Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki), one of the lead protagonists of the cult show Supernatural, is a complex character, more layered and complicated than his older brother, Dean. Sam started out as the rebel, the younger son of John Winchester, who wanted to leave behind the life of hunters and start afresh with a girlfriend he loved and a career he wanted.
However, God had other plans and Sam ended up knee-deep in hunting monsters, even locking horns with the Devil himself. Let us look at a few details about the younger Winchester that might have escaped notice.
Padalecki Might Not Have Played Sam
It is said that actor Jensen Ackles who plays Dean had originally auditioned for the role of Sam, although he did like the character of Dean better.
Had Padalecki not shown up when he did, the producers would most likely have given the younger brother's role to Ackles, and the show as fans know today would have been very different indeed.
Sam Is Named After Mary's Father
When Samuel Campbell, maternal grandfather to the brothers, was brought back to life by the demon Crowley, one assumed that Sam must have been named after his grandfather after all.
It is only when Dean is sent back in time by Castiel and meets younger versions of his parents and even his grandparents that the inspiration behind the brothers' names is confirmed. Mary's mother was called Deanna and her father was Samuel, so Dean and Sam were named after them respectively.
Sam's Fate Was Determined Before His Birth
Speaking of the past, Sam's terrible destiny of being chosen as the vessel of Lucifer had been determined long before his birth.
When Dean is sent into the past, he finds out that Mary had made a deal with the demon Azazel; she had unknowingly given him permission to enter her house ten years on, in return for John's life, not knowing that the demon meant to bleed into little Sam's mouth to prepare him for his endgame of freeing Lucifer from his cage. Sam's fate had been decided even before his parents had married.
Sam's First Crush Was Something The Boys Hunted
Presumably, Sam's first crush and his first kiss were with a girl named Amy Pond, who, it turned out, was a kitsune, rather like a werewolf but not quite.
As a young boy, Sam had let Amy escape, knowing very well that she was a monster. Years later, Dean killed Amy, even though he knew very well that she mattered to Sam. But as far as he was concerned, Amy was just one of the monsters the boys hunted.
Sam Has Been Played By Multiple Actors
A total of six actors have essayed the role of Sam in different phases of his life.
Sam's backstory has often been narrated through flashbacks and the audience has seen him both as a newborn and as a young boy apart from his adult self, played by Padalecki.
Sam Could Have Been A Lawyer
In another life, Sam could have been a hotshot lawyer or advocate. When the audience first met Sam 15 years ago, he had just appeared for his LSATs with an insanely high score and was applying to study law, at Standford University!
Had the brothers ever had anything close to an apple-pie life, Sam would probably have been a hard-working lawyer at the top of his profession.
Sam's 'French Mistake' Life Is Deeply Meta
Supernatural has never dithered when it came to self-parodying. In season 6's 'French Mistake', the brothers end up in an alternate reality that is kind of a meta world where reality gets woven into fiction. In this episode, the boys are mistaken for actors of a show called 'Supernatural', and Padalecki is shown living in an opulent house with his wife, who turns out to be the demon Ruby.
Of course, fans would know that the actor is in reality married to Genevieve Cortese who portrayed Ruby in season 4 and 5. The meta doesn't end there; the walls had two huge triptych portraits of Padalecki and Cortese which apparently did belong to the actors and the backyard had an alpaca, a reference to the couple's love for animals.
Sam Was Immune To Lilith's Powers
One might not remember this but in season 3, when the demon Lilith tried to attack Sam after she had unleashed hellhounds on Dean, the younger Winchester remained completely unscathed.
The main explanation for this is that Sam had grown immune to Lilith's powers by chugging down all the demon blood with Ruby's help. He was now too strong for Lilith, who was herself quite powerful, to even put a scratch on him.
Sam Is A Celine Dion Fan
In season 14, Jack the Nephilim is enraged when he realizes that Sam and Dean had been lying to him. They intended to cage him although they pretended to be supporting him. Jack wants the world to stop lying and it does, with everybody speaking only the truth however bitter or embarrassing it might be.
In the hilarious events that follow, Sam lets slip that his favorite singer is Celine Dion, even though he pretends it is Elvis. A minor detail, easily missed, but still interesting.
Sam Is Scared Of Clowns
This was revealed in one of the earliest episodes featuring a supernatural creature in the guise of a clown.
Given the macho image of these daredevil boys who hunt down monsters, Sam being afraid of clowns might seem a tad ironic at first. But these little details are what make these characters flesh and blood.