Sorry, I'm using Google Translate because I don't speak English.
But I'm relatively new to the Supernatural fandom. I stopped watching it in season 6 because, well, it just wasn't working for me anymore, and there are other shows to watch.
What I am confused about, though, is Jensen. What happened to him? Was what he did with the sequel awful, and was it just vanity and ego? Yes.
The Boys seems to have salvaged his career somewhat. I mean, he has a ton of canceled projects that have flopped. I don't understand the backlash and everything related to Gen V. I could spend a little more time on social media and find out for myself, but I like the way you narrate things. Also, because I'm not that interested in Jensen.
But seriously, what happened to him? Every time I look into the Supernatural actors, he always seems so washed up, like he's stuck in a rut. Although he doesn't surpass Misha in that regard.
You haven't watched SPN or was part of the fandom since 2011? Congrats on sparing yourself the drama. I can see why after 15 years it's jarring to see the "then" and "now" regarding the SPN main cast, especially Jensen. Heck it was even a bit jarring for the devoted SPN fans when the prequel-turned-sequel thing happened.
Was it vanity or ego? Yes but that's just half of it. First, SPN is a goldmine and I frequently substitute the "S" with "$" because that's what every cast member and Kripke see: $PN. So Jensen planned to take over the $PN brand five minutes after Jared told him he got an offer from CBS (which was during SPN season 13) and came up the prequel spinoff idea. Here is my fake transcript on Jared's reaction to the prequel news. The whole debacle was not helped by Jensen's lack of business acumen as producer.
The Gen V backlash is just standard fandom emotional reaction to having their show cancelled. They want somebody to blame and then they will move on.
What happened to Jensen? To put it simply, he doesn't have Jared anymore to carry the lion share of the burden of managing working relationships with cast, crew, and producers.
When you ask if he's in a rut, do you mean acting wise? Jensen relied too long on his own raw talent, and his upper-middle class upbringing cushioned by old money didn't do him any favors in the empathy department.
Jensen is gifted with abundance of raw talent that he didn't need formal training when he pursued his acting career. But relying too much on raw talent eventually leads to skill stagnation, it takes maturity and constant disciplined efforts to level up. I don't think I've head Jensen talk about his acting method other than reacting to his screen partners. I haven't heard of Jensen going to WB directing workshop to further hone his natural directing talent. I think Jensen is relying on what worked for him for 20 years and may not realize that learning stunts is not the same as leveling up on his craft.
I mentioned Jensen's upper middle-class upbringing for two reasons: that strata likely fostered corporate communication skills - well spoken and articulate - which is super helpful when networking in a highly competitive business, and it worked for him greatly. But the same upbringing does not foster empathy for those outside their class. After the Rust tragedy that took the life of a young mother, Jensen's interview with police investigators showed lack of empathy towards the working-class camera crew in unsafe working conditions because he is clueless to how they were treated and what it was like for them. His low-grade empathy may be affecting his acting by appearing less authentic for his characters, and lacking humility for his public persona as Jensen the brand.
