It's every fan girl's dream to have dinner with a beloved actor from several of her favorite shows. When offered the invitation to dinner weeks prior (and approved by Jim himself), it was all I could do not to tell everyone on the internet that I would be spending time with Supernatural's "Uncle Bobby."
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Chad Runyon Photography
Jim Beaver.
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Chad Runyon Photography
Jim Beaver with Hollins Playwright's Lab Director Todd Ristau.
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Chad Runyon Photography
The crowd waits.
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Jim Beaver enters to an enthusiastic crowd.
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Chad Runyon Photography
Jim speaks on his writing and acting experiences.
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Liz Long
Jim Beaver mid-chat at dinner. Sitting across from him, I am sure he can see the words "Love You" across my eyelids, a la Indiana Jones.
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Liz Long
Jim Beaver in conversation with dinner guests Neil David Sagebiel and Emma Sperka.
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Liz Long
A selfie with writer/fangirl Liz Long and Jim Beaver.
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Liz Long
Actress Emma Sperka introduces Jim Beaver.
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Liz Long
A full house waits for Jim Beaver.
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Jim during his talk.
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Pensive Jim Beaver.
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Jim Beaver takes Q&A from the audience.
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Liz Long
An excited crowd gets to meet and greet with Jim Beaver after his talk.
Jim Beaver is an award-winning actor, playwright, screenwriter and film historian. You may have seen him on Deadwood, Supernatural, or Justified, as well as any number of roles on Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak (in a role written specifically for him!), and many others.
He visited Roanoke for the Hollins Playwright's Lab, participating in their Overnight Sensations weekend. Director Todd Ristau was excited to host such an acclaimed actor for their event.
"Jim Beaver is everything you look for when considering an example for your students of best practices in the profession..He is uniquely qualified to speak to our playwrights as well as our acting and directing students about how the disciplines collaborate to bring new plays to life in front of eager audiences. He is also experienced in helping to run theatres, like Theatre West in LA. As a result, he isn’t just someone our students can brag about having met, but someone who has tangible, practical lessons about the theatre that they are able to learn from listening to his experiences. And because Jim treats the students like colleagues instead of sycophants, they also learn how to be gracious themselves later in their own careers."
Beaver calls Overnight Sensations "academic in the best sense of the word." After a whirlwind weekend of theater for a full house, he stayed to speak at Mill Mountain's Waldron Theater. Which is how I got lucky enough to spend an evening with Jim Beaver.
When I walk into Lucky to sit with our group (a lovely mix of people, including Todd Ristau, Playwright's Lab Director; Neil David Seibel, Director of Performance Studies at Auburn University Montgomery; Emma Sperka, actress; Anna Goodwin, Playwright's Lab Assistant Producer; Maura Campbell, playwright; and Joe Gilford, Hollins adjunct faculty and NY screenwriter), I am placed directly across from Jim Beaver. I'm sure I'm that young student in the first Indiana Jones movie, who blinks lovingly at him with "Love You" across her eyelids. But by the end of the evening, we leave not as interviewer and subject, but as friends.
It sounds cliche, but he's everything a fan hopes he'd be. When I first sit down, he's quiet but friendly, and clearly comfortable with the group he's gotten to know over the last few days. He orders a Coke and compliments the drink when the rest of us rave about our alcoholic beverages. He explains that the small bit of blood in his eye is a subconjunctival hemorrhage, not, as one might assume, Jim-Beaver-turned-demon. (Fellow fan girls, you can imagine how I nearly keeled over at the Supernatural reference 3 minutes in. The man knows his audience.)
He's remarkably easy to talk to, with such a wealth of knowledge that I'm sure he can speak on nearly any subject. He doesn't mind when I ask about his TV work, always complimenting his coworkers. We talk about how neither he nor the rest of the cast of Justified saw a huge character twist coming, and the story of how it almost didn't happen. He says Deadwood is one of the greatest projects he's ever had the privilege of working on; when Gilford asks what we're watching these days, Beaver responds: Deadwood. That's how much he loves the show, and he doesn't mind watching himself on the screen.
The table orders dinner, and I am, for no particular reason other than "fan girl," delighted when we both order the fried chicken. Sperka sits next to him, and when she tells a funny anecdote, he gives her the side-eye that's not unlike when Bobby Singer glares at Dean or Sam. My smile is now so big, I'm afraid my face might crack.
He is not just a nice guy, but kind. He looks directly at you during conversation, genuinely interested in what you have to say; he never once pulls his phone out during dinner; and he doesn't hesitate to hand a crumpled $10 bill to the homeless man outside the Waldron Theater. He is charming, funny and most importantly, real. He understands how he got into this business and is grateful for every opportunity that comes his way. Even the approximately "337 cop roles," probably thanks to the mustache he's had since he was 18.
After dinner, we walk from the restaurant to the theater, speaking just the two of us, and I take this moment to revel, as well as ask about Supernatural. He confirms my hopes that Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki are as nice as fans hope they'd be (ask me how hard it was not to beg him to FaceTime Jensen), and how the entire crew is phenomenal (no surprise there, but be still my swooning heart). We chat about the upcoming 13th season, and while he has not gotten a call or a script, he feels certain Bobby will somehow, some way, be a part of the show once more. At this point, I am certain I am dreaming, due to wake up any second.
It's clear that this show, this role of "gruff but loveable" Bobby Singer (a term he laments not trademarking), is dear to him. He talks about how integral the character is, not just to the Winchester boys, but to the fans. Beaver travels and attends events made for Supernatural fans, and he enjoys being in the thick of it. He loves meeting the fans (a fact proven after his talk, when he takes the time to shake hands, take photos, autograph Bobby Funko pops and pictures, and speak with every single audience member who patiently waits for their turn) and knows that without them, there is no show.
The Waldron Theatre is packed, the audience brimming with anticipation. This free talk is something many pay for at cons, and to be this close to a fan favorite is an opportunity few of us ever get. There are Supernatural fans, of course, but plenty of others who know Beaver's other works. As Sperka comes up to introduce Jim, the background buzzes with excited whispers. Jim Beaver enters the room; the crowd goes wild. He's dressed all in black, with a brown jacket he quickly sheds as he walks while he talks.
As he explains his background and how he got into the business, he has the room in stitches. He is as humble as he is entertaining, however, grateful for his career and citing hard work over dumb luck. It is, in fact, bits and pieces that can be found on the internet (believe me, I researched), yet, he is such a wonderful storyteller that I forget everything I've read and become mesmerized by him instead.
Born in Wyoming and raised in Texas, his father was an accountant and preacher for the Church of Christ, which comes back into play even now in his life.
"Theater is my church," he says. "The connection between the actors, writer and audience, that's sacred. They all agree to be there for the same purpose--to have magic happen. I love it more than anything else in life. That feeling lives and breathes at Hollins with this program."
His first role was "Court Jester" in Sleeping Beauty, his elementary school play. After graduating high school, he served in the Marines, heading off to the Vietnam war. He read everything he could get his hands on, including a book of Shakespeare plays. He read all of them, and "knew almost exactly what I knew before I read them." Upon return, he enrolled in Oklahoma Christian College ("probably following some girl who wouldn't get engaged for another two weeks"), where he chose to participate in theater, gaining roles slightly meatier than a background jester. Several bit roles turned into an offer for a romantic lead in Taming of the Shrew, which he thought he'd love, but found he hated. When his theater professor asked what role he wanted next season - as in, any role he wanted - he had a smart thought:
"I didn't know if I was ready to get roles just because I wanted them."
This thought says everything you need to know about Beaver. He transferred to Central State University and joined their theater department. He went back to bit roles, and learned it's not always rainbows and roses, but through those critiques he learned and developed. Eventually making connections in New York and Texas, he learned the most valuable lesson of auditions.
"I learned to forget every audition as soon as I left the room. Don't pin your hopes on a role, because it's heartbreaking when you don't get it. Expect rejection, because that's all you're getting. Failure is the norm in this business, but you pull up your socks and start looking at what's next."
Beaver took every opportunity offered, taking odd jobs in-between (he's worked at Frito-Lay making Muncho-s, delivered pasta salads door to door in office buildings, was a messenger long before fax machines, bartended and waited tables, and was even a schoolbus and taxi driver). He wrote short and full-length plays and magazine articles. His full-length play, Verdigris, was the play that got him the rest of his life. He goes on to talk about getting work, some in part to his Vietnam vet background, and freelance writing (which subsequently took a hit during the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike).
A random encounter in his agency's hallway led to a role opposite Bruce Willis in In Country, where he played a Vietnam vet (the photo that opens the movie is actually Beaver's, and plays a part in how he won the role). He'd thought he'd made it, but still had a few roadblocks to overcome along the way. His wife, Cecily Adams, was a casting director, and the audience laughs when Beaver tells the story of how she would often ask him for casting recommendations and he'd raise his hand when it came to the "cop" role (proving that it's never personal with casting directors, but that they simply have 300 people whizzing through their head for a role and forget some of the many options). Finally, in 2002, came the role that would stick with him forever--playing the part of Whitney Ellsworth in Deadwood. More roles would come, of course, including Supernatural and many others, but this life-changing role will forever be close to his heart.
His memoir, Life's That Way, tells his story of losing his wife to lung cancer in 2004, and raising their daughter on his own. Years later, he visited the UK, meeting a grieving widower. Beaver flew home and sent the man a copy of his book. A year later, Beaver was back in the UK, and ran into the widower again. This man gave him perhaps one of the greatest compliments of Beaver's life. In his memoir, Beaver includes a line about how there is no handbook for grief. The widower told Beaver, "Your book is my handbook." (A few in the audience tear up.)
While he has a multitude of creative titles under his belt, he is firm about one thing. He is an actor "first, last and always," stating that it's simply who he is.
When the talk is over, the room nearly shakes with applause. Jim opens it up for questions, first choosing the young boy behind me. The boy asks what his favorite part of Supernatural is - Beaver replies that it's fun and gives him the ability to connect with viewers. Though acting requires a work ethic and commitment to excellence, his ability to travel around the world and meet people who love the show is rewarding.
As to the young man who asked about his favorite Shakespeare character, Beaver pauses for a moment before thundering, "Now is the winter of our discontent." Richard III is "a glorious character and tough to play," but a great part. He'd love to play King Lear, but jokes that he's too old for the role.
A young woman asks him how the industry has changed since now and then. Beaver responds that TV has become more serious, while movies have grown less serious. "It used to be I'd watch Superman after school on the TV. Now you have to go to the movies and be disappointed." (That Man of Steel burn gets a round of laughs.) Beaver turns slightly serious, commenting on how big name actors are now doing television, something they would never have done a decade ago. They're collecting Emmys for guest appearances, and getting roles that Beaver would've once had.
Finally, a young woman interested in acting and directing asks for his advice. It's a question he gets often, because Beaver says he always has the same answer. One, you never hold up production and you never make anyone involved regret that you are involved in the project ("don't pick on the wardrobe assistant"). Two, read everything to do with theater, from screenplays to lighting manuals and biographies of actors and directors. It's not just about learning from them, but learning from their mistakes as well. Occasionally you will pick up a useful tip that you can use throughout your career. It is practical, helpful advice, and explains why Jim Beaver has such a healthy, long-lasting career.
The talk is over, and the fans flock to the doorway where Beaver waits to greet them. Each fan's smile is bigger than the last, and the phones are out in full force for selfies and candids. As I make my way through to say goodbye, I thank him for allowing me to tag along to dinner. "Sure, Liz, of course," he says, and I swoon again as my name leaves Bobby Singer's mouth (because to be honest, how many celebrities remember the writer's name hours later?). I tell him to come back to Roanoke, because there's far more to see than he had time for, and he thanks me for being part of the evening.
Jim Beaver - actor, playwright, gentleman. This fan girl may never stop smiling, and will in fact tell this story to any and everyone who will listen for the next decade to come. Thank you Jim, for one of the most memorable evenings of my life, and thank you to Hollins Playwright's Lab, director Todd Ristau and his hardworking team for bringing such a wealth of arts and culture to Roanoke.
About Overnight Sensations: Since 2006, the Playwright’s Lab at Hollins University has partnered with Mill Mountain Theatre to present our version of the 24-Hour Plays, taking place on Mill Mountain Theatre’s Trinkle Main Stage. On Friday night six playwrights are randomly paired with six directors, randomly draw from a hat a variety of writing prompts and a pre-selected cast of local actors, and overnight write a 10-minute play. The next morning, they meet with their directors to make any last minute changes before the actors arrive and the play begins rehearsal. When 8 PM rolls around, and the audience are in their seats, the show begins! Always a packed house, always free, and always lots of fun for everyone.
"One of the great benefits of partnering with Mill Mountain Theatre for things like our Monday Night Guest Speaker Series is that we can bring audiences, students and theatre professionals together to talk about theatre in an actual, working theatre," Ristau says. "We want to have these events downtown and free to the public so that people think of Hollins as a university that is integrated into their community and not an ivory tower off on a hill outside of town. I am so grateful to Ginger Poole and the folks at MMT for not only sharing this vision, but actively making this partnership integral to their own mission as well. Everybody wins."
Regular contributor Dan Smith also participated in Overnight Sensations. You can read about his experience on his blog here.
Black and white photos by Chad Runyon Photography.