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Defending All Things Jared |
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Friday, 19 May 2006 |
By Shabnam Parker
 Jared Padalecki sprung onto television screens (and into my heart) as Rory’s sweet and dependable boyfriend, Dean, in Gilmore Girls. He moved his way up from roles in New York Minute and Cheaper By The Dozen to becoming a horror flick king in House of Wax and Cry Wolf. Now he is kicking paranormal butt, along with Jensen Ackles, in Supernatural, a show that causes me both joy and distress.
Joy comes in the form of seeing one of my favourite hotties every week. Elation comes when I see his acting abilities grow from the miniscule, underdeveloped character of Dean (in Gilmore Girls) to the more complex, multi-layered personality that is Sam in Supernatural. Happiness spreads when I see his smile, his narrowing of the eye, the furrowing of his brow and hearing the voice that melts my heart. Then, everything is shattered by the five words that make me cringe as a fan: “Jensen is better than Jared.” As a result, darkness descends and I go into defense mode.
I cannot argue against Jensen Ackles. I like him, and he has a lot of things going for him: smouldering good looks, attitude and all that jazz. But do not let his spunk overshadow that of Mr Padalecki, who imbues audiences with his subtle charisma - charisma that I am ready and waiting to defend as is the case whenever the topic of Supernatural (and those wounding five words) arises. My faith in Jared has caused some to become partial to his ability, while others were already inclined to agree. But there are those who believe that he’s not all that, and all I have to say is open up your eyes, pick up your specs or buy a new pair of contact lenses because what you’re using at the moment is not working.
The Jared-Jensen debate, or Sam-Dean debate - whichever you prefer, produces a lot of angst for me. The argument always leaves me in a little bit of a huff: on the one hand, I genuinely like Jensen Ackles, but on the other, he is the main reason that I have to defend Jared. In fact, it feels almost like a bit of a betrayal when I give Jensen credit for something, even if he deserves it. In terms of being ‘out there,’ Jensen has definitely scored more points than Jared, whose most noticeable performance before the advent of Supernatural was on Gilmore Girls. Still this is something that should not deter prospective Jared fans who can not only look forward to that cute smile but to something a little bit more special.
One can see Jared Padalecki has grown up. That sweet innocence that pervaded his lanky aura while on his Gilmore Girls run has developed into a more toned persona that kicks ass but still has that sensitive side that make fans fawn, “Awww, Jared!” I won’t say the character Sam has a lot more going than Supernatural’s Dean, lest I incur the wrath of a billion Jensen fans, but what I will say is that there definitely is something a little more intriguing about Sam, and by extension, Jared. Well, naturally.
If you’re thinking that I’m being biased then I cannot disagree with you there; of course I am! If its reasons you require, let me list a few: there’s that smile I keep referring to, those enchanting eyes, that unique voice and the down-to-earth nature he exudes. If you’re thinking that I’m just ranting, then take a look at Jared and prove me wrong. C’mon, I dare you!
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