That's Dean's thing, is self-sacrifice; Sam's definitely more selfish and goal-oriented. Which you can see as him being less generous, or just less broken, depending on your goggles, I guess.

I think Dean also doesn't understand that he has anything to sacrifice, earlier on. Dean does what he does because he honestly doesn't know any different.

I think that's what made the speech Jen was talking about in Yellow Fever so heartbreaking and funny at the same time -- hearing Dean's stunned amazement that this is their life, that they've *chosen* to hunt these things. And a huge YES! to the range of expressions there, Jen.

And a mighty wrod to the comment on JA's mad acting skillz. Bless him. He does SUCH great stuff with the material, he really does - doesn't waste a drop. JP is looking a bit plank-like next to him, in Season 1 - which speaks volumes about how much JP has raised his game over the course of the seasons.

And JA continues to get even better, I think! But JP has definitely learned a lot, and really improved.

JP takes it as a profession. He works at it. He's had acting coaches, and he takes it seriously. Has natural talent, of course, but he's improved of his own initiative, and, I believe, had his game raised by acting opposite JA. Of whom JP says, "I'm not that type of actor."

What type? I think JA sort of sinks into a role and metabolises it. Breathes and bleeds it, while he's in it. Which gives wonderful performances, but it's more difficult to walk away from it, after.

They've both improved by miles, and I expect them to continue, each in their own way.

Um. I'd like to say that putting someone in black jeans and a black button-down shirt and giving them raccoon eyes does not in fact constitute making them all gothed out, but here's a link to a JP photo shoot where he still looks pretty (though not really goth at all):

[link]

ETA that what he really needs is some lipstick and some good liquid eyeliner applied with a steady hand.

Those are hideous.

Of course my esthetic is different than 'those kids today'.

I've seen 'shopped photos of JP with eyeliner, piercings and tats where he was GORgeous. Those shots just make me want to scrub him with a brush.

::thinks. scrubbing, bubbles, wet...not so much a bad thing:: ...hmmm. I may have to revise my thinking, here.

Yeah, no, those don't do it for me at all.

Me neither, and I think it's mostly because he looks SO uncomfortable--very stiff, very awkwardly posed, and just not at all having any fun.

Now, I think JA would do a bang-up job of slounging around in a corset and some black lipstick. Gah.

Now, I think JA would do a bang-up job of slounging around in a corset and some black lipstick. Gah.

Vampy, but not black. Wouldn't work with his skin tone. Guess in b&w, it wouldn't matter.

JP looks awkward in those shots. Like every wanna-be youngster with no taste and clothes that wear him rather than the other way around at the clubs.

(Or, worse, like the SCAdian dudes gothing up for game night when we were LARPing. Jilli, I'm thinking of someone who recently made Bad Marriage Choices. Ahem.)

Yeah, that didn't really do much for me.

Also, the local paper reviewed Friday the 13th and called JP a poor man's Josh Brolin, which kind of made me choke.

I'd really like Jensen to somehow get his ass onto a Johnny Depp-like career path. Because like Depp, he's saddled with the mixed blessing of being ridiculously pretty - but, damn, the guy can ACT, and the role of Dean really isn't about the pretty - it's a great character part. It'd be such a shame for JA to get thrown away on prettyboy roles.

Well, okay, no - in a world where most actors aren't working at any given time, obviously getting steady work on telly isn't a shame by anyone's standards. But I'd like to see him being stretched as an actor in future roles.

JA has continually impressed me with his acting abilities. I happened to catch an episode of Dark Angel a while back, and I was struck by how even at about 23, he was really good at acting with only his face and body language.

Fay made a great point: JA is ridiculously pretty and I have to wonder if that works against him. If that's so, then it's truly unfortunate. It hardly seems fair that there are some movie stars out there who are hauling in seven- and eight-figure movies deals and don't have half of Jensen's range and skills. It's too bad.

I just hope his ship will come in. Then again, I just want him to feel challenged, fulfilled and happy doing what he loves. Sometimes success isn't all that it's cracked up to be.