Supernatural has been one of those shows that I wasn't too interested in. I know it's local, I know lots of people watch it, I know the stars are good looking, but it just never seemed like my thing.
A good friend of mine has always watched it and talked about it. I only differentiated the two stars by "the one with the long hair, the one with the short hair." Finally one day I gave in and watched an episode. A season 10 episode. Didn't get much out of it, but Misha Collins jumped off the screen at me. What an actor. I learned his name, but the others were still long and short hair.
Another good friend of mine marathon-ed the series this summer on Netflix. Since I moved to Vancouver, she set up a day to head out here from the Fraser Valley to stay at my place and go set hunting. Now the odds of a pre-determined date months in advance resulting in a specific series filming somewhere accessible is pretty small. To find said set on the one given night, near impossible.
Lucky for us, the tip wire was hot that week and not only did we know where they were, we found the set and managed to watch. And watch we did. Upon arrival we walked about 5 feet from Misha Collins in his car since that was the only way to get to the park in behind where they were filming and we had to go somewhere. We didn't acknowledge him or pause or take a photo or anything because they were in between takes and we didn't want to get in the way. Walking through the park we found the next place they were going to be, the "portal" apparently. I was confused but the 'long-haired one' and some guy with a name like a transformer plus Collins were all there.
The crew was amazing and welcoming and talkative as we sat under a picnic area that was covered from the pouring rain. I had told my friend that this was her rodeo, she told me when she wanted to go, what she wanted to do. I'm just along for the ride. So we stayed while they filmed, they fought and we waited. For hours. Finally I spotted someone talking on the phone wandering nearby that wasn't dressed in the standard crew issue blacks and big boots. I pointed him out and sure enough, it was Collins. I'm not sure if he saw us but he went and sat down in the tent near us (which we could see feet and chair legs so we knew it was him) and then went back to film some more.
So we waited longer.
A lot longer.
Like 2:30am longer.
In the mean time, my friend mentioned that Collins played the character of Alexis Drazen in a show I absolutely loved, 24. I couldn't believe it until I really looked at him. Holy Crap.
Soon he was there again, this time outside the tent with a woman talking near us. He was about 40 feet away and didn't seem busy. I nudged my friend to wave, so we stood there waving. Then I made a noise, a stage 'Pssst' just to get him to look. He did, and he waved. But then immediately he was called back to set. So off he went.
The Production Assistance (PA's) told us that Collins tends to come over when he's finished for the day. Now we'd been seen. BUT, they were filming a fight. In the cold. In the rain. They were behind schedule. We started to feel like we didn't want him to feel obligated to come over and be miserable in the middle of the night. So we left.
After that I decided enough was enough, I'm going to check this show out. I started watching the series and about 10 episodes in I was hooked. 2 months and 7 seasons later I started thinking about another set visit. They had been so close to my place a few nights earlier but I didn't want to go alone so I stayed home but that made me want to check it out.
So two days later I heard they were filming at Vancouver Community College, a small drive from my place. I knew someone that was going to be there so I figured I should at least check it out.
I showed up at VCC and found the crew park and some vehicles, but they had the main circus closer to downtown. I parked a ways away and walked up the street outside, past where I saw the trucks, past what appeared to be the entrance they were using and past the back entrance where there were a few more trucks to another building. I went in the building past and doubled back via overhead walkway trying to get the layout without getting in the way or being obvious. There were lots of students lounging around so I had lots of chances to sit and watch. I figured out where they were and where I could see what was going on.
There was a main entrance that went upstairs to set that was really exposed. There was also a back entrance that was a lot closer to where they were shooting. That would be where the actors for sure would be in and out of, the crew all used the stairs.
It didn't take long to figure out that they were pretending this was a hospital and we couldn't see anything really. Wasn't there too terribly long when the man himself, Misha Collins, wandered out in his trench coat and perched himself on a very visible and accessible stairwell. He had headphones in and was talking on the phone. I was sitting probably 20 feet away at a table while students walked by him to go up the stairs to get to classes or wherever they had to be. Trying hard to contain myself I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't want to disrupt him on the phone that's for sure. I didn't want to make him feel obligated, but I also was aware of people walking by him not even noticing, not caring. There wasn't really any security around, certainly no one dedicated to him. I waited hoping I would get my opportunity and as he wrapped up his call and I had strengthened my resolve, just about to stand because I could hear he was almost done, a lady came out and called him back to set. So off he went. Sigh.
While they worked inside, I watched the crew pointing and starting to move gear out closer to us. The hallway they were in ran parallel to the stairs and turned underneath where they were set up. The crew moved stuff out and I was starting to get fired up for what we were about to see. Sure enough, they started setting up monitors right next to the stairs where Misha had been sitting not long before. Then we could see extras walking back and forth, then the money men, Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins all milling around really quite close to us, near the monitors, walking around. Close enough to yell at for attention, close enough to speak with a clear voice and be heard, but I just waited.
As they were setting up still, Collins re-appeared back to his stair perch to talk on the phone some more. There were only 3 of us hanging around and this time I was determined to succeed if he was willing. He was close enough and we were obvious enough (standing there relatively aimlessly taking camera phone photos, smiling, watching him like a hawk and whispering back and forth excitedly) that there was no way he wouldn't know we were there. He did a great job of not looking in our direction, except one time when I snapped a photo with my phone and I'm pretty sure he busted me. Zero points for subtlety.
He sat and talked and then finished his conversation and hung up. He sat alone and started playing around on his phone. He had both headphones in and we figured was probably listening to music and wouldn't want to be disturbed. I had my phone in my hand ready to take a photo if the opportunity arose and it went off. Twitter notification from Misha Collins (I turn it on for all actors when I'm on set just in case). So I'm standing there and Misha Collins is tweeting 20 feet from me. Crap. I actually responded to the tweet knowing he wouldn't see it asking him to look up, just wanted 30 seconds. Geeky thing to do but I'll take what I can get. I didn't have anything for him to sign, I just wanted a photo. He appeared to be out of things to do on his phone and hung it by the headphone cord to untangle it, the red case dangling precariously over the ground. After another few seconds (or hours, I don't even know any more), Collins pulled his left headphone out and let it hang. I was starting to think this was my chance to get in there and then he pulled the other one out and slowly, deliberately stood and started to wind the cord around the phone. Starting to panic and thinking that our chance was going to be lost, he stepped forward and kept coming, past the monitors and towards us. It was only about 10 steps and I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
I tried not to panic entirely and make a fool of myself as he sauntered over and said hi to the three of us. I don't even know what the first things he said was, or if there was anything that I don't remember. He asked what this place they were in was, anyway. We told him it was a school, tripping over our words and each others explanations. He asked what kind and we clarify that it's a community college. Smiling he said that "It said hospital at the entrance." He motioned down the front stairs, the way I didn't come in because I thought it would be too in the way. He smiled again and joked that he just gets out of the van. I asked him if I could get a photo with him figuring I'd start the festivities and he said sure but it has to be quick, he's been called back to set. I passed my phone to the other girl there and I stood at Collins' shoulder as he leaned in. Interesting that he's not an 'arm around' guy so I just planted my hand between his shoulder blades, which in retrospect made me feel awkward but usually they go for the arm-around so I was stuck half way. We smiled and she played with the focus until she snapped the photo. He took off as I thanked him. My day was made.
Onto the scene they were filming; dialogue between Sam, Dean and Castiel. The boys start at the very end of the hallway where we can see them, take a few steps forward and have a conversation. Once Collins was back they had the stand-in's setting up the close up cameras. We could see the monitors clearly from where we were and in the background the boys were being goofs, particularly Ackles. The first time I noticed him in the background he was out of focus in the background giving the finger and making a face at the shot. Ackles and Collins were having laughs and joking around, as well as Padalecki who seemed to wander more than the other two. They ran it a few times and in between takes Ackles and Collins made faces in the camera and they all laughed, the sound ringing through the empty halls of the college. At the end of one take we could see in the monitors Collins trying to hold his serious face as Castiel but losing his focus into a giggling fit as he broke character. They only did a couple of takes after that. Ackles and Padalecki wandered relatively close again but not close enough to try and meet without being too obvious. I didn't want to get in trouble with security or be too forward. They wrapped and were heading downtown, I was heading to get food. As predicted they took the cast out the back and that was that.
I met one, two more to go. I will have to go to more sets to accomplish the objective of meeting the other two guys. Because well, I'd like to manage to meet all three.
Well now I'm screwed.
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