Earlier this week we talked to Jim Beaver about his upcoming book, Life’s That Way: A Memoir, which chronicles his final days with his wife as she died of cancer and he prepared to raise his autistic daughter alone. BuddyTV users responded with their support. One reader said the book changed their life and another said they had cried their way through it over the weekend but found it heartwarming and happy even as it made them sad.
Today we share part two of our interview in which Jim talks about his work on Supernatural playing salt of the Earth, ghost hunting tough guy Bobby Singer. He talks about his relationship with Supernatural’s late producer Kim Manners and his future on the series.
While this book was being published, of course, you lost a good friend, Kim Manners, on the set of Supernatural. Did working on a book about the grieving process make it clearer or easier to understand your reaction?
I have to admit… While you would think having written this book on the subject I would have learned all of the lessons that I hope to pass on with it, and yet with Kim’s death it was evident to me that I hadn’t learned all of those lessons well. I didn’t reach out to Kim as much as I wanted. I fell into the same trap I fell into with my wife and that was thinking there was more time. I will always carry a sense of regret about that, that I didn’t spend more time with him or talk to him more. He was very, very dear to me and his loss was a shock – an even bigger shock than I think I would have expected because, like I say, I thought there would be more time. But I also learned that guilt is not a very production emotion and that there are ways of dealing with that guilt, even with the person you’ve lost. Just because they’re gone doesn’t mean you can’t apologize to them, and just because they’re gone doesn’t mean you can’t forgive them for difficulties they’ve caused. Completing a relationship like that is an amazing way to rid yourself of the great pain involving grieving. I go into that with a little more detail in the book. But it was a very powerful lesson to me, one I probably wouldn’t have had if I hadn’t gone through this.
Going to Supernatural, then, you’re returning now for the final couple of episodes of this season. I’m wondering if you can give us a preview of what it was like coming back to finish out this season, and what Bobby’s role is in the end game of this season.
Well, it’s always great going back to Supernatural. I never really felt like I was away – part of it because I was in town shooting Harper’s Island and I saw the guys every so often even when I wasn’t working, but also because Bobby’s only been in six or seven episodes per season the past few years. I actually did seven this year. Even though I was off doing another show I kept up my quota. But it’s always a joy going back there. It’s such a family feeling on that set. I dig working with the crew guys so much. They’re such terrific people. And Jared and Jensen of course are just a blast to be around. So all of that is fairly typical and isn’t terribly different from any other time I’ve gone back after being away a few episodes. As for the wrap up of this season, yeah, Bobby’s back for the Final Three and there’s some pretty powerful stuff that happens. Most of it involves – from my point of view – Bobby and Dean trying to come to terms with Sam’s addiction to demon blood, which, you know, that’s not a good thing. No addiction is a good but demon blood – that’s really one of the worst. Bobby and Dean kind of end up nose-to-nose over how to handle the issue. I think fans are going to find some really dramatic stuff there. There’s some big surprises coming. I wish I could tell you what they were but Eric Kripke would leap through the phone itself and rip my vocal chords out.
-John Kubicek, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image courtesy of The CW)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
