DJ Qualls (Z Nation, The Man within the Excessive Citadel) performed recurring character Garth Fitzerald IV on Supernatural. Garth had been a ward of Bobby Singer (Jim Beaver) who mentored him as a demon hunter. Garth finally became a kindly, dentist, household man, and werewolf. In actual life he’s been an avid SPN conference attendee, protecting in contact together with his former castmates — and even discovering his life companion at a con.
Under, DJ Qualls displays on Supernatural, his conference expertise, and extra.
Do you keep in mind your first SPN conference?
DJ Qualls: Although we had been each on Supernatural, I met my companion Ty Olsson [who played vampire Benny Lafitte] in 2012 on the Birmingham, England, conference. I used to be strolling previous the place the place all of the actors’ headshots had been up, and I’m like, “Who’s that?” And it was Ty dressed up as Benny. He invited himself on my journey to Prague, and I used to be there with my buddy and he was like, “The place are you guys going after this?” I’m like, “Prague.” And he mentioned , “Can I come?”
I had labored largely with Jared [Padalecki] and Jensen [Ackles] and Alex Calvert and Misha [Collins], so many people who recurred know one another by conventions. Samantha Smith had been saying, “Hey, what’s up?” at totally different reveals over time. Then we had our friendship breakthrough second, and now we discuss each day. The great thing about that is when you have got such a big forged, these are our assembly factors; that is the place we cast actual friendship.
What’s your favourite con reminiscence?
We celebrated Ty’s birthday at our present in Indianapolis final 12 months. It was actually particular as a result of I acquired to convey him out a cake. And it was a pleasant second that the followers had been there for. They had been stoked.
What do you’re keen on about SPN cons?
My take care of Creation [the owners of many fan conventions] is that I work from 9am till midnight on Friday. On Saturday nights, I all the time get off at 5, and I take some workers and followers out to see town we’re in. If we’re going to a bar, I’ll say, “Please don’t inform a thousand folks!”
What do you hear most from followers? “
Each single one who meets me in the entire world says how tall I’m. I hear it 50 occasions a day. I’m 6-feet, 2-and-a-half inches, however loads of my characters are meek, which initiatives small. However other than that, I’ve labored for therefore a few years outdoors of Supernatural, I hear with satisfaction, “I knew you earlier than Supernatural.” The good issues in regards to the early teen comedies I did is that children who watch the collection get launched to these films by their mother and father. It’s like, “If you happen to like him in Supernatural, let me present you The New Man.”
Do you have got a favourite episode?
“Social gathering on, Garth” [Season 7, Episode 18]. To have your title on an episode is a fairly cool factor. However the episode was all enjoyable The monster was superb, type of seemed just like the monsters from The Ring, and I acquired to do a stunt the place they pulled me out of a sugar glass window, which was actually nice. That’s once I realized our hunter coats’ inside pockets are minimize out and folks hand you all that stuff as a result of there’s no approach you may pull the stuff that we pull out of these coats. [Laughs]
You’re one of many few folks in Supernatural who didn’t die for actual.
I didn’t die.
Is that one thing particular?
It’s actually particular. It’s a badge of honor. I imply, when you died on Supernatural, there’s a excessive probability you had been going to be revived, return to life. However I didn’t should even undergo any of that. Garth, I feel, was so beloved, it might’ve been a tough promote to kill him. And likewise I feel his perform within the later years of the collection was to indicate a life past searching. I used to be actually not completely happy after they made me a werewolf as a result of I believed they had been attempting to kill me. The lore of the present is that Dean goes to should kill me or at the least ostracize me. However they wrote an attractive feast scene the place he acquired to see that we werewolves had been regular monsters or regular folks dwelling as monsters or …
How a few dentist!
Yeah. Garth’s first kill was the tooth fairy, and the dentist was an excellent callback to that.
Did you are taking dwelling something from the set?
So Supernatural is notoriously stingy about gifting away props. I attempted to take a silver bullet necklace, and so they requested for it again, and I acquired it out of a bucket of like 20 of them ’trigger all people within the scene needed to have one. They gave me Mr. Fizzles, although, the little puppet that I used to speak to and scare kids with. My canine was particular wants — he was born with an excessive amount of water on his mind and he might solely stroll in a circle — so the voice that I used to speak to him was the voice that I gave to Mr. Fizzles. My canine handed, and two days earlier than Christmas, [the show] despatched a messenger to my home with the puppet and I cried in my entryway. However then they offered my hunter coat at a yard sale for $10 with out asking me, and I’m nonetheless mad about it. If anyone on the market has my hunter coat, I would like it again! I’ll provide you with a thousand {dollars} for it proper now. [Laughs]
Diyah Pera / ©The CW Community / courtesy Everett Assortment
That was imply.
I do know.
If there’s ever a reunion film or some type of restricted collection, what do you assume Garth could be doing?
I feel that Garth in his retirement goes to get stressed and return to searching. Within the final episodes, it was referred to as a hero’s journey. Garth acquired to hunt one final time. And I can’t think about as time goes on and his kids develop up that he wouldn’t need to return to doing what he has performed since childhood. Bobby type of taught him find out how to hunt and set him on that path. I feel as an older man, possibly when he’s Bobby’s age, there could be a callback to that. Additionally, who is aware of what’s going to occur within the monster world. Perhaps issues will get tough, and a few vampires or some werewolves should be taken out. Garth could be the man to do it. He has tremendous werewolf energy. Right here’s a little bit inside observe: The explanation I grew to become a werewolf is as a result of I used to be alleged to do much more episodes, however I booked The Man within the Excessive Citadel, which was an excellent present.
You had been nice in it.
Thanks. So that they needed to clarify the place I used to be; I used to be in a werewolf commune.
Why do you assume Supernatural grew to become one of many greatest cult reveals?
At one level Baywatch was one of many greatest reveals on the earth. And it’s as a result of the optics. It doesn’t matter what language you converse and what tradition you’re from, sizzling folks chasing dangerous folks or monsters is common. On essentially the most superficial degree, I feel that’s a extremely good motive. I imply, additionally, the storytelling’s nice, but it surely’s the entire thing of gorgeous folks doing good and evil, proper? You’re all the time going to be on the aspect of the new folks.
Supernatural gave the impression to be like catnip to actors. So a lot of them have advised me how a lot they cherished engaged on the collection. What made it particular to you?
On my second episode, they gave me a chair again with my title on it. If you visitor star on a present, you normally really feel such as you’re enjoying in any individual else’s yard the entire time you’re there. To provide me a chair again with my title on it — that’s what they do for collection regulars! It was a approach of claiming, “Hey, welcome again. You’re considered one of us.” And that carries loads of weight. Not simply the sense of belonging, however the execution of the work. Often if you visitor star, you have got a lot stress to know each single line and each single phrase. If you happen to falter, you’re feeling such as you’ve made a large mistake. However after they mainly mentioned, “Hey, that is your yard, too,” it frees you up and it makes the work higher, too. And likewise on Fridays, a lady introduced sizzling sandwiches. Each actor requested in regards to the sizzling sandwiches on Friday.
What would you write in a letter to followers?
First, I might inform them how vital it’s how a lot love we get again from them. They inform us what the present means to them, however what they don’t understand is loving the [cons] and coming to see us after we seem permits the actors to be current in one another’s lives, extra than simply texting. That’s a extremely cool factor. Inform me one other forged that will get to see one another over and over regularly. It’s a reunion for us that we get to have many occasions a 12 months. When Jared had his accident, all of us knew about it earlier than anyone did.
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