Kevin - All about Kevin - Supernatural

[AntiArbitrator]

Edit: Unlike the Dean and Sam threads, this thread is for comments that are both PRO and CON.

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Kevin will be with us for awhile and I am sure we have some Kevin fans. So, this thread is for those of us who would like to talk about him.

[AntiArbitrator]

INTERVIEW
Exclusive: Osric Chau on Kevin Tran, Advanced Placement, and Supernatural’s Eighth Season
Scott Neumyer
Wednesday, October 3, 2012 - 6:30pm

If you’re a Supernatural fan and you don’t already know the name Osric Chau, you will in a few weeks. The young actor burst on the scene at the end of the show’s seventh season as the prophet in advanced placement, Kevin Tran. The character’s three-episode story arc carries over into season eight, which premieres on The CW tonight at 9 PM ET, where the highly intelligent (and endearingly nervous) Kevin Tran will prove to be an important piece of the equation this season.

FEARnet recently sat down with the actor to discuss Kevin Tran’s important role in Supernatural, closing the gates of Hell, and becoming the latest Wu-Tang Clan member.

FEARNET: I have to ask you this first: After missing that big test and everything, do you think Kevin Tran is still in advanced placement?

OSRIC CHAU: (Laughs) That is, potentially, a spoiler. I think he will always be in advanced placement at whatever he does. I think all those kids in advanced placement, what they’re good at is learning and in life you should be learning always. Whether it’s in school or at work. Whether you’re doing hobbies. You’re always constantly learning so that’s one of Kevin Tran’s big things. He’s good at learning and he’ll continue to do that whatever he’s doing.

FEARNET: Do you get people recognizing you in the street now and asking you if you’re in advanced placement?

OC: No, no. If you’ve seen the promo, I got a haircut, so I look pretty different now. I’ve only had a handful of people that have actually recognized me with the new haircut. Mark Sheppard was one of them. That was kind of weird. We were at Comic Con and he pulled me out of a crowd of thousands of people and he said, “Hey, you guys don’t all look alike!” (Laughs) I met him once at that point and I had the haircut so I was pretty impressed by that. Apart from that, no. I can stay pretty low-key.

FEARNET: Tell me a little bit about what it was like to come on late in Season 7 of this hugely popular show with all these already-established characters and have to pull off a really important role. Were you terrified?

OC: You know, I had no idea what I was getting into and I probably still don’t. One: I didn’t know the extent of the fan base of this show. Two: Any time you go into a TV series, especially one that’s been running this long (this is eight years – a lot of these people have been working together for that long), it’s kind of like you’re walking into someone else’s living room. They have hundreds and hundreds of inside jokes and, on this set in particular, they like to have a lot of fun. So the first few days, I couldn’t tell when anyone was joking or serious. And now I know that they’re always joking. It was kind of terrifying because I didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes. I didn’t know if, you know, “They’re doing that. Should I join in?” It was a lot of really weird situations and that’s because Jensen and Jared just cannot control themselves sometimes, I think. (Laughs) After eight years of working on that show, you do kind of have fun with it.

FEARNET: I was hoping you would show up on the Blu-ray’s gag reel, but I didn’t see anything with you.

OC: Oh, I definitely played it safe for the first three episodes. And they were pretty respectful for those first three episodes, but now that I’m back as a recurring character they’re really not holding back. Jared especially. He can be a lot of fun to work with, I’ll say that much.

FEARNET: Kevin Tran shows up and has this very big episode and then he fades away a little bit for the last few episodes. But now you’re coming back as an important part of Season 8. How does it feel to be engrained as sort of a series regular?

OC: It’s great. To be a regular on any show is a great thing for an actor and this show in particular is so much fun to be around. Just to be on set. It is like another family that you get to go to everyday. Everyone is really cool to hang out with and it’s very comfortable. It’s just so much fun. Every day we get to do different things. The nature of the show just allows us to have a lot of cool sets and props to play with so it’s definitely a fun one to be a part of.

FEARNET: Aside from just the joking on set, what was it like working with Jensen, Jared, and Rachel in those first few scenes?

OC: The first scene was great. The first scene I ever did was the running scene where Jared is chasing me. Honestly, that was my favorite moment still. One, it was the first one. Two, any time you start a project like that you’re kind of nervous and it was just a great way for me to go into it because I got to do some running. You can only do so much to be mentally prepared, but for me I’ve always been a really physical actor so just being able to run and get the adrenaline going, it was such a relief for me. Also, that happened to be the day that Jared’s wife went into labor so it was a different Jared then. It was a special first day, I guess.

FEARNET: Is there anything you can tell us about what Kevin’s going to be up to in the new season? Is he going to be a major player alongside the Winchesters now?

OC: I can’t say much, but I can say that Kevin has this nice story arc and he’s important because he holds the key to closing the gates of Hell forever. I’d say that’s pretty important.

FEARNET: Were you a Supernatural fan and viewer before you got to play Kevin or was this kind of your introduction to the show?

OC: This was my introduction to the show. I mean, I’d heard of it before just because it’s been shooting in Vancouver all these years and I’m from Vancouver, but I hadn’t seen it before. I’ve watched a handful of episodes now, but there’s a lot to watch. At some point, I will get around to watching all of them.

FEARNET: How did that affect the way you approached the character?

OC: That was a decision I made after I got the role. Usually I would go back and watch everything – especially for a character of this size – but because the Kevin character was an outsider as well, I decided that I wouldn’t. That way, I could just sort of figure things out the same way Kevin has to. It would have taken a lot more work to learn everything and then forget about it for my character.

FEARNET: Is there a different feel, or new sense of urgency, to this season as opposed to last season?

OC: It does for me. I’m still trying to figure that out. It might be due to the fact that last season I came on at the end of the season and now I’m starting at the beginning of the season. The mentality on set is different. You can tell that everyone is a lot more laid back right now. And the story feels more like a quest this season. It kind of reminds me a lot of the role-playing games we used to play. There are all these characters and you’re picking up puzzles and pieces and meeting new people that point you along in the right direction. That’s what it feels like right now.

FEARNET: What was it like shooting that final scene with the big, huge bone sticking out of Dick Roman’s neck?

OC: That was so much fun to film. The bone was real so he actually walking around all day with the bone in his neck. (Laughs) The first time I saw him, I was like “Woah, that looks really good!” And then they start pumping the blood. Yeah, anytime we get to play with props on set, it’s so much fun.

[AntiArbitrator]

I thought EvilSquirre1's comments about Kevin are very interesting, and I am copying them here for discussion.

Oct 5, 2012 7:04:57 GMT -5 evilsquirre1 said:

Oct 4, 2012 20:57:48 GMT -5 AntiArbitrator said:

I forgot to mention that I asked several places what was the significance of the word "safety" in Kevin's comment to his girl when he said you've got a demon in you and you are going to a safety college. Everyone remembered Dean's expression, but only one person gave me an informed response.

"Example, Harvard and Yale are first choices. MIT is a safety school which is a damn good school but to these prodigies, is a last resort. It is ridiculous to us because we could only dream of going to MIT. And they think it is a safety net per se."

Yup that's a Type A personality for you. Which Kevin as for sure was if he didn't get Princeton then he would not have been happy. So for Kevin any other college was his safety schools because he only applied there in case Princeton didn't work out. Type A personality crack easily because of the pressure they put on themselves. I think that is why interesting to see this change with him. You take a person who is that smart and push him into a situation like this and the results are interesting. I think Crowley will always have trouble control Kevin. I just wonder why he didn't use Kevin's Mother like Dick did. However, I had the impression Kevin's Mother was also very intellgent to maybe she disappeared. Ash was a Genius but not a Type A he got bounced from MIT for fighting and seemed kind of proud about that.

I think you are right that Kevin is a Type A personality. When the shock of what Crowley did to his friend diminishes, Kevin will view Crowley as a challenge. And Kevin excels at dealing with challenges.

Apparently, Kevin was smart enough to not approach his girlfriend. He must have realized the demons would be watching her.

[SoCal]

Sorry, I'm not a big Kevin fan. I'm hoping they'll use him as sparingly as they used Chuck.

And I LIKED Chuck.

[AntiArbitrator]

Unlike the Dean and Sam threads, this thread is for comments that are both PRO and CON.

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I like brainiacs and I am amused that as smart as they are, they often miss the finer points of social skills. So Kevin amuses me. Think about it - he gets one chance to converse with his girlfriend, and what does he say?

[yimhappy]

I like the following quote from Laura Prudom's recap. I'm sure SPN's writers are using Kevin as a device to refresh the series, go back to S1 when hunting was new.

www.huffingtonpost.com/laura-prudom/supernatural-season-8-premiere-recap-we-need-to-talk-about-kevin_b_1937577.html

I was also pleased with the new dynamic that Kevin brought to the episode -- not only did he serve as the catalyst to reel Sam back into the family business (with a nudge from Dean, of course), he also demonstrated impressive comedic timing. His "there's a demon in you and you're going to your safety school" delivery certainly got the biggest reaction from the reporters who screened the episode early.

In many ways, as I said in my episode preview, Kevin has somewhat taken over the role of everyman that Sam occupied in Season 1; while Sam and Dean are now hardened by all the horrors they've witnessed and the crises they've averted, the dangers of hunting are still new to Kevin, and although he's surprisingly self-sufficient when left to his own devices, he still has that innocence and naivety that the Winchesters lost a long time ago. It's refreshing to see that more earnest mindset make a return, and hopefully he can offer new opportunities for the Winchesters to relate to him and each other.

[yimhappy]

I got to admit though. The "I'm not gay" joke didn't click with me. But Kevin does get funny lines. "Safety school", and telling Sam to bite him on those voice mails.


I find Osric Chau impressive.
Did anyone see Osric's Tweet that SPN has twice as many fans in China?
The US has about 10 million fans, and China has 20 million?
If so, bringing on a character like Kevin is great way to help sell more SPN in China.

[AntiArbitrator]

Oct 6, 2012 14:04:54 GMT -5 yimhappy said:

I like the following quote from Laura Prudom's recap. I'm sure SPN's writers are using Kevin as a device to refresh the series, go back to S1 when hunting was new.

www.huffingtonpost.com/laura-prudom/supernatural-season-8-premiere-recap-we-need-to-talk-about-kevin_b_1937577.html

I was also pleased with the new dynamic that Kevin brought to the episode -- not only did he serve as the catalyst to reel Sam back into the family business (with a nudge from Dean, of course), he also demonstrated impressive comedic timing. His "there's a demon in you and you're going to your safety school" delivery certainly got the biggest reaction from the reporters who screened the episode early.

In many ways, as I said in my episode preview, Kevin has somewhat taken over the role of everyman that Sam occupied in Season 1; while Sam and Dean are now hardened by all the horrors they've witnessed and the crises they've averted, the dangers of hunting are still new to Kevin, and although he's surprisingly self-sufficient when left to his own devices, he still has that innocence and naivety that the Winchesters lost a long time ago. It's refreshing to see that more earnest mindset make a return, and hopefully he can offer new opportunities for the Winchesters to relate to him and each other.

Hello Yim I enjoy Kevin's naivete about hunting and existence of supernaturals. He is handling it better than Dean's introduction to angels.

He has good rapport with the Winchesters and they respect him.

[AntiArbitrator]

Oct 6, 2012 14:06:18 GMT -5 yimhappy said:

I got to admit though. The "I'm not gay" joke didn't click with me. But Kevin does get funny lines. "Safety school", and telling Sam to bite him on those voice mails.


I find Osric Chau impressive.
Did anyone see Osric's Tweet that SPN has twice as many fans in China?
The US has about 10 million fans, and China has 20 million?
If so, bringing on a character like Kevin is great way to help sell more SPN in China.

I thought the "gay" comment was hilarious. I'm sure you can recall the thousand comments about Sam's warm, caring personna when he talks to the victims. Well, I think Kevin's reaction to that warm, caring voice is how most guys would view it - that Maybe Sam likes me.

[yimhappy]

Oct 6, 2012 14:31:33 GMT -5 AntiArbitrator said:

Oct 6, 2012 14:06:18 GMT -5 yimhappy said:

I got to admit though. The "I'm not gay" joke didn't click with me. But Kevin does get funny lines. "Safety school", and telling Sam to bite him on those voice mails.

I thought the "gay" comment was hilarious. I'm sure you can recall the thousand comments about Sam's warm, caring personna when he talks to the victims. Well, I think Kevin's reaction to that warm, caring voice is how most guys would view it - that Maybe Sam likes me.

Maybe I need to rewatch that scene. I was caught up in the points Sam was making about the need to do the quest. What does closing Hell have to do with gay?
But your explanation makes more sense.

[yimhappy]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
After posting this, I realized I didn't really enjoy this particular SPN gay joke. In fact, I wondered if this was a turning point where I become officially tired of SPN's gay jokes. Usually, I have no problem with, even if there are so many.

But Kevin telling Sam that he wasn't gay just hit me wrong. I really don't want an under-age male in the Impala's backseat feeling that he has to tell the Winchesters he isn't gay.

[AntiArbitrator]

Oct 6, 2012 16:54:00 GMT -5 yimhappy said:

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
After posting this, I realized I didn't really enjoy this particular SPN gay joke. In fact, I wondered if this was a turning point where I become officially tired of SPN's gay jokes. Usually, I have no problem with, even if there are so many.

But Kevin telling Sam that he wasn't gay just hit me wrong. I really don't want an under-age male in the Impala's backseat feeling that he has to tell the Winchesters he isn't gay.

Research reveals the following:

Sam: You know, it gets better.
Kevin: You know I'm not gay, right?

This is a reference to the campaign in support of LGBT Youth "It Gets Better." The campaign was created in response to a number of students taking their own lives after being bullied in school in September 2010.

[jensenRick]

Yeah, I got that reference right away, even before Kevin says, "You know I'm not gay."
Maybe because it struck me that Sam isn't very convincing when it comes to reassuring someone that things will get better. Has anything every gotten better for Sam? So how would he know? (Sorry, I know this thread is supposed to be about Kevin)

So in conclusion, I like Kevin, and I really like the return to earlier seasons "feel" he brings to the show.

[evilsquirre1]

I dig Kevin. But I always enjoy smart creative characters. Already if has tricked Crowley twice. Kevin has the David vs Goliath feeling to him. I like rooting for the underdog. Plus drunk Kevin is so funny. They need to get him drunk on one of the episodes. ;D They do still need to bring back Frank. In fact I'm hoping it was Frank watching Sam's love nest.

[SoCal]

I LOVED Kevin's gay joke. I LOVE all of Supernatural's gay jokes. ;D

ES, I hope you're right and it WAS Frank. It would just be awesome if he came back!

[AntiArbitrator]

Oct 8, 2012 9:25:26 GMT -5 SoCal said:

I LOVED Kevin's gay joke. I LOVE all of Supernatural's gay jokes. ;D

ES, I hope you're right and it WAS Frank. It would just be awesome if he came back!

I'm glad you said this because Yim's comment was sort of spoiling my enjoyment of it. I thought it was funny even though the reference went over my head. In retrospect, I do recall the campaign.

[evilsquirre1]

Oct 6, 2012 16:54:00 GMT -5 yimhappy said:

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
After posting this, I realized I didn't really enjoy this particular SPN gay joke. In fact, I wondered if this was a turning point where I become officially tired of SPN's gay jokes. Usually, I have no problem with, even if there are so many.

But Kevin telling Sam that he wasn't gay just hit me wrong. I really don't want an under-age male in the Impala's backseat feeling that he has to tell the Winchesters he isn't gay.

Kevin was probably just confused by Sam's Mary Tyler Moore hairstyle.

[SoCal]

;D ;D ;D

[AntiArbitrator]

evilsquirre1, you are so bad.

[evilsquirre1]

Oct 8, 2012 13:03:04 GMT -5 AntiArbitrator said:

evilsquirre1, you are so bad.

My need to live up to my name of [glow=red,2,300]evil.[/glow]

[SoCal]

Jared's long hair is going to make his "fake Fed" harder to swallow. How many feds have flowing locks?

[AntiArbitrator]

Oct 8, 2012 17:16:52 GMT -5 SoCal said:

Jared's long hair is going to make his "fake Fed" harder to swallow. How many feds have flowing locks?

Good point. He will need to pretend to be an undercover narcotics agent or task force on gang violence.

I think one of my favorite responses to them posing as Feds is in MATEOTB when comic book guy asked why the Feds were investigating a rodent problem.

[evilsquirre1]

Oct 8, 2012 17:38:25 GMT -5 AntiArbitrator said:

Oct 8, 2012 17:16:52 GMT -5 SoCal said:

Jared's long hair is going to make his "fake Fed" harder to swallow. How many feds have flowing locks?

Good point. He will need to pretend to be an undercover narcotics agent or task force on gang violence.

I think one of my favorite responses to them posing as Feds is in MATEOTB when comic book guy asked why the Feds were investigating a rodent problem.

Narcotics or Vice. Because he would make a pretty whore with that hair.

[Aeryn]

Oct 8, 2012 12:19:38 GMT -5 AntiArbitrator said:

Oct 8, 2012 9:25:26 GMT -5 SoCal said:

I LOVED Kevin's gay joke. I LOVE all of Supernatural's gay jokes. ;D

ES, I hope you're right and it WAS Frank. It would just be awesome if he came back!

I'm glad you said this because Yim's comment was sort of spoiling my enjoyment of it.

Ignore Yim. Lords knows, I do.

[SoCal]

I usually do. Except for when I can poke at her.

[Aeryn]

I mean, it's not like I'm holding a grudge or anything.

[AntiArbitrator]

Oct 8, 2012 19:55:48 GMT -5 Aeryn said:

I mean, it's not like I'm holding a grudge or anything.

Of course you are not holding a grudge, not you.

[Aeryn]

Me, hold a grudge?

[yimhappy]

Oct 8, 2012 20:25:29 GMT -5 Aeryn said:

Me, hold a grudge?

Oh Aeryn, you kiss beautifully.
My butt feels so loved.