Actor Jared Padalecki aka Sam says that he feels weird to talk about the end of the show, Supernatural

The exhilarating and terrifying journey of the Winchester brothers continues as Supernatural enters its 14th thrilling season. Jared Padalecki as Sam and Jensen Ackles as Dean have spent their lives on the road, battling every kind of supernatural threat. Over the years, after countless adventures, they have faced vampires, ghosts, demons, shapeshifters, angels and fallen gods – but what will the brothers encounter next? Lets catch up with Jared Padalecki to find out…

After 13 seasons of Supernatural, how much do you enjoy playing the role of Sam Winchester?

I enjoy Sam Winchester, no doubt in that. Selfishly, I learn a lot about Jared by playing Sam. Plus, I enjoy the hell out of the people I work with. It’s no secret that me and Ackles are dear friends. I met the mother of my kids on the show, and I enjoy Misha [Collins, who plays Castiel]. I think people sense the fact that we all legitimately enjoy each other. There’s no bad apple here. I enjoy telling the journey. I love being a storyteller, and I can’t think of another TV show or movie that I’d rather be on as an actor. I get to do everything in this show. I get to do comedy, play different characters. I get to die and then come back. I even get to be in Scooby-Doo. I’m really happy to do it.

How would you describe Sam’s role at the start of season 14? Does he have more leadership responsibilities than before?

It’s different to when he led hunters against the British Men of Letters. There he was like, “Okay, we can do this. I need to lead this faction.” Now he’s the de facto leader. It’s like, “Oh God… I guess it’s all on me now. Okay, what do I do? But I’m worried about my brother, and this and that.” He has people from a different universe living in the Men of Letters bunker. These people want to kill Michael. It’s a tricky situation. Sam’s goal is to save Dean and kill Michael. Michael destroyed their planet. They don’t care about Dean, but they obviously want to exact vengeance on this archangel who destroyed everybody they knew, so Sam has to calm the waters. It’s something I think that Sam is good at.

How much do you enjoy exploring the new side to the character of Sam?

I enjoy the parts of Sam where he goes, “I am lion. Hear me roar!” But I also enjoy the almost commanding general part of Sam better; the behind-the-scenes thing. Sam knows he’s got brawn, but I think he also knows that his power lies in his brain. The powerful Sam is cool and fun, but I prefer the more measured approach from him. I enjoy the thoughtful, pensive, academic, and research-driven Sam.

How does it feel to have Jensen Ackles play the big bad in?

It’s fun. We approached it a little bit before when he was demon – but this is different. There have been times where Dean and Sam have been at odds; where Dean’s been in the wrong or Sam’s been in the wrong, but that’s always fun to explore. This is a totally new dynamic, but it’s going to be interesting to see how it all pans out.

At Comic-Con in San Diego, you made a joke about the discussions on whether or not you could have facial hair in Supernatural. Was there really a big debate?

For me, it wasn’t as much of an issue. I think Jensen wanted facial hair, but they were like, “No.” I was allowed facial hair, but there’s some reasoning behind it. When the new season starts, it’s a couple months after the finale. I enjoy the fact that there was a passage of time. At that point in time, I figured there’s a lot going on with Sam. There are the hunters in the Men of Letters bunker. Sam is trying to find Michael and  Dean. He’s also trying to help Jack [played by Alexander Calvert] who’s now human. At the start of the season, I feel like Sam is at the point where’s he’s a little too distracted to eat. Everything’s on the go. He’s aware of the ticking clock. He has more important things to think about than tweezing his eyebrows and lathering up his face to take care of some facial hair.

Did you have to ask permission to have facial hair?

Yes, but it wasn’t too much a debate. When we started shooting, I had a beard. I was very proud of my beard, but it was too much. I reached out [to the show’s executive producers] to find out their thoughts on the matter. I was like, “Hey Bob. Hey Andrew. I read the first few episodes. What do you think about a little bit of facial hair?” I talked about a few other things in the script, too. They said, “Yeah, let’s go with full stubble.” They wouldn’t say the word ‘beard’ but they said ‘full stubble.’ We trimmed it down.

Let’s talk about the future of the show, Jared. When Supernatural finally comes to an end, what would you like to see happen? Would you like the story to end violently or to see Sam and Dean ride off happily into the sunset?

It feels weird to talk about the end of Supernatural. Believe me, I’ve thought about it before, but I don’t like it. We have talked and thought about it. As a fan of storytelling and books, I think the boys have to die. Why? Because I think that’s what needs to happen. If the boys are alive, they will continue to hunt. And if they’re hunting, I want to see them. For that reason, I think one or both the boys has to go. I know it would be difficult, but those are my thoughts on the matter. I’m not a writer. I don’t get my say. If they keep it open, I would love to keep on going – but that’s what I think.

After 13 seasons of Supernatural, each of the characters in the show have incredibly developed. There are defining traits in everyone. If you could borrow one trait from another character that could then be explored more for Sam, what would it be?

I enjoy the quirkiness of Charlie [played by Felicia Day]. I enjoy that she gets to read the fantasy books. Sam reads and he’s aware of what’s going on, but he doesn’t get to nerd out over stuff that he likes as much as I wish he did. I’d love to see more of that in the show. That would be fun.