He stole our hearts as Rory Gilmore’s sweet, if slightly clueless, first love on Gilmore Girls. But what fans may not know is that Jared Padalecki’s time in Stars Hollow almost cost him a one-way ticket to Supernatural stardom. That’s right, folks – Dean Forester almost prevented Jared Padalecki from becoming Sam Winchester!

A Dean-Sized Roadblock
Flash back to 2005, Hollywood.

Supernatural creator Eric Kripke is on the hunt for the perfect actor to embody Sam Winchester, the younger, brainy Winchester brother destined to battle demons alongside his sibling, Dean. Enter Jared Padalecki, fresh off the success of Gilmore Girls.
“I remember it vividly,” Kripke shared with a sly smile at a recent fan convention. “Jared walked in, and I couldn’t shake the image of him holding a toolbox, professing his undying love for Rory.

Could this really be the brilliant, tortured soul I envisioned for Sam Winchester?”

It turns out, even showrunners have preconceived notions.

A Case of Mistaken Academic Identity
Padalecki’s manager, however, wasn’t about to let a little typecasting stand in the way of destiny. “It was a hilarious conversation, really,” Padalecki’s manager, [Manager’s Name], revealed.

Eric was hung up on Gilmore Girls – kept saying things like, ‘We need a brain like John Nash, not a…well, not a Dean Forester.'”
He continued, “I finally had to interrupt him. ‘Eric,’ I said, ‘My boy is a National Merit Scholar! He can channel intellectual intensity with his eyes closed!’”

“Honestly,” Padalecki confessed with a self-deprecating laugh during a recent interview, “I think [my manager] may have exaggerated a bit on the ‘eyes closed’ part.

The Audition: Channeling Duchovny, One LSAT Question at a Time
The challenge was clear: convince Kripke that behind those soulful eyes and charming smile resided a hidden intellectual powerhouse. Padalecki recalled, “My manager’s advice? ‘Channel your inner Duchovny, kid. Think dark, brooding, and obsessed with Latin.

‘ Easy for him to say!”

Picture this: a nervous Padalecki walks into the audition room. Gone is the affable charm of Dean Forester, replaced by a quiet intensity, a laser focus. He dives into the scene, spitting out lines about demonic sigils and ancient curses like he’s reciting Shakespeare.

Rumor has it, he even corrected the grammar in the audition script.

From Stars Hollow Sweetheart to Supernatural Icon
Needless to say, Padalecki nailed it.

Kripke, initially skeptical, was blown away. “There was a moment,” Kripke confessed, “during Jared’s final scene, where the light caught his eyes, and I swear, I saw a flicker of that Winchester darkness. He transformed before my very eyes.”

The rest, as they say, is supernatural history.

Padalecki won the role, and the world was gifted with fifteen seasons of Sam Winchester battling monsters, solving mysteries, and yes, even occasionally sporting a pair of stylish glasses to drive home that whole “intellectual” vibe.
And what of Dean Forester? Well, he’ll always have a special place in our hearts…and a permanent spot on the Stars Hollow town sign.

But for Jared Padalecki, the open road beckoned, and he chose to hunt monsters, not college acceptance letters.