SUPERNATURAL: Travis Aaron Wade Previews Cole’s Return, Praises the Fan Support

Cole is back in tonight’s episode of SUPERNATURAL, but this time, he isn’t out for Dean…he wants to save his best friend.

I spoke with SUPERNATURAL guest star Travis Aaron Wade (Cole) about Cole’s new dynamic with the Winchester brothers, having to play “sick,” and experiencing his first SUPERNATURAL convention…

Cole is tied in with the case of the week. What can you preview about what makes him cross paths with the Winchesters?
Travis Aaron Wade: Cole is first and foremost a military man, and he’s highly connected in the military. He’s very well connected in the military community. When he [found] out that Dean didn’t kill his father, and his father is some kind of monster…he’s [now finding his footing] in this new world. And when the phone call come from his best friend’s wife — who he served in the military with — saying these are the behaviors his buddy Kit has, he’s fallen off the deep end, he’s not acting normal, these are the things he’s experiencing. He runs to the aid of his best friend, and sure enough, the boys are on the case. And when the boys are on the case, things don’t end well, in his experience. The last time he had an experience with them [with someone close in his life], they killed his dad. So he thinks, how are they going to handle things with my best friend?

So now, he’s with them to help them, but also to monitor them. He doesn’t want this thing to go down the wrong way. If there’s a way to save his friend, he’s going to do it. I think he realizes with the boys, if there’s a monster, and it needs to be killed, it will be killed first — there’s no question about it. He wants to make sure his friend gets a fair shot at life.

Since he is monitoring them — and since he spent so many years blaming Dean for his father’s death — what is their dynamic like as they try and save his friend?
TAW: I think there’s a strange natural occurrence that happens between men when they fight. And when they fight, they create a bond. Me and my best friend of 30 years, we became friends after we fought when we were ten years old — we didn’t like each other, and then we fought, and became buddies.

It’s a weird thing that happens with men in countries of war: you go to battle, you come out on the other end, and you have this appreciation and respect for one another. There’s a mutual respect.

I definitely think the boys are more questioning Cole’s involvement, but we respect each other. Obviously there’s a bit of tension because these two gents are used to working by themselves. I have information they need, and in the military, you learn pretty quickly that if someone has information, you keep them around until that information is obtained and you don’t need them anymore. I need the boys, the boys need me, and we’ll see how it turns out.

What will we learn about how he’s been coping with life since learning the truth about his father’s death?
TAW: The mission with Dean was something he did not expect. He thought his entire life was revolved around finding his father’s killer. And it turns out and he realizes it isn’t Dean’s [fault], there’s another world out there, his mission is far from over. He’s been informed it was a monster that took over his father’s body…I think he’s still destined to find out who that monster was and get to the bottom of it.

I don’t think [Cole’s] really gone away. He may have had to go home and check on his family and kids, but I think being a father, and having a family and kids now, he’s more on alert than ever. He’s going to be more aware of this world that’s now been revealed to him. And if he wants to protect his family, he has to get to the bottom of what impacted his family in the beginning…maybe he could get infected, maybe his kids could get infected. There’s so many different things [going on] that I don’t think he left Dean and Sam, and said, “Well, it wasn’t them, I’m good now.” I think he basically said, “Well, it wasn’t them, let’s start doing some training, let’s start doing some research.”

The CW has teased that Cole gets infected in tonight’s episode. What can you preview about that, and how was it for you to play it as an actor?
TAW: Really, really hard. This worm, anyone who takes on a worm of this size, it’s not going to do very well, and it makes you really ill, and it dehydrates you — it takes fluid out of your body and is potentially trying to kill you; it will. The only thing to do to survive could be potentially hurting other people…I gain strength and power with this worm. And playing that as an actor is hard, because it’s coughing, choking, being ill, playing sick to the point where you physically feel like you have pneumonia. It got me pretty sick for a good two or three days at the end of filming, I did not feel well. I think I essentially made my body become sick, because it took me a week to recover from it. It was hard; it was hard work, it was long hours, hard days on the set.

And I filmed most of my scenes with Jensen [Ackles (Dean)], and boy, did me and him really get along. We work really well together. And what a class-act; I got to know him really well. I absolutely love working with him, like I’ve gotten to work with Jared [Padalecki (Sam)]. Both of those guys — it’s just great to work with guys who have been on a show for so long. They’re such pros.

Will you be coming back for more beyond tonight’s episode?
TAW: It’s a big question mark for how this episode ends. It is the SUPERNATURAL world, and the question is will we see Cole back alive? And if we don’t see him back alive, will we see him as a demon or an angel? I wish I could tell you — I don’t know! I don’t know until I get the script. They haven’t told me they don’t want me back. I don’t know in what form I’m coming back!

You also recently had your first SUPERNATURAL convention experience. What was that like?
TAW: What an experience! Nothing like I imagined. What a great group of people. Everyone from the people that run it, to all the volunteers, to all the fans. These individuals fly from all around the world — I got to meet every person that came. We did a roundtable where you literally go to different tables and have different conversations with about 15 people at a time. It was crazy. But I got to meet each individual fan…these people fly from everywhere. What a dedicated group of people. How inspiring.

Was there anything about the experience that really surprised you?
TAW: I got some great information from Jared [before I went]. He’s really been good to me. Both him and Jensen have been amazing since the show started; but Jared [and I], we’re both huge Cowboys fans, and he’s been very active with his foundation to help people with depression and suicide, and I’m connected to that because I’m a military man, and I have [military] brothers [who have been impacted by] suicide and depression. It’s important we’re trying to use our success to help others know there are places to go.

I think what was really surprising was how down-to-earth everyone was at the convention. The social media world can be kind of crazy…and you get a little nervous at first. But they were very polite, they were very respectful, they say a few kind words and they move on. That was just really surprising…every one of them was so respectful of our time. It was like going to an old family reunion, that’s what it felt like; it’s like you’re seeing old family members you haven’t seen in forever and catching up…I really loved it.

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SUPERNATURAL airs Wednesdays at 9 PM on The CW.

Related:

SUPERNATURAL: Felicia Day Teases Charlie’s Return from Oz

The CW Moves SUPERNATURAL Back to Wednesdays, IZOMBIE and THE MESSENGERS Get Premiere Dates
SUPERNATURAL: Robert Singer Teases the Impact of the Mark of Cain in Season 10
SUPERNATURAL: The Cast and Producers Recall Their First Days on the Show
SUPERNATURAL: The Cast and Producers Share Their Love for the Fans

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