OK, I admit it: Supernatural is my favorite show on television. For those of you who don’t watch it (and shame on you!), the CW’s Supernatural follows two insanely hot brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles), who have spent the last six seasons slaying monsters and demons, partnering with angels to stop the Apocalypse and, in general, being totally awesome ass-kickers who cause fangirls everywhere to swoon under their epic good looks. When the show broke the fourth wall by recognizing its fandom within the storyline in season 5, the character of Becky Rosen was introduced as a fangirl of the The Supernatural Books by Carver Edlund (a fictional author/character on the show. I know. It's complicated to explain, but if you're a fellow fan, this all makes perfect sense!)
As a recurring character, Becky has hilariously tricked Sam and Dean into attending a Supernatural fan convention, used a love potion to get Sam to marry her – briefly, thank goodness – and obsesses over the Supernatural books with a passion most of us real-life authors would kill to inspire.Emily Perkins is the talented actress behind the character of Becky Rosen – a wickedly clever and amusing (and sometimes scary!) exaggeration of the show’s fangirls – er, myself included. Aside from that, Emily is also famous among horror fans for playing a teenage werewolf wallflower in the Ginger Snaps series of films – and we all know I’m quite partial to werewolves! I thought it would be fun to ask Emily's publicist if Emily would mind discussing with me the character that Supernatural fans either seem to love or hate as well as offering her take on reading, writing and fandoms. Being the totally awesome woman she is, Emily agreed!
Angela: Welcome to my website, Emily. I’m so thrilled to have you. You’d probably be surprised at how many paranormal romance and urban fantasy authors and their readers absolutely love Supernatural. The show is often a source of much discussion among us on Twitter and Facebook. Personally, I have been a huge fan of yours since Ginger Snaps. When you first appeared on Supernatural I did a huge internal “Squee!”and cheered. It’s even more awesome that your Ginger Snaps co-star Katharine Isabelle has also appeared on the show. I just had to say that!
Emily: Thanks Angela. ... I'm really happy to answer any questions you have!
Angela: Becky Rosen is kind of a comic exaggeration of a lot of Supernatural fangirls out there. How much input did you have in creating the character?
Emily: I originally had auditioned for just the 2 scenes in the first episode that I was in, so the later episodes were written with me, or my performance, in mind. For that reason I think I had quite a bit of input in creating the character.
Angela: Are you yourself fanatic about any fandoms?
Emily: When I was in high school I loved Star Trek the Next Generation. I started a fan club at school, we all made uniforms out of black track suits. We wrote and performed Star Trek skits at school assemblies, and I always played Commander Data. It was so much fun!
Angela: Becky has written some fan-fiction on the show. Do you have any writing ambitions?
Emily: I'd love to write - I certainly admire those who do. I think I might take a creative writing class - who knows, maybe it will spur me to the action that I never seem to find the time for otherwise.
Angela: Do you enjoy reading, and if so, what are some of your favorite books?
Emily: Reading is my favorite pastime. I love the work of David Foster Wallace, Peter Carey, Jennifer Egan, Margaret Atwood, Alice Munroe, and many others. I read the New Yorker every week, and Harper's literary magazine monthly.
Angela: You’ve been a working actress since you were a child and have a very impressive resume. Just to name a few things, you've played a werewolf, a fangirl, and holy cow, you were even in Juno! Which role has been your favorite to play? Are there any roles you’d love the chance to play?
Emily: I think the role of Brigitte in Ginger Snaps was my favorite because it was most intense and involving. I liked the challenge of showing different aspects of a character, having many scenes in which to bring the character to life and make her as real as possible. I'd love to play a character in a film based on a novel. There would be so much more to inform the imagination that way. I love characters that inhabit moral grey areas, or who are non-conformists in some way. I'd also love to play a historical character.Angela: What projects do you have coming up that your fans can keep an eye out for?
Emily: Nothing right now.
Angela: I would probably be hunted down if I didn’t ask this (forgive me), but do you think we have seen the last of Becky on the show?
Emily: I think it would be really cool if Becky could rally other fans of the Supernatural books and they could all come to Sam and Dean's rescue one day.
Angela: If you could write an ending to Becky’s storyline, where would you take the character?
Emily: I see Becky opening a road-side motel, where drifters or hunters like Sam and Dean would find a temporary shelter. I think she'd take inspiration from the characters passing through and start her own e-book series. Who knows, she might even run into Sam and Dean again that way. It would be a bit of a Bates motel, the kind that would scare the normal people away, but for Becky it would be a sanctuary.
Angela: Ha ha. I love that answer! Is there anything you’d like to say in parting to any fans who might be reading this?
Emily: If fans didn't exist, these great shows like Supernatural wouldn't exist, so thank you!
I want to offer a HUGE thanks to Emily for taking the time to answer my questions. Check out the brief clip below to see her in action on Supernatural, and if you're a fan of horror, definitely watch Ginger Snaps if you haven't already!
