensen aren’t competitive with one another and support each other equally. Their friendship in real life translates to what we see on our TV screens every week, these guys genuinely care about one another. So if you bash one of them while trying to elevate the other one I don’t think that they would appreciate that very much. They’re both fantastic actors, they just have different methods.
I believe it was fate, or I like to think it was. Not many shows have had such a cast that really hit it off. Or even remotely relate to one another. They are a special breed we all know this fact. Its what drew many of us in to watch originally. Jensen once said he hoped their chemistry came across on screen and that was in the early days. So I wonder what they both think now. I think the fandom change from year to year, moment to moment. If something raises their eye brows its all over the world. Even the wives are hit on which is horrible. I read on the forum today that Daneell was treated really badly when they were first together and when she was pregnant fans said they hoped she’d loose the baby because of her connection with Jensen. I felt really sick when I read this today. Those are the times I could scream when you read horrible comments like this. They both defend each other to the hilt, and you don’t have to be a wizard to work that one out. Its all there to see, its visible, its genuine and at times very humbling and moving. I really will miss seeing them together when the show ends, and am dreading those last few screen hours, but that day will sadly come.
I think that with Jared he does have to work a bit harder to get into a character’s head space. He’s learned how to rely more on his natural instincts over time and he has gotten a lot better over the years. I honestly didn’t think he would be able to top his performance from late season 8 and he absolutely proved me wrong with his performance as Sam/Ezekiel/Gadreel this season. It’s been a treat to watch him work, that’s for sure! I can’t wait until this winter hiatus is over to find out what happens with Sam/Gadreel, but whatever does I’m sure that Jared will knock his performance out of the park once again.
I know I said as much in my last post. I think his ability to move us has really grown, and his ability to draw the audience in has stood the test of time. I think in ten years or so he will have matured into a real strong character actor. I shall still follow him without doubt. He’s moved me many a time and has been the heart of this show for so long. I just read a piece on the forum that Dean does everything he can to track Gadreel down. He’s meets some shady people on the way so god knows what he gets himself into. All I hope is that Dean snuffs out Metatron, and gets Crowley to banish Gadreel. I hope we do see Tamho again though as he was really lovely, and eye candy too. Yes I cannot wait for the hiatus to be over just under two weeks folks now. 🙂 were on the home straight.
Thank you,
Love Aunty B xxx
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My question is: Don’t you think that Gad is also battling with Sam’s emotions/pain? Or does he just have Sam on the off button and not care at all about him? You’d think that maybe Gad (even given the past information we have on him) he would have some sympathy for the boys. But it seems as if he (Gad) may only want to “redeem” himself of past angelic crimes by working with Metatron. And personally, I think that Jared is doing a fantastic job with this acting on top of acting!!
Yes I do. It appears on the surface I think he has two problems to contend with. Healing Sam, and what Sam is going through emotion/pain. When he said you did it out of Love in episode 2 you could tell in his eyes that he felt that in Sam and you could tell he was serious. I think some angels do have that power to read minds too, so he has an idea of what Sam is all about, warts and all. Maybe if we see the real Gad again when they banish him we may get to hear the story from his perspective, he may show us sympathy then. But how brief that will be is anyone’s guess. It must have been a real insight for Gad during this invasion of privacy that he just didn’t pick up on Sam’s feelings he got who Dean was too. I think I actually will miss the guy but its been strange not seeing that much of Sam.
Thank you,
Love Aunty B xxx
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For anyone who doubts Jared’s acting ability: Re watch season 1 Bloody Mary when Sam is confronted by the guilty Sam in the mirror. Re watch Sam having to kill Madison because she is a werewolf. Re watch Sam when he is possessed by Meg. Re watch Sam absorbing himself when he is shattered by the wall falling in season 6. Re watch Sacrifice. Re watch current season as he slips seamlessly between Sam/Gadzekiel. Re-watch(if you can stomach it) the normalcy of his scenes with Amelia that show us the tame Sam(ugh). Just to name a few. Just saying Jared can bring it with subtlety or intensity. As a writer not every part of an episode or every episode can be intense or the viewer gets blase, so the highs are very high and sustain us thru the lows. The late, great actor, Peter O’Toole told Jared that he was a natural as an actor and had a gift.(They worked together in the Kincaid bio-pic). And he is relatively young so there is a lot left in the tank. Not disagreeing just adding in MHO.
Jared has really pushed himself over the years there is not a shed of doubt clouding this fact. Many fans knock him, and prob him and moan about him to the hilt. Its wonderful to see others praising his abilities instead of knocking them. Those are some of his best parts, including his time as Lucifer in the white suit ‘we will always end up here’. I also loved evil and tortured Sam. I also love it when Sam reaches out to Dean, and empathizes with his brother and gets him. He’s also been to hell, and to purgatory had a break down and been in an asylum. He’s been possessed by a demon and an angel effortlessly portrayed, and seamlessly perfected as he pursues the characters he continues to work at. He’s only 31 imagine where he will be many years from now. I also think that being around Jensen has molded him slightly, and Jared has picked up traits from him, he’s bound to after being around him for so long. Jared really is improving day by day.
Thank you,
Love Aunty B xxx
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And something more has come to my attention regarding Sam/Zeke/Gad trio. While I firmly believe that Jared has done a great job balancing the three especially when he gets to zap back in as Sam. I loved it. But I had re-watched S9 from 9 x 01 just recently and I got to “I’m No Angel.” And towards the end when Gadreel healed Cas I was brought back to what I had questioned here on this blog… why did he do that? Of course, Dean would’ve asked him otherwise. Dean would’ve just stood there and accepted Cas as dead. But Gadreel seemed to do it of his own accord. Why? Did he think, “Dean’s going to ask me anyway, might as well do it.” It bugs me that he immediately does that when apparently having Cas around was a bad idea so why let him live (besides for the sake of conflict in the show and Dean’s well being, if Gadreel even cared about that). I think Gadreel having been imprisoned for CENTURIES in Heaven is learning HUMAN emotions. And who is he learning them from? The freakin’ Winchesters. I mean he ends up agreeing with Metatron’s terms, but I think it’s because Gadreel believes that its his ticket to redemption for the carnage he caused by letting Lucifer into Eden.
That’s actually a good point. I think he might have been reading Sam in some way and picking up on what Sam might do in this position, being Sam rubbed of on him. He after so long found a good match in finding Sam and Dean. Was it a blessing for him? It made me wonder at the time I think what Gadreel was up too, and what he was learning from the boys. Considering he had spent many years in prison. What knowledge he had at his disposal like the bunker, Cas and in the tablets. What a wealth. I think to this day Metatron was using him though, he’d let him out and new exactly where he was and what vessel he was hiding in, Sam’s. He must have learnt a great deal from the Winchesters, I wonder if he will put it to good use later on?
Love Aunty B xxxx
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Gad had been imprisioned for many ions but the main purpose of angels was to watch over humans. Cas was human at that point. Maybe the programming clicked in. Maybe healing Cas was a way to keep Dean okay with the possession. Maybe it was the first exercise of free will for this angel and he liked it and decided to make some other decisions for himself. Maybe it was a way to pull in the viewer that it was Ezekiel and this possession was a good thing. Yes, Jared did a great job with the subtleties between the three characters beyond saying the script. I notice that as s9 has gone along, he has been consistently good at expressing emotion even when there are no words.
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You know it very well could be all of the above! ;D
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As a writer it is easier to write for a character who shows emotion so deeply as part of his character. An angel does not on a routine basis, especially if locked away for long long time, so how does a writer create a difference when the actor is doing duel or triple roles at the same time? They write the words and create the back story. The actor has the incredibly difficult job to bring each a distinct life on screen. It’s not just the blue eyes by FX. Watch the body language, the walk, nuances you catch on re watches. Not thinking one actor is weaker than another, just different approaches to different demands.
Sometimes I think the opposite. Sometimes I think a writer creates better work when an actor is out of character. Look how shocking Sam was last season, how we all hated it and it was hard to watch. Because we didn’t understand it at the time until the finale happened then it sunk in. I also hate this when fans do pick them apart and say Jared is the weaker out of the three. I don’t think he is. Particularly as time has gone by you can see a real change in him. He’s more driven and focused that he was before. I think he loves what he does and you can see it in his work. He really has progressed. I think a lot of the time he is underrated and not given as much credit.
Thank you,
Love Aunty B xxx
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You’re saying that because Jared and Jensen are called on to do different things on screen that its not fair to judge them based on who is better?
I see your point. Ive read in other reviews that Jensen is often the one called on to do the highly emotional things like humor and angst which calls for a different style of acting than Jared who is more often called on to create distinct characters. But I will argue that if people think Jared’s ability is lacking that his job is the more difficult one.
Out of the writers words and the directors vision Jared has to spin up some very distinct personalities. Doing what Jared does on screen requires a slightly different mode of thinking then what Jensen does as he is often called on to portray characters who were never human but must express human motivations and the ways of doing that are limited?
I’m not sure I’m saying this right. But I’m not saying that one of them is better than another. I think I’m trying to say that its not entirely correct to say one of them is better than the other. They are asked to do different things on screen and Jared’s talents are often overlooked perhaps because the viewers aren’t sure how to judge his performance because of that.
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I think we are saying almost the same thing. I think that when Jared acted Sam with Amelia it was the writers’ attempt to show him with very human emotions as well. If you watch Jared in other roles, you get a sense of how he inhabits the role on par with Jensen’s although nobody does the single tear like Jensen. It’s almost expected now as his gimmick when it is written in. Both actors were A+ in “Sacrifice” so I don’t think you can say one is better than the other although people may have a personal preference. I call it a tie. They never win awards because they tie out with popular voting as well. Their off screen relationship is more important than awards and after 9 years they are still talking to each other. So I just say they have different assignments and do superbly with them. Both make the Winchesters work. Happy Holidays to all .
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I think this also ties into people’s complaints about Jared or Jensen is always doing this or that and how Sam keeps getting written out of the show and Dean gets no storyline
. I think what these viewers are failing to get is that the writers are playing to the actor’s strengths. Jensen always brings his A game, no matter what but his strength lies in humor and angst and the writers like to see him go there. Jared’s strength is in characters and the writers like to see him do that. The show runners like to get the most bang for their buck and playing to the actors strengths is how they get the most emotional impact out of certain episodes.
Jared’s no slouch in the angst department but I would love to see him do more humor on the show as in Bad Day At Black Rock. That was the funniest hes ever been on the show. Also Sam’s sense of humor is sharper and more snarky than Dean’s and might make him unsympathetic so the writers use it sparingly. But I do like to see the little glimpses they give.
I think the writers should be a little more daring and give Dean a character to play but again that might mess up the dynamic of keepping Dean human.
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We are in agreement. IMO Jared is not written out of the show nor is Dean not given a story line, otherwise there would be no story about either Sam or Dean.The writers play to their characters’ characteristics. I usually find an equal balance over the season that meshes together. Every watch Jared in the Thomas Kincaid biopic? He is a mere youth in that film and never plays anything supernaturally based. I do think he could handle more humorous parts, but he is a great straight man for Dean’s lines.
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SORRY for mixing reality names with character names in my last post.
No worries, I’ll forgive you 😉 LOL
Thank you,
Love Aunty B xxx
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Jared’s acting transition between Sam, Gadreel as Sam and Gadreel as Ezekiel has been seamless. He has to be “wooden” to portray an angel that has been isolated for thousands of years from his own family and mankind. Angels in general lack that human emotional canvas that makes us complicated yet creative “hairless monkeys”. The performance is totally distinct from his portrayal of soulless Sam where Sam’s intelligence was over shadowed by his totally id driven self which had no regrets about getting what he wanted. The performance is distinct from blood addicted Sam, or even possessed by Meg Sam. Of course, we did not know that Gadreel was inhabiting Sam when the transitions first took place so perhaps this explains the criticism. Now we know how isolated Gadreel was, so think about Cas who was rather non expressive and had been on Earth for a long time observing. Gadreel is that much more removed. It often appears that Jensen gets the teary eyed emotional moments so here the writers are giving Jared a way to once again stretch. IMHO Jared’s emotional performance in Sacrifice is juxtaposed with the Gadreel and shows the breath of his ability. He still has more in the tank at his age. Love to watch the growth of the actor.
not sure what you mean by this word juxtaposed? But yes I get what your all saying about his back story and your saying similar things. All angels are very authoritarian type figures and are very stiff and starchy business type creatures if there is such a thing. The stiffness is what differentiates their human meat-suit to creature. Also taking into account the length of time that Gad has been imprisoned which reflects on his angel energy. How distant it makes him appear. But to me Cas is still very starchy and hasn’t mellowed in all those years being on earth, so from that perspective Gad has a long way to go in softening up? I think Jared has really come on over the years. I read recently that Jensen said about Jared is that he always wants to do better, he always wants to prove to himself that he can do it and to others. Many say that Jared is the weaker actor of the three, but I think not, especially after Sacrifice, the raw emotion where his head space got into to bring that out was awesome!
Thank you,
Love Aunty B xxx
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Hes not the weaker one anymore. I love it thatALL of his roles, including possession by axdifferent angel than Zeke have all been very distinct. Blood addicted Sam is totally different from Trials!Sam and Crazy!Sam. I think hes incredible at managing to make all of these roles so different from one another.
I love his many different incarnations too. I think this is where he thrives best. Evil Sam and tortured Sam were superb, as was his portrayal of Lucifer in ‘The End’. Even Jensen was jealous of Jared’s work and said it was his best work ever. He really wanted that part himself. I think Jared is like a fine wine, he matures with age and gets better.
Thank you,
Love Aunty B xxx
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Padalecki is playing an angel who has been imprisoned for a very, very long time. He has been isolated even from other angels. The robotic-ness — if that is what you want to call it–makes sense and has been tempered by the subtle facial gestures when you can tell Gadreel is struggling with his choices. I think the portrayal of Gadreel, and the switching back and forth , AND the playing of Gadreel pretending to be Sam has been VERY impressive. — AB/C
I couldn’t agree with you more. I think fans have been hard on him, even when he was soulless they criticized. I could see why he had to be robotic and stiff if it were all Sam it would be impossible to tell the two characters apart for one thing. I think they have had a real job also telling the difference when its been Sam and when its been Gadreel, so credit to Jared. He said he found it really tough to play. I can believe him.
Thank you,
Love Aunty B xxx
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I agree.I think Jared’s acting this season has been astonishing. The last time I was so impressed with him was in Born Again Identity.
Me too. I loved Jared in that episode I thought he was amazing. I don’t think they often give him credit and he’s often over looked.
I think people are forgetting about Gadreel’s back story when they say such things. He’s had almost no contact with humanity. But he’s learning. Also Jared has to be able to let the viewer realize when Gadreel is present. He can’t be too subtle about it, especially considering how different the two characters are.
This was exactly what I was saying, you need to know they are two different characters other wise they would just roll into one. The whole story is also crucial.
Also, watching the season from the beginning, Gadreel’s development has been very subtly changing. He walks differently than in the first episode, the body language has become subtly more relaxed, and he started becoming more comfortable with displaying emotions and having attitude. So Gadreel has been learning and Jared’s performance of these subtitles as well as the whiplash changes of character have been masterful.
As the season has progressed you can see a real softness coming through, he’s not so stiff. He’s loosened up more. No wonder he loves playing these different types of characters, it must make it more interesting and gives him more scope as an actor.
I’m not overly impressed with this season (I give it a low B), because the writers are still playing things too safe. Til Holy Terror the season seems kind of quiet and calm with a lot of character studies of Cas and Dean, but the acting this season I’ve been very impressed by.
I am with you here Ikeke they are playing safe. I thought the Devil May Care was awesome and it sort of went down hill from there for me. Then we had Bad boys, and it lifted the momentum up a bit then the finale. Some were saying I bet someone else wrote those last ten minutes because it was the best part of the episode.
Thank you,
Love Aunty B xxx
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