The Supernatural stars on what’s next, following the big season premiere.

Supernatural is back for Season 9, but, per usual, things aren’t going great for Sam and Dean Winchester. In the premiere, we learned that Sam was on death’s door and it was only thanks to Dean making a deal with the angel Ezekiel that he survived. But Sam is unaware of that deal, or the fact that Ezekiel is in fact inhabiting Sam’s body alongside him.

During a visit to the Vancouver set of Supernatural last week, I was among a group of journalists who spoke to the show’s stars, Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, about Season 9, Sam’s new predicament and more…. Including how important the terminology is when discussing an angel sharing your body.

Question: The season is once again opening with some trouble…

Jensen Ackles: There’s some issues. Dean is harboring some secrets from Sam, as we know.

Jared Padalecki: As we like to do!

Ackles: Yeah! As we like to do.

Padalecki: As we’re wont to do.

Ackles: We were just talking about that. There’s a scene coming up in today’s work where something’s said like, “Well, the brothers have each other. That’s what counts, right?” It’s like, yeah, but the brothers are constantly lying to each other, hiding stuff from each other.

Padalecki: There’s a line later where it’s talking about how the brothers comfort each other. We’re like, “Uh, I don’t know if the brothers necessarily comfort each other. They’re kind of pushing each other, killing each other, lying to each other, bringing each other back…”

Ackles: Maybe in fan fiction…

Padalecki: Yeah, but not in…

Ackles: Not in the “real world” of Supernatural.

Padalecki: Not in the real fake world of Supernatural! Yeah, I was really excited about the angel turn, obviously. I thought that was a cool, fun idea. A fun way around that we haven’t yet done. We’ve had angels bring back, and we’ve had Death bring back, but to have an angel embody Sam, I thought it was fun, scary thing to play. So I was really excited about that.

Q: So Ezekiel is inside Sam…

Padalecki: I beg your pardon!? No, that’s been a running joke here on set. It’s like, “Yeah, so the angel’s in Sam, and then he pulls out his…” “Okay, can’t we just say the angel is possessing Sam?”

Ackles: “Exits…”

Padalecki: Not even that, please! That’s been a little running gag this year.

Question: So is he permanently gone or will we see moments where…?

Padalecki: We see Ezekiel for a long time through Sam.

Ackles: That’s through Sam. Not inside Sam!

Padalecki: Through Sam! Yeah, I like it. We see Ezekiel through Sam.

Ackles: It’s all in the terminology.

Padalecki: The little alternatives! But Zek stays around for a while, which I like also.

Ackles: It’s fun for you as an actor, because one moment he’s Sam and then the next moment he’s playing a completely different character.

Padalecki: And then also it’s not like [snaps fingers], “Sam’s better!” I like that it’s a work in progress and that slowly but surely Sam is, hopefully, healing… presumably.

Ackles: Or is it a work in progress?

Q: Sam and Dean have had a lot of ups and downs. What does this latest secret do to them?

Padalecki: Well, it’s still a secret [in what we’re filming]. When it comes to fruition, I think, obviously, Sam’s not going to be happy. We see Sam with Death kind of making good with it, making the decision to finally go, “I’ve done some good. I can walk away,” and Bobby telling him, “You’ve done your bit. No one gets to leave a legacy like that so be happy.” So we see Sam come to terms with, “I’ve let a good life. I’ve done my damnedest, and I’ve done some bad, unfortunately, but I tried to do good.” So we see Sam come to a point where he’s happy to move on. I think with the fact that Sam finally found that place, I think he’s going to be, obviously, unhappy that his brother lied and has been lying to him. That never works out well.

Q: What will things be like when the brothers are reunited with Cas?

Ackles: A lot of it depends on the state that Cas is in because he’s obviously in a completely different state. It’s something that we’re going to have to deal with, something he’s really going to have to deal with. He’s got to come to terms with his newfound situation. Cas has always been a very useful tool for the boys.

Padalecki: He is a tool.

Ackles: He is a tool. But useful! But now there’s a big change there. In his adjustment, the boys are going to have to adjust, too, to him and his situations, as well.

Padalecki: And also to literally not have the angel in our pocket – We have kind of an angel, but part of the deal that Dean makes very clear to Ezekiel is, “You’re not just going to keep popping out. I don’t want my brother to find out about this. I don’t want to have you fix everything that happens. We’ve gotta just try and fix Sam. Let’s go forward.” We see that struggle for a few episodes.

Ackles: [Cas] runs into an issue with a female, and then I tell him to get his ass back to the bunker. But then because he’s there and because of what Sam’s going through with his situation, there’s a bit of a conflict there.

Padalecki: The war that was in Heaven is now on Earth and hardcore. There are factions of angels that are out for Cas’ head.

Ackles: That are hunting Cas.

Padalecki: So I know Ezekiel probably feels that it’s unsafe to have Cas around because Cas is a beacon for angels, and angels hate Cas… And then angels show up.

Ackles: And Cas doesn’t have the power that he needs to defend himself or protect himself or to protect us, so Dean literally has to sit down with him and be like, “You gotta go.” That then sends Cas out on his own to fend for himself, which we come to find out in Episode 7… We come to find out where he’s been and what he’s been doing, and that’s pretty funny.

Q: Who’s Dean leaning on, because he doesn’t really have Sam to lean on like he might have in the past.

Ackles: Not the way he has, simply because of Ezekiel and what he’s doing inside and the work that he’s doing within Sam. It is a bit of an eggshell situation for Dean that he’s not used to… Well, I say that, but he probably has at some point in the past nine years! But as far as leaning on, he doesn’t have Cas and he doesn’t have his brother. He doesn’t have his support system like he used to. He doesn’t have Cas the way he did. He doesn’t have Sam. He’s got his car. That’s about it. [Laughs] He’s got his car and his music. So the beginning of the season has been a little difficult for him because he feels like he’s on an island of his own and that’s a situation that he doesn’t like to be in.