(Please follow the link for the complete interview.)
Jim Beaver Left 'Deadwood' to Explore the 'Supernatural' and 'Harper's Island'
May 07, 2009
Fans of "Deadwood," David Milch's groundbreaking Western series for HBO, know Jim Beaver as Ellsworth, the irascible yet gentlemanly -- in his own profane way, like many folks on the show -- gold prospector who came to an unfortunate end, witnessed by his dog.
But Ellsworth's demise did nothing to slow down Beaver's career, as he can be seen concurrently as demon-hunter Bobby Singer on The CW's "Supernatural," airing Thursdays (the season finale airs next week); and as Sheriff Charlie Mills on the CBS mystery/drama limited series "Harper's Island," airing Saturdays (which, incidentally, also stars Katie Cassidy, who used to play the demon Ruby on "Supernatural" -- not to be confused with Irish actress Elaine Cassidy, who plays Mills' daughter on "Harper's Island).
He's also a screenwriter, a playwright and an author, with a new memoir, "Life's That Way." It's based on a series of e-mails that chronicles Beaver's efforts to deal with his wife Cecily's cancer diagnosis and death, and being a now-single father to their autistic daughter, Maddie.
Born in Wyoming as the son of a minister, Beaver spent much of his childhood and adolesence in Texas. He also volunteered for the Marine Corps and was active in the Marine Reserve until 1976. His acting career involves stage, film and television (including writing episodes for such TV shows as "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "Tour of Duty").
Since Beaver is a writer, I asked him to pen some answers to questions, which are below. Enjoy.
A brief excerpt:
Q: What’s your relationship like with show stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles? A trio of Texans!
A: I don’t have the same relationship with Jared and Jensen that Bobby has with Sam and Dean. We’re much more on an even level, as far as I’m concerned. There’s no sense that I’m older and wiser, like there is with Bobby, no sense that Jim ever needs to straighten the two youngsters out like there sometimes is with Bobby. We’re three friends and colleagues, and I think there’s a lot of mutual respect that goes along with the friendship. If anything, I come to them for advice. It’s great being a trio of Texans, since it gives us all kind of that feeling of knowing the “secret handshake,” you know?
