Some people think acting is a kind of a breeze, but not many realize the real struggles that happen behind the scenes. Actors even feel the pressure when they’re off camera, especially when they’ve got to show up on set on time and suddenly memorize a scene at the last minute.
Jared Padalecki sums it up perfectly. Even though he was one of the most charismatic characters on Gilmore Girls, he was still really young back then, and had to figure out how to navigate the job. A particular moment turned out to be pretty traumatic for him.
Jared Padalecki Found Out What It’s Like To Act Under Pressure
Before he became one of the leads on Supernatural, Jared Padalecki made a name for himself in the 2000s comedy-drama Gilmore Girls. At a young age and still trying to find his footing in the film and TV industry, one particular, unforgettable experience pushed him to become more professionally prepared.
In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, he shared that he wasn’t on set every day since his role wasn’t a regular one. On a particular week, he had the whole week off until Friday, so he took the chance on Monday to stay out late with friends, hanging out until the early hours of the morning.
In life, unexpected things can pop up, and the very next day, he found himself needing to be on set early because of an unforeseen scene postponement. Lauren Graham had fallen ill, which messed up the entire shooting schedule. As a result, Padalecki was called in to shoot a scene on short notice. The catch? He was completely unprepared.
The scene turned out to be a major one in the series — it was Dean’s wedding to Lindsay, played by Arielle Kebbel. He said:
I had 20 missed calls and text messages. I shot out of bed, had a cup of coffee and a water, jumped in the shower and then drove over to Warner Bros. I was probably two hours later than they were hoping and I didn’t have the scene prepared, but I knew the basics of what was going on.
But the experience was far from pleasant for the actor. He was practically traumatized by the whole pressure situation.
The Experience Became A Real Trauma For The Actor
Totally unprepared, Padalecki had to act fast after the surprise call. According to him, he was just a young guy enjoying his days off, not thinking about what could go wrong.
The actor recalled that he didn’t expect to get calls at 7 a.m., and because of how his day off had gone, he probably hadn’t answered his phone. His manager and agent had to track him down, but it was actually one of his personal friends who finally managed to reach him.
Padalecki said his friend had to practically climb his building, using the external staircase to his window to wake him up and let him know what was happening. At first, the actor thought it was a prank and couldn’t hear the knocks on the door.
It’s pretty common for actors to review their scripts hours before filming, but Padalecki had to learn his character’s lines for the first time while he was getting his makeup done and prepping to go on stage. Luckily, the first scene of the day didn’t have too many lines in the script.
Frightened and completely caught off guard, he compared the episode to one of those nightmares where you’re totally vulnerable and naked at school. He definitely had to act with his heart in his throat:
It was basically the feeling of that nightmare where you’re naked at school. Except unlike being naked at school, this was naked at school and there are cameras everywhere and it will be on film for all time.
The day was so memorable for the actor, that now he’s now known for his intense preparation before getting into character. Given that TV material is recorded and will be seen by many, he makes sure to thoroughly prepare for his scenes. He even joked that he now knows his lines backward and forward nowadays.
It looks like nothing will be able to surprise Jared Padalecki on the job from now on.
Gilmore Girls is available to stream on Netflix.
